Greenside Guru

A bunker swing you can rely on

- Keely Levins

AFTER ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASONS in Symetra Tour history, with three victories and 12 top 10s in just 15 tournaments in 2016, Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden joined the LPGA Tour and had four top 10s in her rookie campaign. Known to be a good driver and solid putter, Sagstrom, 25, might be at her best in greenside bunkers. Last year she finished seventh on the LPGA Tour in sand saves (60.24 percent), getting up and down 50 times. Here are her smart (and simple) tips to improve your bunker consistency.

First, Sagstrom offers a quick refresher on the standard instructions for a greenside bunker shot: “Take a wide stance, dig your feet in, hit the sand before the ball—you’ve probably heard all of that before,” she says. “For me, the key to good bunker shots is finding a balance between rhythm and speed. You need clubhead speed to get your wedge through the sand, but forcing speed can ruin your rhythm. I see amateurs trying to get their speed up by swinging harder or faster. If you do that, you’ll probably just dig your club into the sand and chunk the shot. The swing thought that works for me is, Get the club to the ball before the hands.”