The main types of bunker shots around a green serve different situations: a standard splash, a higher and softer flight, a lower shot with release, and an escape from a buried lie. Choose among them by reading the lie, the lip, and the landing room.
The flag is only one part of that picture. A shot that would be useful from a normal lie may be unrealistic when the ball is buried or the bunker face is high. Start by identifying what the situation permits, then choose a target you can reach.
First, answer three questions
How is the ball sitting? How much height is needed to clear the lip? How much room is available for the ball to land and roll?
Those questions keep shot selection connected to the actual challenge. A low-running shot requires a low enough exit. A high, soft attempt needs a suitable lie and practiced technique. A buried ball may make a simple escape the most useful objective.
This guide covers greenside situations. A fairway-bunker shot aimed far down the hole is a different task and should not automatically use the same sand-first splash technique.
1. Standard splash: your reference shot
Use a standard splash when the ball sits reasonably well, the lip is manageable, and there is enough green for a normal landing and release.
Choose suitable loft, build a stable setup, and move sand through the shot. Pick a broad landing area rather than focusing only on whether the ball clears the edge. This is the shot to establish first in practice because it gives you a reference for judging other options.
Once you can produce it repeatedly, pay attention to distance. Observe where the ball lands and how far it releases instead of measuring success only by getting out.
2. Higher shot: when landing room is limited
A higher flight can be useful from a good lie when the lip or short landing area calls for more height. Suitable loft and a practiced setup become especially important.
Do not assume you can create this shot simply by making the finish look high. The ball flight depends on what happens at impact, and more ambitious height can require technique you have not yet developed.
If the lie is poor or the landing target is too demanding, choose a wider section of green when available. Leaving a longer putt can be reasonable when the alternative risks staying in the bunker.
3. Lower shot with release: when there is room
A lower option can fit a low lip and a longer stretch of green. The plan is to land the ball and allow it to roll toward the intended finish.
Confirm that the trajectory clears the exit with margin. Less loft is not useful if the ball strikes the face of the bunker. Also inspect slopes beyond the landing area; a shot that releases can gather more speed than expected on a downslope.
Practice this variation separately from the standard splash so you understand its carry and rollout. Do not introduce it for the first time because a round has become frustrating.
4. Buried-lie escape: prioritize a realistic exit
When the ball sits down in the sand, the available contact and flight change. Expect less predictable distance and stopping behavior than from a clean lie.
Choose a route that gives you a realistic chance to leave the bunker. Depending on the lie and lip, that route may be away from the hole. Avoid treating a square or closed face as a universal buried-lie prescription; technique needs to fit how deeply the ball is embedded and the exit required.
PGA’s overview of bunker-shot situations offers additional coaching context. A lesson in different practice-bunker lies can help you recognize the options you can reliably use.
Adjust when the sand changes
After a weather change on a Texas course, assess the bunker in front of you. Wet does not always mean firm, and two bunkers on the same course may present different conditions.
Use your observations and experience to judge whether the standard motion still fits. When uncertain, allow more landing room rather than expecting the ball to stop precisely beside the flag.
A progression for practice
Begin with normal lies and a broad target. Once you have a dependable splash, practice a higher flight and a lower release shot where the facility allows. Add buried-lie practice with suitable guidance.
Track whether each shot cleared the lip, reached the intended area, and left a manageable next stroke. That tells you which option is ready for the course.
Bunker-selection questions
Should I always aim at the flag?
No. The best available exit may lead toward a larger safe area or even away from the green. Choose for the lie and your ability.
Is a high shot always softer?
Height can help, but lie, strike, spin, slope, and firmness influence the finish. Allow for the actual result you can produce.
Read the lie first, clear the lip second, and plan the landing third. That sequence gives your bunker decisions a practical order.
Start with our standard greenside bunker setup and practice drill.
