Help Needed! Arizona Sand Traps

[max power]

I'd appreciate tips from anyone in regards to the proper way to hit out of the majority of "sand traps" out here in Arizona. I played the last year and a half in Western New York, and the majority of traps there are composed of actual sand. There are plenty of nice courses out here, but even high-end courses often have sand traps composed mainly of dirt. Over the course of the last year I became fairly confident at blasting out of the sand-but I'm at a loss for the proper way to extricate myself from these greenside dirt bunkers. I'm ok at picking the ball clean from a fairway bunker out here, but every hole that I end up in a greenside "sand trap" is turning into a blow-up hole. The normal "blast" shot just doesn't work.

Again, any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

[canadianpro]

Although we live in Canada,. we have a winter home in Goodyear, AZ....and I have experienced some of the bunkers you are describing,....try closing the face of your sand wedge or even a pitching or gap wedge....you want the club to dig in....not bounce off the "dirt".....practice it a few times...ir does work

PB

[max power]

Although we live in Canada,. we have a winter home in Goodyear, AZ....and I have experienced some of the bunkers you are describing,....try closing the face of your sand wedge or even a pitching or gap wedge....you want the club to dig in....not bounce off the "dirt".....practice it a few times...ir does work

Thanks for the tip!-I'm gonna hit the range out here and give that a go. I knew I needed to dig in more, I even switched out my 58/10 wedge for a 60/7, but the message isn't reaching my hands. Plus, I have still been opening up the wedge face, I think just out of habit. As you can imagine I have sculled more than a couple out of the trap and across the green.

[Shanks A Million]

You just take a 60 and open it, then smash down really hard well behind the ball. You need a low bounce club, not a standard sand wedge. I actually prefer that kind of sand, you can get spin out of it. The key is to not be afraid.

[max power]

You just take a 60 and open it, then smash down really hard well behind the ball. You need a low bounce club, not a standard sand wedge. I actually prefer that kind of sand, you can get spin out of it. The key is to not be afraid.

That's probably part of it too-since the first couple shots where the club bounced more than I'm used to and the ball sailed over the green, I've probably been too timid in the trap. It's been the primary shot that gets in my head lately, and instead of being aggressive I've been overthinking the shot as I walk up to the trap. It's a clear demonstration (at least in my case) of how important those 6 inches between the ears are. On the back 9 today I was 1 under through 7 holes, and then I put one in the trap. I was 3 over after the 9th...

[blackxpress]

We have a similar problem with some of the courses I play around here. I mostly play at Mound and Pipestone, which are sister courses. The conditions are great except for the bunkers, which really suck. I don't know for sure but I think the "sand" is Ohio river bottom. You can get that stuff dirt cheap (pardon the pun). I've learned to use my 60 and hit it like a pitch shot. I come down steep and accelerate through the ball. The 60 has low bounce so it's able to slide under the ball and pop it up without blading it across the green. The key is confidence and commitment. You have to commit to the shot and take care not to decelerate. At the same time you have to be sure your stroke is smooth and rhythmic. A couple of those bunkers are a long way from the pin. If I get in one of those I switch from the 60 to my Pitching wedge. It has a lot less bounce than my SW. I can take the same stroke I would take with the 60 and it still pops the ball up but it flies a lot farther and still checks up pretty good. As long as I can convince myself that I'm not afraid of flying the green I do pretty good. The minute I let fear creep in I end up decelerating and I'm lucky if I get the ball out of the bunker at all.

[max power]

Thanks everyone for the advice!

[Stu.C]

I am intrigued by this. I have recently started to use the Stan Utley style of pitching which results in the club going through the ball at a really shallow angle with the shaft fairly straight up and down at contact. The result of this is that you are actually using the bounce to stop the club from digging in and letting the loft of the club pop the ball up. I find this works for me off packed mud and with a 56* wedge the resulting shot is a high lob and a soft landing. The same thing applies though, you have to commit to the shot and not think 'scull'.

Just offering alternatives here