Sandtrap set up

Does anyone here have any good picture of how it should look when you are staring down at the ball in a bunker..I mean in terms of seeing the proper set up...how wide the stance is, how open the blade is and where the ball is placed. I seem to hear so many contradicting opinions and my sand game is keeping me in the low 80's preventing a 70's score. driving me nuts!!!
thanks for any help

Great post, my sand game is killing me lately as well. It's like I completely forgot how to hit a sand shot, I basically set up different every time. Not good.

Check out this step by step process to get out of a bunker:

www.ehow.com/how_2125310_.html

I guess I am not alone out there. Used to be very efficient. Took only one shot to get out and fairly close to the pin but now I'll be lucky if I get out period.

How often do you guys end up in the sand per round? I barely go in the sand at the local course I play at since its not that hard of a course.

thanks for the help but honestly this is frusterating as hell to read. When i aim (as the post says) 3-4 inches behind the ball - I skull the damn thing - which i should add is my main issue - I keep skulling the ball. the only other option is way too much sand and the ball never leaves to sand - I think i need a friggin lesson - I have a 56 wedge with 13 degrees of bounce - i thought this was the perfect "sandwedge" I am at the end of my rope with bunker play as it ruins my score over and over again. I shot an 84 today and six of those strokes were left in the bunker. I have people tell me - hit behind - move the ball back in your stance - move it forward - nothing works and the advice makes it only more confusing - which is why picture of how it looks staring down at the ball was my idea

I feel your pain man...I feel your pain...sucks for us NYers that have less opportunity to fine-tune some parts of our games (re: the sand game).

Oddly, getting up and down from the sand has always come pretty easy for me once I learned to trust my swing. I used to try to pick the ball out as I would usually chunk it and it would go no where. What I figured out was that I was not accelerating through the ball. Now I do and I walk into any trap knowing I'm coming out and where my ball will end up. I don't put a whole lot of thought into my sand shots, I just go in, take a slightly wider stance then normal, face slightly left of target, don't open the clubface up very much and concentrate on hitting behind the ball and following through and not decelerating.

I actually had a friend comment to me last week when I took a full swing with a 56 in a soft bunker and tossed it up and out 8 feet in front of me and 2 feet from the pin. He simply asked how I could swing like that with only 10 feet to the hole. I answered with "trust".

As for stance/ball position - slightly wider and if buried or needing to make it go only a short distance open the stance and my club face and take a good swing with the ball to the front of my stance. If I have room to work with on the green, slightly open stance, less open face and back in my stance for the ball.

My advice would be to go to a Par 3 course or something like that - aim for the bunkers when teeing off and play out of them. or if you prefer, Tee for the green, but when you get up there, toss a ball in the sand for practice.

One tip that I got that helped me last time out. Finish high. I had one of those holes where I took 4 swings to get out of the sand. After the third, someone said "finish high" and it worked.

Not what you are looking for, I know. But, I thought it was fitting since I JUST went through that yesterday (Thursday evening round).

Interesting.

How many of you have bought new clubs in the past year/two years?
I got a new set of Callaways, complete with the Mickelson wedges.

they are rubbish out of sand. That concave sole just digs in and robs you of control.

I've gone back to my £30 Progen 60-degree, with a fat, convex sole. It has transformed my bunker play back to what it should be.

For anyone having trouble out of the sand, PLEASE try to hit the sand shot one handed with the right hand only (for righties). I practiced this shot in the sand bunker at my practice facility and it worked like a charm. this past weekend, I played 36 at championsgate in orlando and everytime i went in the bunker i played the one handed shot. Everyone laughed each time i hit a perfect shot. I promise it WORKSSSSS!!!!

I hit all of my shots one handed, do you not?

Seriously though, to those that do hit one handed (as there are some who have to) I applaud, that is a very difficult thing to do.