David Armitage's Drill Gives Bunker Shots Nine Distances

GOLF Top 100 Teacher David Armitage says most recreational golfers hit one bunker shot and one bunker shot only, leaving them with no answer when a shot calls for more or less distance. Armitage, who has built his teaching career around bunker play, lays out a way to produce nine different distances on greenside bunker shots without changing the swing itself.

What changes if the swing doesn't?

Armitage varies two things at address: the wedge and the clubface angle. He hits greenside bunker shots with three wedges — a gap wedge, a sand wedge and a lob wedge — and opens the face to one of three positions: square, "1 o'clock" or "2 o'clock." Three wedges multiplied by three face positions gives a golfer nine distance options while repeating the same basic swing each time.

Why does sand firmness matter?

Armitage cautions that spin on a bunker shot isn't purely a product of technique. How firm or soft the sand is changes how the ball comes out and reacts on the green, a variable he says even tour pros don't fully control. Spectators often credit a player's spin to skill alone, Armitage said, when "sometimes it's to do with the circumstances."

For everyday golfers stuck in the sand, Armitage's advice is simpler than it sounds: focus on the setup and the strike, and let the wedge and face angle do the work of changing distance.