Getting out of Stanley Thompson’s sand: greenside bunkers through a Canadian season

Stanley Thompson, the Toronto-born architect behind Banff Springs and Jasper Park Lodge, left Canada with some of its most photographed sand. Eight of his layouts sit inside national parks and are open to the public, from Highlands Links in Cape Breton to Waterton Lakes in Alberta. Plenty of golfers make the trip, stand in one of those bunkers with the Rockies behind the green, and splash the ball twice before it gets out.

It does not have to go that way. A greenside bunker shot is an ordinary swing with a few adjustments, and it is the one shot in golf where the club is not supposed to touch the ball at all. Add the conditions a Canadian season throws at you, from soggy April sand to firm August sand, and the Rules that apply, and it becomes one of the most manageable recoveries you face.

Why sand is forgiving

From a bunker, the clubhead enters the sand behind the ball and slides under it. The sand, not the club face, lifts the ball out. That leaves a margin of an inch or two for where the club goes in, far more than a chip from a tight fairway lie, where a tiny error produces a thin or fat shot. The aim is not precision. It is a repeatable entry point and a committed swing.

Set up for the bounce

Open the clubface first, then grip. Rotate the face open while the club rests on the ground, and only then take your grip. Gripping first and then twisting simply lets your hands return the face to square during the swing. An open face exposes the bounce, the curved sole that skids through sand. A sand wedge with generous bounce is built for this, and wasted if the leading edge leads.

Work your feet in, and grip down. Settle your feet into the sand for stability. Because that lowers you, choke down on the handle by the same amount. Your feet also tell you what you are standing in, which matters a great deal in Canada.

Pick a spot about two inches behind the ball and look at that spot, not the ball. Swing so the club enters there and keeps travelling to a full, high finish.

What your feet tell you in April, July and October

Canadian bunkers change with the calendar. After snowmelt and spring rain, sand is often wet, heavy and packed down, and some bunkers still show bare patches where it has washed off the faces. Wet sand resists the club, so the bounce skids less and the ball comes out faster and lower. Open the face a little less, take slightly less sand and expect more roll.

By midsummer, after weeks of raking and dry weather, sand is fluffier and deeper. The club digs more easily, so the face should be more open and the swing unhurried but fully accelerating. In the fall, rain and leaf cover bring back firmer, damper sand.

Knowing this before you swing saves strokes. Just remember that testing the sand on purpose is against the Rules (see below). What you learn through your feet while taking a stance is allowed.

The fault behind most failures

Slowing down. The typical amateur makes a long backswing, fears hitting it too far, and eases off at impact. The leading edge digs instead of gliding, and the ball stays put.

Use a shorter backswing with full acceleration through the sand instead. Rehearse without a ball: draw a line in the sand, then make swings where the club enters on the line and throws a shallow, banknote-shaped patch of sand forward. Ten of those teach more than fifty nervous attempts.

Controlling distance

Two things govern how far the ball goes: how much sand you take, and how fast you swing. Change only one at a time. For most players a three-quarter swing entering two inches behind the ball sends it roughly 15 yards. Take a little less sand for longer shots and a little more for shorter ones, keeping the swing the same. Once that is reliable, change clubs: the same swing with a 58- or 60-degree wedge flies higher and shorter than with a 54.

Plugged lies

When the ball is buried, reverse the setup. Square or slightly close the face, play the ball further back, and strike down firmly behind it. There will be no spin, so the ball emerges low and runs out. Aim for the front of the green and take your two putts gladly. Trying a delicate open-faced shot from a plugged lie is how a bogey turns into a triple.

The Rules in a bunker

Golf Canada publishes the Rules of Golf in Canada with The R&A and the USGA, and Rule 12 is short enough to learn.

• You may remove loose impediments (leaves, pine needles, twigs) and movable obstructions, even if the sand moves a little as you do so.
• You may not deliberately touch the sand to test it, and you may not touch the sand with your club right in front of or behind the ball, on a practice swing, or on the backswing.
• You may dig your feet in, lean on a club to keep your balance, set clubs down in the bunker and smooth sand to care for the course.
• Once your ball is out, you may rake and touch the sand freely.

Spring puddles: temporary water in a bunker is an abnormal course condition. Under Rule 16.1c you can take free relief elsewhere in the bunker or, for one penalty stroke, go back on the line outside the bunker.

Hopeless lies: an unplayable ball in a bunker can be dropped outside it, back on the line from the hole, for two penalty strokes under Rule 19.3b. That is often cheaper than a second or third failed attempt.

Liners: many courses install bunker liners. In Golf Canada’s own 2026 championship Local Rules, liners in their intended position are integral objects with no free relief, though the Committee may treat an exposed liner as ground under repair. Your club’s local rules may differ, so check the card.

After playing, rake from the low side, and walk in and out at the lowest point. For more Rules traps, see our guide to the Rules of Golf you get wrong.

Fairway bunkers need the opposite

Away from the green, you must hit the ball first. Grip down, play it a touch back in your stance, keep your lower body quiet and take an extra club. Above all, choose a club with enough loft to clear the lip, even if it leaves you short. We cover it in detail in our fairway bunker guide.

Where to practise bunker shots in Canada

Many public facilities have a practice green but no sand, or a bunker that is rarely raked. Before paying for range balls, ask whether the short-game area has a bunker and whether it is open. A good practice bunker is worth driving a little further for.

Early in the season, practise in whatever sand your home course has, wet or not, because that is what you will face in May. If your club has a practice bunker, use it right after the maintenance crew rakes it. A short-game lesson with a PGA of Canada professional, in real sand, is the fastest route to confidence, and the association’s Find a Pro directory lists coaches by region. If the club digs no matter what you do, have a fitter check the bounce and grind of your wedge; that is an equipment issue, not a swing flaw.

And if you are planning a trip to Banff, Jasper or Highlands Links, spend twenty minutes in sand before you go. Panxis Golf has no commercial relationship with any course, coach or retailer mentioned here.

Twenty minutes a week

• Ten ball-free swings on a line, checking where the club enters.
• Ten shots to a 15-yard target, changing only the amount of sand.
• Five shots from wet or packed sand and five from fluffy sand, if your course offers both.
• One buried lie, so the first one on the course is not a surprise.
• Five fairway bunker shots, ball first, choosing the club that clears the lip.

The bunker’s reputation is far worse than the shot itself. Practise it a little, and those Thompson bunkers become part of the view rather than the scorecard.