TECHNIK \u00b7 SAND WEDGE<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>The Sand Wedge \u2014 Bunker mechanics from 60.<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>The bunker shot is often the most feared shot for seniors \u2014 but with the right technique, it becomes a calculable routine. Three mechanical adjustments dramatically change bunker performance. What bunker science says.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>M<\/span>My first senior wedge coaching session after turning 60 was a bunker lesson. Up until then, my up-and-down percentage from greenside bunkers had been about 15 %. After the lesson\u2014and three weeks of practice\u2014it was 55 %. The difference wasn\u2019t a new wedge or a new swing. It was three mechanical details that I hadn\u2019t paid attention to before.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe sand wedge is the most versatile bunker club for seniors. With 54-58\u00b0 of loft and high bounce (10-14\u00b0), it's specifically designed for sand shots. Three mechanical adjustments\u2014stance, clubface, and point of contact with the sand\u2014make bunker shots a predictable routine.<\/p>\n<\/div>
Three Mechanical Bunker Adjustments<\/h2>\n\n
Adaptation 1 - Wide Stance + Knee Bend<\/div>\n
\u2713 STABLE BASE.<\/div>\n
Stand with your feet about twice shoulder-width apart, knees bent noticeably, and 60 % of your weight on your front leg. This position lowers your center of gravity and provides the stable base needed for a bunker shot\u2014which is especially important for seniors.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Adjustment 2 - Open face 30\u00b0<\/div>\n
\u2713 INCREASE LOFT EFFECTIVENESS.<\/div>\n
Open the clubface by about 30\u00b0 (after rotating the shaft to the right for right-handed players). This increases the effective loft from 56\u00b0 to around 65\u00b0 \u2013 a prerequisite for a high trajectory out of the sand.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Adjustment 3 - Sand 5-7 cm behind ball<\/div>\n
DO NOT HIT THE BALL.<\/div>\n
Classic mistake: hitting the ball directly. Correct: hit the sand 5-7 cm behind the ball; the sand propels the ball out. Practical visualization: a banknote under the ball\u2014knock out the banknote.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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55 %<\/div>\n
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Up-and-Down-Quote from Greenside Bunkers with Good Bunker Mechanics<\/div>\n
MyTPI Senior Performance Database 2024<\/div>\n
Comparison: Senior golfers without specific bunker training average 15\u201320 %. A massive factor in improving scores.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
Three Tips for Bunker Mastery<\/h2>\n\n
Tip 1 \u2014 Full Follow-Through<\/div>\n
No \u201egetting stuck\u201d.<\/div>\n
Most common senior mistake: \u201egetting stuck\u201d swing in the sand. Correct: full follow-through, the club swings completely through. Senior players are often afraid of too much power\u2014wrong, the sand slows it down enough.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tip 2 - Learn the Sand Distance Scale<\/div>\n
\u2713 PRACTICE THREE DISTANCES.<\/div>\n
Bunker: 5m, 10m, 15m. These three distances are standard. Regulate with swing tempo \u2013 not with swing length. Swing length remains the same (three-quarters), tempo varies.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tip 3 \u2014 Establish a Bunker Routine<\/div>\n
REDUCE MENTAL PRESSURE.<\/div>\n
Pre-shot routine specifically for bunkers: 1) Test sand with foot, 2) Visualize ball flight, 3) Two practice swings without touching sand, 4) Swing. Routine reduces mental pressure.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
There\u2019s no scary shot in golf if you have the right technique. Bunkers used to terrify senior golfers. Now they\u2019re just another shot \u2014 provided you\u2019ve learned the three fundamentals.<\/em><\/h2>\n\u2014 Dave Pelz, Short Game Coach<\/p>\n<\/div>
Three principles for senior bunker success.<\/p>\n
Mechanic strikes Mut<\/h2>\n
Bunker Strike is a 90 % technique and a 10 % courage move. With these three mechanical fundamentals, it becomes a predictable routine.<\/p>\n
Open loft, do not play<\/h2>\n
Senior players often try to \u201ehit the ball high.\u201d Wrong. Open the clubface, then swing normally \u2014 the loft makes it go high.<\/p>\n
Maintain follow-through<\/h2>\n
No getting stuck in the sand. Full follow-through is the most important senior bunker adjustment. Trust the loft, swing all the way through.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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ON THIS PAGE<\/div>\n
01<\/strong> Three mechanical adjustments<\/div>\n02<\/strong> Three tips for technology<\/div>\n03<\/strong> What the bunker routine doesn't replace<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
MS<\/div>\n
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Mathias Struwe<\/div>\n
PUBLISHER \u00b7 HCP 31 \u00b7 68 YRS.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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55 %<\/div>\n
Up-and-down quote with good mechanics.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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REFERENCE<\/div>\n
Lamontagne et al. (2021):
Senior Golf Biomechanics<\/em>. MyTPI (2020): The Golf Body<\/em>. Rose, G. & Phillips, D. (2018): The Golf Body<\/em>. Trackman Performance Database 2024. PGA Tour Stats 2014\u20132024.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>What the bunker mechanic does not replace<\/h2>\n
The three bunker mechanics make the bunker shot a routine matter\u2014but they don\u2019t replace the putt that follows, nor do they replace avoiding the bunker through better course management. A bunker save rate of 50 % still means 50 % bogeys from the bunker. The best bunker strategy is to avoid them.<\/p>\n
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THREE FIRST STEPS<\/div>\n
How to Achieve Bunker Mastery in 30 Days<\/h3>\n\n
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01<\/div>\n
Bunker lesson with PGA Pro<\/div>\n
A 60-minute lesson with a Pro specifically for bunkers. \u20ac80-120. Three mechanical fundamentals are trained. Greatest single lever for bunker performance.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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02<\/div>\n
Daily Bunker Drill<\/div>\n
For one week, 20 bunker shots daily at the practice bunker. Visualization: money bill drill. Measure up-and-down percentage weekly \u2014 typically, improvement visible within 2 weeks.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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03<\/div>\n
Establish a pre-shot routine<\/div>\n
Defined bunker routine: Sand check, visualization, two practice swings, swing. Apply consistently on the next hole \u2014 reduces mental pressure.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,231,6,4,34],"tags":[77,79,17,69,39],"class_list":["post-713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-annaeherung-short-game","category-ausruestung-schlaeger","category-putt-und-lag","category-senioren-technik","category-senioren-golf-training","tag-bunker","tag-sand-wedge","tag-senior-golf","tag-short-game","tag-technik"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=713"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1090,"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713\/revisions\/1090"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/senior-golf.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}