Sand shots - Pelz's short game bible

I picked up Pelz' short game bible a couple months ago, and it has helped me a lot around the greens and from 75 in. I'm trying to use his thoughts on sand play as well, because like all high handicappers, I struggle with sandshots. So went to the practice range Friday night and then played on Saturday and have a new problem. Instead of not getting the ball out of the sand, I pick it to clean and it flies over the green, entirely too far. His three keys are opening up your stance, opening up the face very open, and playing the ball off your front heel. But I'm not digging enough sand. I know it's tough to evaluate without seeing my swing, but does anyone have any ideas? Could I be not getting my weight forward enough? Flipping? Too shallow of a swing plane?

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,

Ryan

Sounds like you're keeping your weight back/centered and not getting far enough forward. That's causing your point of tangency (low point of the swing) to be too far back and you're swinging up into the middle of the ball.

Could also be that you're not hitting down enough or that you're trying to lift the ball out of the bunker unconsciously instead of hitting into and through the sand behind the ball nice and hard.

One other possibility could be that the ball's too far forward in your stance and the only way you'd be able to not blade the ball would be to flex your knees more and get lower down in your stance to lower the whole swing arc enough that it will go under the ball.

Not a fan of the way open, way open sand setup. This video explains why much better than I could in a few paragraphs.

Thanks, when I'm not at work I'll take a look at the vid. I'm certainly open to suggestions...it's the one part of my game where I don't know what I'm doing. There are plenty of other shots that I just don't execute, but sand shots are just lucky when they're good at this point. Watching Luke Donald out of the sand makes me want to change the channel.

All of the above.

Check your setup.

yes, open clubface a little, aim your feet left a little to expose bounce ( I said a "little" not a lot) But experiment - I open my front foot.

Weight on front foot and keep it there during swing

Shaft should be pointed straight up and down (not forward of ball)

Ball inside heel of front foot

Do not move your head during the swing -- stay put! (do not dip or move it back or forwards)

Relax!

Break wrists quickly

Hit down on the ball by pointing your right elbow down (for a righty) at the top of the swing.

Relax.

I also can get thin shots if my arms get away from my body - so I keep everything tight to the body.

Also, don't underestimate relaxing. But relax does not mean turn your body into jelly - rhythm and tempo is key.

This is all you need....

Phil's hinge n' hold is great.

Notice -- head still, shaft straight at address, weight on front, etc.

Phil has a little weight shift for rhythm ... experiment.

What I really need is just practice time, and the facility near my house doesn't have practice bunkers. Need to find a workaround.

builder's sand + driving net?

Ha, I like the idea, unfortunately I live in an apartment.

You can make a practice rig out of a boot tray (one of those 2' x 4' plastic trays that you put shoes on in the winter) and some sand. The tray is usually only a couple of inches deep, so fill with sand, stand outside the tray and hit balls out of it. An added benefit is that the tray will help the club slide under the ball which is the feeling you want to ingrain. I have set this up in my backyard and it's a quick way to practice when I can't get to the course. I use "almost golf" balls so I don't have to worry about hitting a flyer into the neighbor's house. This would be simple enough to take to a public park and get a little practice in.

Had a good practice session last night, then the one time I ended up in the sand today, I got it up and on the green instead of 30 yards over it. The biggest thing I changed was slowing everything down, getting a better tempo. It's a work in progress, but thanks for the help everybody.

If you ever get a chance to practice, draw a line in the sand a few inches behind where your ball would be and practice hitting that line in the sand, without the ball.  I think I got this from Pelz.  It has worked for me especially to reinforce the idea of indirect impact.

You want a U-shaped swing in most circumstances.  Skip the wedge through the sand.  Enter the sand 1-4 inches behind the ball, and make sure your divot extends 8-10 inches. Remember to accelerate and keep the left arm moving through to a high finish.

You only want an abrupt, V-shaped swing in a deep bunker near a steep face or if you have a buried lie.