Nobody likes bunker shots. For most amateurs, a greenside bunker means one of two disasters: the wrists flip and try to "lift" the ball out, which produces a skull across the green, or the club digs straight down and the ball stays in the sand. So they tense up, which makes both outcomes more likely. It is the least fun shot in golf.
It does not have to be. Good bunker players are not doing anything heroic. They are doing two simple things: staying connected, and letting the bounce of the wedge do the work.
Here is how. On the backswing, pin your trail bicep (left bicep for right-handers) against your side and keep it glued there. This keeps your arms connected to your body instead of letting the club get loose and flippy. Then, on the downswing and through the sand, focus on exiting the handle left, letting the clubhead roll around your body instead of flipping at the ball. That left exit with the face open keeps the bounce working under the ball. The result is a shallow, consistent strike through the sand instead of a dig or a skull: clean, high, soft bunker shots with very little effort.
Practice it in steps. Get in a bunker with your sand wedge. Make ten to fifteen slow practice swings feeling two things only: the bicep pinned on the way back, and the handle exiting left on the way through. Then hit eight to ten real bunker shots with the same feel. The feedback is instant. Ball comes out high and soft, you did it. Ball skulls or stays in, the handle leaked right and the wrists flipped. Adjust and go again.
The one mistake to avoid: chopping down steeply at the ball like you are trying to dig it out. That is the instinct, and it is exactly wrong. The bounce on your wedge is designed to skim through the sand, but it can only do that if the angle of attack is shallow and the face stays open. Think splash, not dig. Let the club glide under the ball.
Pin the bicep on the backswing. Exit the handle left through the sand. That is bunker magic, and it turns the scariest shot in golf into an automatic one.
This drill is one of 220+ in the Pro Vault at coachellapro.com for $1 a month. And if bunkers are stealing two or three shots every round, come see me in La Quinta. We will fix it in one session.