Golf Glossary
Sand Save
In short
A sand save in golf happens when you get down in two from a greenside bunker, one bunker shot and one putt. Often this saves par on the hole. The sand save percentage shows how often you manage this. It belongs to the short game and describes how reliably you still get a good score after missing into the sand.
Sand save in golf: meaning and calculation
A greenside bunker sits right next to the green. If the ball lands there, the green is missed and the hole gets harder. If you still manage to play the ball out of the sand onto the green and hole the putt, you have made a sand save. Golfers also say sandie or sandy par.
The exact count depends on the statistic. Usually a sand save counts if the ball is in the hole after the bunker shot and one putt, so after exactly two strokes from the sand. Other statistics require par or better on the hole. Both measure the same skill: you get the ball from the sand close enough to the hole and then hole the putt.
The percentage is the number of saved bunker lies divided by the number of all greenside bunker lies, times one hundred. Fairway bunkers do not usually count, because there the shot is more about distance than about saving par.
Example: a sand save on a par 4
You play a par 4. Tee shot to the fairway, the second shot is short and finishes in the bunker left of the green. After two strokes you are in the sand. With the third stroke you play the ball out of the bunker and it stops two metres from the flag. The putt drops. You have used four strokes, exactly par.
That is a sand save. Now take a different course of events: the third shot stays in the bunker, the fourth finds the green and two putts follow. You then need six strokes, a double bogey, and there is no sand save. If you experienced both versions on two different holes, the statistics would count two bunker lies with one save, so 50 per cent.
Over a round with five bunker lies and two saves your sand save percentage is 40 per cent. With such small numbers the value swings a lot. It only becomes meaningful over several rounds.
How good is a sand save percentage? Pros and amateurs
For PGA Tour players the percentage is around 50 per cent according to the usual figures. Even the best players in the world hole out in two from a bunker only about every second time. That shows how demanding the shot is: the ball is in sand, the lip of the bunker is in the way and the green must not be missed.
Amateurs are well below that. This is not only a matter of technique but also of confidence. Many recreational players fear the bunker and swing too tentatively. The ball then stays in the sand or flies past the green.
For beginners a different number matters more: how often does the ball come out on the first attempt? If you reach the green you have a chance of two putts and so a bogey. If you get the ball out and close to the flag you even have a chance of par. Only after that is it worth looking at the sand save percentage.
Bunker rules: what you may and may not do
The bunker is a special area of the course. The Rules of Golf apply there with some restrictions. These include:
- You must not touch the sand with your club before the stroke, neither directly in front of or behind the ball nor in the backswing. A breach costs two penalty strokes in stroke play.
- You may remove loose impediments such as leaves or twigs. The rules have allowed this since 2019.
- You may take practice swings as long as you do not touch the sand.
- After the stroke you rake the bunker so that the next player finds a clean lie.
If the ball does not come out of the bunker, you play the next stroke from the sand. If the ball is unplayable you have several options. If you want to drop it outside the bunker, that costs two penalty strokes. This greatly reduces the chance of a sand save.
Check the local rules of the course before you play. You will find the details in the Rules of Golf 2023 under Rule 12 (bunkers).
Technique: how to play the greenside bunker shot
In a bunker shot you do not hit the ball but the sand behind the ball. The sand carries the ball out of the bunker. The following sequence has proved its worth:
- A slightly wider stance than usual, with your feet digging a little into the sand so that you stand securely.
- The ball sits slightly further forward in your stance than for a normal chip.
- The clubface is opened slightly. This brings the sole of the sand wedge, the bounce, into play so that it glides through the sand.
- You aim at a spot in the sand a few centimetres behind the ball.
- The swing is longer than for a normal chip and is carried through to the finish.
The most important rule: accelerate through the sand. A tentative swing gets stuck in the sand. A swing that is too steep digs the club in. With a wide stance and a soft, flowing finish the club hits the sand and takes the ball with it.
Very deeply buried lies, where the ball is half sunk in the sand, are known to golfers as a fried egg. Here you need a different shot with a square clubface and a steeper swing.
Typical mistakes with sand saves
These mistakes cost most players the sand save:
- A tentative swing: the club slows down in the sand and the ball stays in the bunker.
- Trying to hit the ball: if you hit the ball directly, it flies low and far past the green. The ball has to travel on a cushion of sand.
- The wrong target: aiming straight at the flag often misses the green. A target in the safe part of the green is better.
- A weak putt: even a good bunker shot often finishes two to five metres from the hole. Practise these medium-length putts as well.
- Weight too far back: if the weight stays on the back foot, the club enters the sand too early.
Club choice matters too. The sand wedge is the first choice for most bunker lies. In hard, wet sand or on very flat lies a different wedge can give more control. Try this in practice, not for the first time on the course.
Sand save, up and down and scrambling: the difference
All three terms describe saving par after a missed green, but they are not identical:
- Sand save: the ball is in a greenside bunker, you play out and hole one putt.
- Up and down: the ball is beside the green, for example in the rough, on the fringe or in a bunker. You chip, pitch or play out of the sand and hole one putt.
- Scrambling: this is the percentage of holes on which you miss the green in regulation and still make par or better.
A sand save is therefore a special case of an up and down, and an up and down is part of scrambling. The numbers help you find your own weakness. A high up and down percentage with a weak sand save percentage shows, for example, that the bunker is a practice topic.
Together with the number of greens hit (greens in regulation), this gives a good picture of your play from 100 metres to the hole.
Try it at Golf Lounge
You learn the shot from the sand and the short game best with a coach. At Golf Lounge Resort Hamburg you can book a one-to-one lesson with a PGA Pro online, 60 minutes, daily by appointment. Besides full lessons there are short impulse sessions, for example on the short game or putting. If you wish, your swing is analysed using TrackMan data.
Frequently asked questions
What is a sand save in golf?
A sand save means you play the ball out of a greenside bunker onto the green and hole one putt. Usually this saves par. Depending on the statistic it counts as a result in exactly two strokes from the sand or as par on the hole. Golfers also call this a sandie or sandy par.
How is the sand save percentage calculated?
You divide the number of successful sand saves by the number of all greenside bunker lies and multiply by one hundred. Two saves from five bunker lies give 40 per cent. The value is only meaningful over several rounds, because the number of bunker lies per round is small.
What is a good sand save percentage?
PGA Tour players reach around 50 per cent according to the usual figures. Amateurs are well below that. For beginners the first aim is that the ball comes out on the first attempt and finds the green. After that the percentage becomes worth watching.
Is a sand save the same as an up and down?
Not quite. A sand save is an up and down from a greenside bunker. An up and down can also happen from the rough, from the fringe or from another lie beside the green. Every sand save is therefore an up and down, but not every up and down is a sand save.
May I touch the sand in a bunker?
Not before the stroke. The club must not touch the sand directly in front of or behind the ball or in the backswing, otherwise there are two penalty strokes in stroke play. You may remove loose leaves. After the stroke you rake the bunker.
As of: October 2026