Normally, I wouldn’t advocate for any recreational golfer or weekend hacker to throw a 64-degree wedge in the bag, but after thoroughly testing the club I can confirm that’s exactly the type of player for which the Ping BunkR is designed.
I tried out the BunkR at the practice green, driving range and golf course to find out what this club really can do, and how it could possibly help a lot of golfers.
Out of the sand
Let’s start with what the BunkR was created for: to help players get out of the sand.
With a super-wide sole that has 14.5˚ of bounce and 64˚ of loft, the BunkR is designed so that you can make a normal chipping motion and the club will blast a ball out of the sand for you. It’s as close to a cheat code for the bunkers as you can find.
With a normal sand or lob wedge, you’ll have to alter your swing and stance in some way whether it be opening the clubface or steepen your swing to blast a ball out, but the BunkR basically does it naturally.
If you take a “normal” bunker shot swing with the BunkR, you can hit high. soft flop shots out of the sand that may even rip back a few feet depending on how hard you hit it.
For players who struggle making that steep swing with an open club face and striking the sand an inch or two behind the ball consistently, this should be the only wedge you need over 56˚. Is it a club that you use only out of the sand? We’ll get to that. But if the bunkers are your nemesis, this club is their kryptonite.
From the fairway
So we know the BunkR can perform out of the sand, but what about everywhere else? After all, if this club is going to take up one of the coveted 14 spots in your bag, we need to examine whether it can perform for shots outside of the sand.
First, I headed to a driving range and started out by hitting five shots with a Ping S159 60-degree lob wedge for a comparison. With five swings on the Full Swing Kit, I hit my stock 95-yard shot and got an average carry of 93 yards, launch of 34˚ and ball speed of 78 mph. (Not a good performance by me as creating shaft lean is something I struggle with.) I’m ignoring the spin numbers as we were using range balls, but it was an average of 7,000 rpm.
With 64˚ of loft on the BunkR, it’s was challenging to hit any sort of flighted shots, but the results still were surprising.
As expected, ball speed was down to 67 mph despite roughly the same clubhead speed (86 mph vs. 85 mph with the BunkR). Launch went up to 38˚, accounting for the four extra degrees of loft.
Carry was about 72 yards, but interestingly, the strike was consistent as was the carry number. Dispersion wasn’t quite as tight as the 60˚ wedge, as you can see below, but that can be chalked up to having the proper shaft, lie angle and length in the S159 versus a stock BunkR.
60˚ wedge in purple vs. BunkR wedge in teal.
Full Swing
That consistency, despite a lighter and softer shaft than what I typically play, is owed to the unique sole design of the BunkR. Contact was solid on nearly every shot, which is an indicator of good turf interaction.
To be fair, I was hitting off cushy Bermuda grass, which makes a sole like the BunkR’s more useful; a firmer turf may have caused problems.
Around the greens
The BunkR’s performance in the greenside rough was most surprising but also impressive.
If you have a deep rough lie on the short side of the pin, you don’t need to open the face of the BunkR to pop the ball onto the green. This could be a real asset for players who struggle to get enough height around the greens.
Not only is the club easy to launch high, but the sole once again helps out by making sure you hit the ball first, and the wedge doesn’t get caught by the thick rough.
Hitting the BunkR off a tighter lie is where more skill comes into play given how high the leading edge of the club sits off the ground. If you catch it clean, you can certainly hit nippers that bite hard into the green, but most amateurs are going to struggle with skulls.
That said, if you live in the South, where you have more cushy Bermuda or Zoysia turf, the ball connects higher on the face and thus a wedge with extreme bounce could become much easier to play.
Bottom line
PING BunkR Custom Wedge
The BunkR is engineered to help golfers who struggle out of bunkers make an easy exit and land the ball close. Because of its loft, wide sole, and iconic EYE2-style shaping, you’re able to employ a normal, square-faced technique to get up and down from the bunker.
Easy Escapes
Relying on the confidence-inspiring Eye2 shaping, extra loft and the wide sole of the BunkR, getting the ball onto the green has never been easier.
Friendly Bounce
With 14.5° of bounce, the club moves easily through the sand and generates more ball speed to launch the ball high and out of trouble.
Lots of Loft
With 64° of loft, the BunkR helps pop the ball up high and onto the green with ease, setting you up for more-makeable putts.
The Ping BunkR is a magical club not only for players who struggle out of the sand, but also for those who need help with flop shots out of the rough.
There will be places where you wouldn’t want to use it anywhere but out of the bunkers — firm links courses come to mind — but at courses with deep rough or softer turf conditions, the BunkR could be a valuable and versatile option to replace a 60-degree.
While the club is not designed for full-swing shots, the super-forgiving sole makes it possible to develop a consistent shot from the fairway and a great option for those tricky 50-60 yard pitches.
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
; "This 64-degree wedge might be exactly what your game needs")
; "This 64-degree wedge might be exactly what your game needs")
