How Much Sand You Should Take With Your Bunker Shot

Are you struggling to get your ball out of greenside bunkers? Christina Ricci shares a simple visualization to improve your bunker play. Learn to take a "dollar bill" of sand to get your ball out of the bunker and closer to the hole every time.

Your Action Plan

What: Your goal is to improve your bunker shots by focusing on the correct point of contact and ensuring you take enough sand.

Why: It is the sand, not the clubface, that gets the ball out of the bunker. Learning to enter the sand at the correct spot will help you achieve the clean, consistent contact needed for a successful bunker shot.

How:

Visualize the Dollar Bill: Imagine a dollar bill lying on the sand, with the ball in the middle.
Enter the Sand: Strike the sand right behind the ball and accelerate through the imaginary dollar bill.
Keep the Club in the Sand: Do not stop your swing after contact; keep the clubhead moving through the sand for a shallow, consistent exit.
Take Enough Sand: Ensure you take a good amount of sand to get the ball out without getting too deep.

Already a Member? Login

Your Instructor

Christina Ricci

See Bio and More Posts

Live Lesson Favorites

Videos currently being watched by Women’s Golf members

Stop Lifting Up: The Secret to a Low Lead Shoulder

Struggling to keep your lead shoulder down during your backswing? Cathy Kim explains why you might be lifting up instead of tilting and how a simple shift in your footwork can fix your shoulder plane automatically.

View Lesson

Chest-Driven Takeaway for a More Powerful Swing - Christina Ricci - Womens Golf

The Chest-Driven Takeaway for a More Powerful Swing

A solid golf swing starts right out of the gate with a connected takeaway. Christina Ricci demonstrates how to use your chest as the primary driver of the backswing while keeping your upper arms connected to your torso. By avoiding excessive hip rotation...

View Lesson

Plugged Ball in the Sand - Cathy Kim - Womens Golf

Plugged Ball in the Sand? Try This!

Finding your ball plugged in a greenside bunker can be intimidating. Cathy Kim breaks down the exact club selection, clubface setup, and swing adjustments you need to pop the ball out safely.

View Lesson

Here's Your Next Lesson

Full Swing

Short Game

Putting

Strategy & Psychology

Bunkers

Golf Fitness

Equipment, Rules, Etiquette

Control your Distance with Pitch Shots - Kellie Stenzel - Womens Golf

The Simplest Way to Control Distance on Your Pitch Shots

Once you are making solid contact with your pitches, the next milestone is mastering distance control. LPGA Top 50 Instructor Kellie Stenzel explains why changing the length of your backswing, rather than trying to manipulate your hand speed is the most reliable way to dial in your short game yardages.

See This Lesson

Tell Jane what you’d like to improve and receive recommended lessons and pathways from our library of 1,300+ lessons.

Not sure what to work on next? Our step-by-step improvement pathways bring together the best lessons in a logical order, helping you focus on the right skills and improve faster.

Your Golf Community Is Waiting

Already a member? Log in

Your weekly game Plan

Every weekend Jane sends an email to members with lessons to focus on, golf tips, and highlights from the Women’s Golf Group to help you keep improving.

Example Recommendations

Hi Robyn,

Thank you for sending in your member game profile. It really helps me point you to the most useful lessons for where your game is right now.

Fairway woods at a 10-19 handicap is such a valuable area to tighten up and there is a really strong library to draw from.

Jane Filing Jane@WomensGolf.com

Already a member? Log in

Our personalised lesson recommendations and step‑by‑step improvement pathways are designed especially for women who are new to golf. They bring together the right lessons in the right order, helping you build confidence, develop solid fundamentals, and enjoy steady progress from your very first steps.