When people practice their bunker skills I always see them doing it with a ball.
But that might not always be the best way to practice……
Remember in a bunker we are looking to hit the sand that displaces the ball sending it out. So why don’t we practice just hitting the sand!
Draw a line in the sand around 1m long, then start at one end and try to take to sand from the line onwards. If we know how to control where we hit the sand, getting the ball out should be easy! Try to only take the sand from the front side of the line trying not to break the line at all.
I find that the main reason people find bunkers difficult is that they never take the same amount of sand each time, sometimes not hitting the sand at all.
Remember when doing this drill that the line should be positioned forward of center in the stance, somewhere close to the left heel (right handed golfer). The weight should also be distributed 70/30 on the leading foot as well.
So practice hitting the sand without a ball and watch your bunkers shots improve!