The low running bunker shot

1This shot is ideal when the lip isn’t too steep, there’s green to work with and getting the distance will be a struggle with a standard splash using a sand wedge. Stand square, rather than open – not a bad idea for some golfers on all bunker shots now wedges come in all sorts of bounces and lofts. But for this shot, you certainly don’t want to be cutting across it. By squaring up, you are mirroring what you do elsewhere on the course and the ball will release more.

2With regard to stance width and weight distribution, different players have different approaches that suit their angle of attack. I would keep it simple – shoulderwidth for stability, then secure your feet in the sand without shuffling them in too much as that lowers them relative to the ball. As for how much sand to take, just be consistent. If you take an inch on standard bunker shots, keep it at that.

3For this shot, I would encourage you to explore playing from the sand with a lower-lofted wedge anyway, but when it comes to varying distance, I think it’s better to change the equipment than to vary your technique. If you find that waist-high to waist-high is ‘your’ shot and you’ve got three or four different wedges, you’ve then got three or four different distances you can achieve from the same swing.