ahh sand traps!!!

[cougar2588]

so just got back from shooting 18 with my dad. was a decent course, not to hard, but not to easy. (69.8/122) i ended up shooting a 93 which is right around my average lately (low 90's). it was only my 3rd time out this year but i can feel myself being right on that edge of breaking into the 80's and i KNOW i could have done it today if it wasn't for the two sand traps i found myself in today..... took me three shots to get out of both of them !!!! thats 6 extra strokes on my score...which woulda put me under 90

i've never been much of a real sand trap player, by that i mean i would normally just skull the ball outta the trap instead of trying to hit behind the ball and get under it. my whole problem is that i think its a mental block. taking almost a full swing when im only 15 yds away from the hole caused me to not follow through after i hit the ball while it was in the sand...if that makes sense lol

on a side note though, i managed to crack a 270+ yd drive today which is by far my best yet (avg. is around 230ish) and i only putted 36 times (three 3 putts)and i normally putt in the 40's. so even though i've seen progress in my drives and putting, it just seems like im having all sorts of trouble with my 56*, even around the green i have problems with it. today i went back to using my PW and just bumping and running some other shots that were close with my 6 iron. i'd love to learn how to use my wedges though. any advice on bunker shots and small chip shots guys? im desperate....mostly cuz i know i can break into the 80's if i just figure this damn club out!


wow...just realized how much i typed haha /rant

[Damien45]

During my short game lesson my instructor showed me the difference between the swings of bunker vs. pitch. Basically if you are doing a 30yrd pitch it is less than your full swing. In the bunker, it is almost like gluing your right elbow to your hip so your club comes to parrellel to your body and stays close at the same time. Then, as you swing through, your left elbow becomes "glued" to your left hip and the club ends up in the same position on the opposite side.

It sounds very weird, but if you took your stance, put your right elbow to your side while holding your club (head up), grip it with your left hand and see how your body feels in that position. Then just like looking in a mirror, reverse it (left elbow to hip, right arm across) without swinging. This should help you feel the start/finish. The rest is the swing. It helps me to think "Up sharp" on my backswing (meaning club close and parrallel to me) and through.

Hope that helps....

[Pinseeker81]

The best way to take less shots in the bunkers is to improve your approach shots

[HSip]

If you can trust that hitting down on a ball will make it go up then you have to trust that hitting the sand will make it come out of the bunker.

[cougar2588]

The best way to take less shots in the

haha yea thats what my dad said. makes sense, just stay outta the bunkers and i dont have to worry about this little problem i have.

we'll see what happens, i may be going back out tomorrow after work, if not, i already have a tee time set for monday too. hopefully one of those two days i can break 90!

[JetFan1983]

For greenside bunkers where clearing the lip isn't a major issue, use a much shorter backswing. I've shortened my bunker backswing considerably and have had great results. Don't forget to still accelerate through the impact zone with a decent follow-through.

[cougar2588]

For greenside bunkers where clearing the lip isn't a major issue, use a much shorter backswing. I've shortened my bunker backswing considerably and have had great results. Don't forget to still accelerate through the impact zone with a decent follow-through.

the last part u said was my biggest problem. i just simply wasn't following through. i was coming down on the ball and my entry point into the sand was fine too but there was just a mental thing there that made me not follow through. i cant wait to get back out on a course and go at it again.

either way, i definately need to get into a practice bunker at a range somewhere and work on this little issue. that and i really want to figure this 56* out so that i can ditch the bump and run stuff and just start sticking the short shots close to the pin instead of running them up.

[RC]

A good way to practice sand shots is to get the feel of hitting through the sand, using the bounce of the club, with no ball present. First swing back and forth outside a practice bunker until you can feel the bounce of the club hitting the ground and sliding along. Then get into the bunker and swing back and forth noting how the club will bounce through the sand -- if you keep your swing going through impact. As you noted, that is the key, keep the club swinging after impact.

Then try it with a ball, using the dollar bill analogy where your impact removes an area of sand like the size of a dollar bill where the ball is sitting in the middle of the bill.

Sand is fun... easier than chips in many ways. At least there is no reason to "flub" the shot and suffer from a fat shot. If you just keep the club going, turning through the shot, the ball will still pop out. There is more room for small errors out of the sand. Balls hit a little "fat" tend to run out a little more.

[JetFan1983]

Yea, and just to add to what RC said, know your equipment i.e. your SW's bounce.

14 degrees of bounce or more is considered a lot of bounce. You can have a steep angle of approach to the ball and the clubhead won't dig as much. You'll be able to get it out.

10 degrees of bounce or less is considered low bounce, and you need a shallower angle of approach. If you get too steep, the club will dig into the sand too much and you'll hit it like four feet in front of you. Less bounce requires more finesse.

Know your equipment and you'll have a much clearer idea of how to approach the shot. Someone correct me here if I got something wrong, thanks.

[Pinseeker81]

the last part u said was my biggest problem. i just simply wasn't following through. i was coming down on the ball and my entry point into the sand was fine too but there was just a mental thing there that made me not follow through. i cant wait to get back out on a course and go at it again.

It's hard at first to wrap your head around believing a near full swing is only going to go a couple yards. I used to get to the end of my backswing and then decide I was about to hit it 50 yards and I'd try to hit softer.

You just gotta remember you're not hitting a golf ball. You're hitting sand and trying to push the ball with that. Like trying to hit a poll shot with a nerf cue ball.

[cougar2588]

wow seriously thanks for all the help guys. definately like the idea of hitting a dollar bill size worth of sand. hopefully when i go out tomorrow the course wont be too full and ill be able to toss a few balls into a bunker and take a few practice shots.

just for the heck of it, my 56* is a 12 bounce.

[Montezumasdaddy]

Like RC and Jet fan said, the key is to bounce the club. I like to take some practice swings outside of the sand and "throw" the club face into the ground and let it bounce up instead of digging in and taking a divot. Try letting go of the club loosely just before it hits the ground to get the feel of the "bounce". I will even take some swings in the living room and let the club bounce off the carpet just to get the proper feel. When you get your next sand shot, pick a spot a few inches behind the ball and "bounce" the club at the point. I'm by no means an expert but that is what I found works for me. Good luck.

[shamsone]

set up feet open, weight on the forward leg and right shoulder low. position ball forward of stance and take a short tight swing making sure to accelerate thru right under the ball. your finish swing should be longer then your back swing

[imtomtomim]

Well, for me, bunker shots are one of my better short game aspects. Actually, my chipping fails me more than any of my fancier short game shots due to stupid mistakes. Anyways, I consider the greenside bunker shot the easiest one out there. For the longest time, I'd use my SW for the bunker. WRONG, found out the lower bounce lob wedge did me better because the sands I play are heavier and grittier instead of light and fluffy (change according to situation). The trick is to hit the sand an inch behind the ball. Swing hard and swing through the sand and kick it up. The ball will ride that sand cloud and roll out to the green, by the way, did I say hit hard and through? The way you adjust distance is the face angle. I usually take an open clubface but if I need it to go further, I'll close it a bit. You do not really want to clip the ball with the club, you want to throw the ground around the ball up to the green. Think of it that way, use your wedge like a shovel and throw that sand (with the ball) up to the green. Why is this an easy shot? You don't have to hit the ball! Truthfully, if you're not confident about hitting the sand, you just gotta go in there and hit a couple balls and get a feel for it. Good luck!