Claudia Laurent
Golf writer, Golf Handicapp · 29 July 2026
The short answer
The bunker is one of the most humbling places in golf. A scratch golfer gets up and down from sand under a third of the time, and even tour pros only about half. For most club golfers, escaping with a par is the exception, not the rule, so do not beat yourself up over it.
A sand save means getting out of a greenside bunker and holing the putt for par or better. It asks for two good shots in a row from an awkward lie, which is exactly why the numbers are so low. Here is how often golfers really manage it, by handicap, from tour level down to a 25.
Sand save percentage, by handicap
Read it as how often a player gets up and down from a greenside bunker. The drop-off from a scratch golfer to a mid handicapper is steep, and it is almost all technique and practice.
| Level | Sand save |
|---|---|
| Tour pro | About 50% |
| Scratch | About 30% |
| 5 handicap | About 18% |
| 10 handicap | About 12% |
| 15 handicap | About 9% |
| 20 handicap | About 6% |
| 25 handicap and up | About 4% |
Why it is so hard
A bunker shot is one of the few in golf where you deliberately do not hit the ball, you hit the sand behind it. Get the amount of sand or the distance wrong and you are still on the beach or racing across the green. Then you still have to hole the putt. It is the same two-shots-in-a-row challenge that makes general scrambling by handicap so tough.
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Common questions
What is a good sand save percentage for an amateur?+
For most club golfers, getting up and down from a bunker one time in ten to one in eight is realistic. A scratch golfer manages roughly 30 percent, and even tour pros only save it about half the time. So if you escape with a par now and then, you are doing fine.
How often do tour pros get up and down from sand?+
Around 50 percent on the PGA Tour. That is from good lies in well-kept bunkers, with the best short-game players a little higher. Even at the top of the game, roughly half of all bunker shots still lead to a dropped shot.
How can I improve my sand saves?+
Get the setup right first: open the face, weight forward, and commit to splashing a patch of sand out with the ball on top of it, rather than trying to hit the ball. Accelerate through, take enough sand, and practise the distance you leave yourself so the putt afterwards is holeable.
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About the author
Claudia Laurent · Golf writer, Golf Handicapp
Claudia writes about the World Handicap System, golf scoring and getting more from every round for Golf Handicapp. She is a mid-handicap golfer who logs every card, the good ones and the ones she would rather forget.
Last updated 29 July 2026.