The sand that is used to fill up bunker areas can vary from course to course. Some locations use very soft, fine sand. Other bunkers have tight, firm sand. Some courses may even have less sand in their bunkers than others. All of these conditions will require different techniques if your ball lands in a bunker.

You Can Look But You Can’t Touch

If you enjoy playing by the rules, you should know that the regulations dictate that you are not allowed to test the sand’s texture before playing a bunker shot. However, you can at least take the time to be conscious if the sand appears to be wet and hard, or soft and light.

Hard Sand: Bunker sand that is on the hard side will require that you slow down your swing speed a bit. This means that you will not take the club back as far as you normally would. The ball will pop out faster because there is no cushion of soft sand between the clubhead and your ball.

Soft Sand: Soft sand will require more speed from your swing. Because the sand is light and fluffy, there will be a lot of it coming between the ball and your clubhead. Soft sand actually slows down the club as it follows through.

Senior Golfers have been known to injure themselves attempting these shots. So, a question and a word of request: Are you playing in a sanctioned tournament or a money game? If not, then put your health ahead of the game’s rule, and take a drop. Your back is much more important than one shot in a friendly game.

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