Improve Your Bunker Play with Right Arm Only Shots

The right arm only bunker shot is one of the best drills you can use to build a reliable sand game. It teaches you the true engine of a good explosion shot: a club that drops into the sand with speed, not a motion that drags the handle forward or relies on a big body turn. If you struggle with thin bunker shots, digging too deep, or leaving the ball in the sand, this drill helps you feel how the clubhead should fall, splash the sand, and keep moving through the finish.

How the Drill Works

In a quality bunker swing, the motion is often more right-side driven than a normal full swing. That may sound unusual at first, especially if you are used to thinking about body rotation and lead-side control. But in the bunker, you are not trying to compress the ball with forward shaft lean. You are trying to use the club’s loft and bounce to enter the sand properly and throw the ball out.

That is why good bunker players often look very different through impact than they do on a full swing. The finish is usually narrower, the clubhead releases past the hands, and the lead wrist does not look firm and driving. Instead, the club is allowed to swing past them with speed.

When you hit shots with only your right arm, two important things become much easier to feel:

The downswing starts with the trail arm and club, not with a hard pull from the left side.
The club drops naturally into the sand rather than being yanked steeply by the handle.

This is a major key. If you over-control the bunker swing with your left arm and body, you often create too much shaft lean and too much handle drag. That makes it harder to use the bounce correctly. The right-arm-only motion helps you feel a softer, more natural release where the clubhead can work under the ball.

Another benefit is that the sand wedge is already one of the heaviest clubs in your bag. You do not need to force it. If you let it fall and then add speed, it behaves more like a sledgehammer than a delicate guiding tool. That weight helps the club move through the sand and throw the ball out.

Step-by-Step

Set up as you normally would for a basic bunker shot. Use your standard bunker posture, aim, and ball position. The drill works best when paired with solid setup fundamentals, because the motion is meant to train the engine of the swing, not replace proper address conditions.
Take your left hand off the club. Grip the club only with your right hand. Choke down slightly if needed so the club feels manageable and balanced.
Make a short backswing. You do not need a long motion. Keep it simple and controlled. The goal is to sense the club’s weight, not create power with effort.
Let the club fall to start down. From the top, feel the right arm and club drop before you add speed. Avoid pulling the handle down aggressively. Let gravity help start the motion.
Swing the club into the sand. Your job is to strike the sand, not the ball first. Make a small, shallow divot behind the ball and let the club keep moving.
Finish with speed. Even though the motion is short, the club should continue through the sand and up into a compact finish. The finish should not look stalled or stuck in the sand.
Add your left hand back on for comparison. After a few one-handed reps, place the left hand back on the club and try to preserve the same right-arm-driven feel. Let the left hand support and stabilize the motion rather than dominate it.

What You Should Feel

If you are doing the drill correctly, the motion should feel surprisingly simple. You are not trying to manufacture a perfect-looking swing. You are trying to train the correct strike pattern and release.

Key sensations

The club feels heavy in a good way, as if it wants to fall into the sand.
The right hand starts the downswing instead of the body spinning hard from the top.
The clubhead passes the hands rather than the handle being dragged forward.
The sand gets hit consistently, producing a small splash or divot.
The finish keeps moving with speed, even though it may look narrower and shorter than a full swing finish.

Checkpoints

The strike enters the sand behind the ball.
The club does not stop at impact.
Your lead side does not feel rigid or overly dominant.
The motion feels more like a toss or throw than a pull.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Pulling down with the handle. This usually makes the club too steep and reduces the bounce.
Trying to rotate too hard with the body. A bunker shot needs speed, but not a massive body-driven move.
Holding the face off through impact. If you do not let the club release, the clubhead cannot move through the sand properly.
Skipping the sand. If you are trying to pick the ball cleanly, you are defeating the purpose of the drill.
Using too much effort. The wedge already has enough mass to do the job. Let the club work.
Stopping the finish. A decelerating bunker swing usually leaves the club in the sand and the ball in the bunker.
Making the swing too long. This drill is about quality of motion, not length of motion.

How This Fits Your Swing

This drill is not telling you that every golf shot should be hit with the right arm only. It is specific to the bunker because the strike demands are different. On a full swing, you are usually trying to deliver the club with structure, pressure shift, and a more organized lead side. In the bunker, you need the club to release, use its loft, and enter the sand with the right amount of speed and depth.

That is why this drill is so valuable. It teaches you a motion that is often missing when players bring their full-swing mechanics into the sand. If you are too lead-side dominant, too handle-driven, or too focused on shaft lean, bunker play gets much harder than it needs to be.

Think of the right arm as the engine of the bunker shot and the left hand as the stabilizer. First learn how the club should drop, splash, and release with the trail arm. Then put your left hand back on and keep that same feel. When you do, you will start to produce the kind of strike good bunker players have: a clean entry into the sand, enough speed through the shot, and a club that keeps moving all the way to the finish.

Used regularly, this drill can give you a much clearer sense of how a bunker shot should actually work. Instead of trying to force the ball out, you will learn to let the club do the job.