sand issues!

Ok, so i am practicing the weakest part of my game today (and yes i know its should be the easiest and for all the reasons why), but mentally i must be at a loss because i cannot grasp the "feel" of the shot around the bunker.

I have tried all of my lofts 64, 60, 56 and 52 (yes i carry a 64). I know all about the set up with open stance, swinging along my stance line, using the bounce, aiming to the left to compensate for the open blade, etc..... But most of the time i either catch it thin (flies 30 yards over the green) or i leave it in the sand. Both shots are costing me strokes.

So i am in the practice bunker today and i am trying everything, when i remember reading to practice hitting the greenside bunker shot with the right hand only (I am righty). From the first shot they are flying perfectly...even holing out on occasion.

However, as soon as i try two handed, i go back to the old results. Try again one handed and perfect? I dont get it??????

I am considering taking the one hander to the course if i cant figure this out...What is the left hand doing to &^$# up this one handed shot perfection?

May I recommend Stan Utley's "The Art of the Short Game". He has an excellent chapter on perfecting your sand game. With a little practice, I am confident you will become better.

I also read Utley's book and i prefer his approach much more to the conventional 'open up your stance and aim left' approach.

Also, the reason why you are doing so much better one-handed is because you have much less tension in your swing. Seems like when you get over a bunker shot two handed, you might be tensing up and not allowing your arms to swing smoothly.

I used to splash all my bunker shots, and was quite successful at it. Then when I went to a stronger grip in my regular shots, I lost it somehow. Now I blast everything.

With my 55/13 sandwedge I just setup like I would for any other SW shot from the fairway or rough. With the ball in the middle of my stance I make a 3/4 swing and fire down at the ball trying to hit the ball first. I keep firing through and finish low. This might not work for your sand condition and wedge setup, but it gets me out everytime with a few sand saves as well. I found the technique this way.....dump a splash shot, wind up with a fried egg lie slightly closer to the pin, get mad and dig the hell out of the ball. Then I thought, I'll just dig it the first time. Go figure.

I used to be very good at sand shots, rarely having to take more than 1 shot to get out. Now it seems to me I am stuck in there for a few shots or get out with a skulled shot. I really need to get to work on the sand game. Need to get some height off the sand.