Golfers of all skill levels often struggle with bunker play. Not only do they utilize a technique that doesn’t support their desired outcome, but they also tend to have difficulty selecting the correct shot for the scenario. There are a variety of elements to assess on each bunker shot including the lie, sand conditions, green firmness, green contour, and the amount of green to work with. The Bunker Square is a system that allows the player to establish a baseline technique and then go through a series of strategic adjustments in their setup to address all the variables of the shot.
What makes the Bunker Square a square?
Let’s look at a 1 inch by 1 inch square. On each side of the square we have a setup adjustment.
As we encounter scenarios that require more height and stopping power, we add 1 inch to each variable in our baseline setup. For example, a short sided bunker shot would require a “Plus One” shot. For this shot, the player would have a stance that is one inch wider, be standing one inch further away from the ball, adding one inch to their squat depth, and moving the ball one inch more forward in their stance. Along with these setup changes, the player will open the face slightly more.
How do these variables influence the player delivery?
As we move further away from the ball, the delivered lie angle will be flatter as well as shallowing the attack angle. By flattening the delivered lie angle, we can counteract the face pointing right of the target (for a right-handed golfer) due to the more open club face. The shallower attack angle will tilt the spin loft upwards to create the desired launch angle required to stop the ball quickly on the green. The added stance width and squat depth match up with the distance away from the ball to get the player in an athletic setup. Moving the ball forward in the stance continues to shallow the attack angle as well as delivering more dynamic loft. As we present more dynamic loft, we also present more bounce on the bottom of the golf club. This will prevent the club from digging too deep into the sand.
If we think about the arc of the clubhead travel from a face on view, we can examine different points and how they correlate with various launch conditions.
The “Plus One” shot is our highest launching and shortest carry distance shot in our matrix.
As we move to a “Minus One” shot, we would have a stance that is one inch narrower, be standing one inch closer to the ball, removing one inch from the squat depth, and moving the ball one inch further back in their stance. Along with these setup changes, the player will have a squarer clubface. This technique will promote a steeper Angle of Attack and less dynamic loft to hit shots that fly a bit lower and carry further.
Scenarios for Baseline, Plus One, and Minus One Shots
When hitting short game shots around the green, the first variable that must be considered is the lie of the golf ball. Bunker shots are no different. We must assess how the golf ball is sitting and the firmness of the bunker. The Plus One shot works very well in softer bunkers or if the ball is sitting on top of the sand. Minus One shots should be utilized when in firm bunkers or if the ball is sitting down in the sand. After taking the lie into consideration, the shot scenario can then be examined.
One of the key advantages of the Bunker Square is the ability to adapt the system. After establishing a quality baseline technique, we can incorporate several different wedge lofts to achieve various flight windows and carry distances. We can utilize this general framework to select the appropriate club and setup.
Insert chart with various lofts/overlap
A key element of bunker performance is having predictable carry distances. As you work through the different shots, take note of how far the ball is carrying and how it reacts once it lands on the green. I recommend having baseline carry distances for each shot in the matrix and then adapting from there.
Try this system out next time you practice!
