How to Get Out of a Sand Bunker: 6 Steps and Rules

How to get out of a sand bunker? Open the clubface of your sand wedge, dig your feet in with a wide stance, play the ball slightly forward, lower your hands to add loft, and swing to hit the sand about an inch or two behind the ball so the sand lifts the ball out. Keep accelerating through to a full finish.

This guide covers the basic greenside bunker shot, what changes in a deep bunker, which club to use and the Rules of Golf for bunkers. For the other areas of a hole, read parts of a golf course.

Why bunker shots feel hard

In a greenside bunker, you do not hit the ball first. The club enters the sand behind the ball and the sand carries the ball out. Many amateurs try to pick the ball clean or decelerate, which leaves the ball in the bunker or sends it over the green.

How to get out of a sand bunker step by step

The steps below draw on tips from short-game coach Parker McLachlin in a GOLF.com Pros Teaching Joes lesson.

1. Open the clubface first

Turn the face open, then take your grip. McLachlin says opening the face means "I've pretty much taken long out of play," so you can "smack the sand as hard as you want, without the fear of it going long."

2. Dig in with a wide stance

Wiggle your feet into the sand for a stable base and widen your stance. "You want to get wide in here, number one, to lower your hands, but, number two, you want to create a stable base," McLachlin explains. Your legs are there for support; the arms and hands do most of the work.

3. Lower the handle

Do not copy your fairway setup. McLachlin shows that lowering the handle keeps the face open and "added loft to the club, which will make the ball go higher."

4. Ball slightly forward

Place the ball a little forward of center so the club can enter the sand behind it and slide under it.

5. Hit the sand, not the ball

Pick a spot an inch or two behind the ball and aim to splash the sand there. A shallow, full swing that throws sand onto the green is the goal.

6. Accelerate to a finish

Slowing down is the most common mistake. Keep the club moving through the sand and hold your finish.

What club do you use to get out of a sand trap?

Most golfers use a sand wedge, which has extra loft and bounce designed to glide through sand. A lob wedge can help over a high lip. From a fairway bunker far from the green, the shot is different: take an extra club, grip down, keep your lower body quiet and hit the ball first, much like an iron shot (see how to hit irons).

Are you allowed to touch the sand in a bunker?

Not before your stroke. Bunkers are one of the five course areas under the Rules of Golf, and the Arizona Golf Association notes that in a bunker you "cannot ground your club, touch the sand with a practice swing, or touch the sand on your back swing." Full details are in the USGA Rules of Golf. Our golf rules for beginners covers more basics.

Bunker etiquette

Enter and leave from the low side, rake your footprints and the area you hit from, and leave the rake where your course asks. More on manners in golf etiquette rules.

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FAQ

How do you get out of a sand bunker every time?

Open the face, dig in with a wide stance, lower your hands, hit the sand an inch or two behind the ball and accelerate to a full finish.

Do you hit the ball first in a bunker?

Not in a greenside bunker. The club enters the sand behind the ball. In a fairway bunker you usually want to hit the ball first.

What club do you use in a sand trap?

A sand wedge for most greenside bunkers; a lob wedge for high lips; a longer iron or hybrid with ball-first contact from a fairway bunker.

Can you take a practice swing in a bunker?

You can make a practice swing, but you cannot touch the sand with it. Practice outside the bunker if you want to feel the sand contact.