How to play the long bunker shot - Brief Article

For a long explosion shot, I've drawn a line behind the ball (above inset) to show you the spot I want the club to enter the sand. For this shot, my stance is slightly open but my clubface is square to the target (left), and I make sure to accelerate the clubhead through impact to a fairly long finish (right).

Control distance by speed, length of follow-through

The difference between a short-side explosion bunker shot (where you have little green to work with) and a longer one is the speed of the swing and the length of the follow-through. For the long bunker shot, the key is to generate substantially more clubhead speed as the clubhead hits the sand, and to accelerate through the shot.

The most common mistake amateurs make is to decelerate at impact. When you do that, the ball has no chance of covering the required distance. I like to set up in an open stance with the clubface less open than for the average bunker shot. I pick out a spot on the green where I want the ball to land, then focus on a spot behind the ball where I want the club to enter the sand. I try to have nice rhythm on my backswing, which includes a slight shoulder turn. From there I have a single thought: Accelerate through the shot.

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