What Is a Bunker in Golf?
A bunker is a specially prepared area of sand on a golf course, usually set into a hollow, designed to catch shots that miss their target. In the United States it's often called a sand trap. They sit beside fairways and round greens, and getting out of them takes a different technique from any other shot.
Landing in a bunker has no penalty, but it makes the next shot harder.
Where bunkers come from
Early golf was played on Scottish coastal land. The usual story is that sheep sheltered from the wind in hollows among the dunes, and over time the wind and the animals wore those hollows down to bare sand that golfers had to play out of. Course builders later copied the idea on purpose. That's why the oldest links courses are full of small, deep bunkers. See what is a links golf course.
The parts of a bunker
- The lip: the top edge, where the sand meets the grass. A high lip can stop a low shot getting out.
- The face: the steep side nearest the target that the ball has to climb over.
- The floor: the flatter base of sand where the ball usually ends up.
- Rakes: left beside the bunker so players can smooth their footprints afterwards.
Types of bunker
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Greenside bunker | Next to the green, catching approach shots that come up short or wide |
| Fairway bunker | Along or across the fairway, catching tee shots |
| Pot bunker | Small, deep and round, often with a steep turf wall; common on links |
| Cross bunker | Runs across the fairway, so you have to carry it |
| Waste area | A large sandy area that isn't officially a bunker |
Waste areas look like bunkers but, unless the course says otherwise, they count as the general area. You can ground your club in them.
Bunker rules to know
Under the current Rules of Golf (Rule 12), the main points are:
- Don't touch the sand on purpose with your hand or club to test it, and don't ground the club right behind the ball, make a practice swing that touches the sand, or touch it on your backswing. The usual penalty is two strokes in stroke play, or loss of the hole in match play.
- You may move loose impediments such as leaves and stones in a bunker. You could not do that under the old rules.
- Unplayable ball: you can take relief inside the bunker for one penalty stroke, or drop outside the bunker, back on a line from the hole through where the ball lay, for two penalty strokes.
- No free relief for a plugged ball in the sand. You play it as it lies or declare it unplayable. More in what is a plugged lie.
- Rake the bunker when you leave. That's etiquette rather than a rule.
How a bunker shot works
From a greenside bunker you don't hit the ball first. You open the clubface, swing through the sand an inch or two behind the ball, and let the sand throw the ball out. The sand wedge was designed for exactly this: its wide, angled sole (the bounce) skims through the sand instead of digging in. From a fairway bunker with a clean lie, it's the opposite: you want to strike the ball first.
There's a step-by-step guide in how to hit out of a bunker.
Famous bunkers
Some bunkers are well known by name. Hell Bunker on the 14th hole of the Old Course at St Andrews is huge and deep. The Road Hole Bunker beside the 17th green on the same course is small, deep and has caught many professionals. At Oakmont in Pennsylvania, the Church Pews bunker has rows of grass ridges running through the sand.
Try it in Mashy
Bunkers in Mashy behave a bit like the real thing. Sand slows the ball sharply, an early tap on the swing meter catches it heavy so it comes up short, and a late tap blades it so it runs on. Hit a shot too low and it can catch the lip and roll back in. Salty Links is the course to try, with its pot bunkers among the dunes.
Frequently asked questions
Is a bunker the same as a sand trap?
Yes. Bunker is the official term used by the Rules of Golf and is the usual word in Britain and Ireland. Sand trap is the common American name for the same thing. Both mean a prepared area of sand, usually in a hollow, that is meant to catch wayward shots.
Can you touch the sand in a bunker with your club?
Not before your stroke, in most cases. You can't ground the club right behind the ball, touch the sand on a practice swing or on your backswing. You may lean on a club for balance, and you can rake or touch the sand in ways that aren't testing it or improving your shot.
Is there a penalty for landing in a bunker?
No. A bunker isn't a penalty area, so there's no penalty stroke just for being in one. You play the ball as it lies. A penalty only applies if you break a rule, such as touching the sand behind the ball, or choose to take unplayable ball relief.
What club do you use in a bunker?
Most players use a sand wedge from greenside bunkers, because its wide sole is designed to slide through the sand. From a fairway bunker with a good lie and a long way to go, a more ordinary iron is often better, as long as it has enough loft to clear the lip.
Why do golfers rake bunkers?
Raking smooths out footprints and the mark left by your shot, so the next player doesn't end up in a hole in the sand. It's basic golf etiquette. Many courses leave rakes beside each bunker, and it only takes a few seconds before you walk on.