Long bunker shots will be a breeze with this tip from Scottie Scheffler.
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Welcome to Play Smart, GOLF.com’s regular game improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
Bryson DeChambeau’s 72 hole to win this summer’s US Open will go down in history as one of the most clutch streaks. Not only were the stakes much higher, the difficulty of shooting was also eliminated.
Anyone who has faced a long bunker shot knows how difficult it can be. Hit it too narrow and the ball will fly over the green. Take too much sand and you won’t even get to the green. When you hit a long bunker shot, the margin for error is minuscule.
If you make one key change, however, this shot is a lot easier than it looks. In fact, all you have to do is make one simple change to make this shoot a breeze. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler explains more below.
How to make a long bunker shot look easy
When you hit a greenside bunker shot, you will often use a sand wedge or lob wedge to lift the ball up into the air and out of the hole. If you have a long bunker shot, you should not use any of these clubs.
From the greenside bunker, you try to sand an inch or two behind the ball to spread the ball onto the green. But if the shooting distance increases, you should take less sand to get more power in the shot if you still use sand wedge or lob wedge.
As you can imagine, the margin of error becomes very small when you try this method. You have to do almost perfectly to take the right amount of sand to control the distance accurately.
Instead of playing a good shot, choose a long club (think 9-iron or pitching wedge). You’ll be surprised how big the margin of error becomes.
“Shooting is a lot easier when you use less loft,” Scheffler said. “If you use a low loft on these long shots, it’s more consistent.”
The next time you face a long bunker shot, choose a low lofted club instead of a sand wedge. If you do, you’ll be surprised how much easier shooting becomes.
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