Sand Shots Loft of Club

[mike295]

I have been using a 60 degree lofted club out of the sand. I am thinking that, that might be the wrong club to use if I need distance with my shot. Was going to go down to a 52 for the longer shots. or can I get distance with the 60 and its my horrible sand technique ?

[Zeph]

I use anything from 58º to 9i from the greenside bunkers, depending on the distance.

[WUTiger]

Standard (??) loft for SW is 54-56*. Also, SW tends to have rather high bounce, hence making it useful for bunker club. Bounce keeps clubhead from digging into sand too much if sand is medium to light.

It also depends on the wedge mix you carry.

In old iron set, I had a LW, but about the only time I used it was for sand shots going uphill (quick height). Otherwise, I used a 56* SW.

College players who carry 50-54-58 say they use 54 for standard sand shots, and 58 if they need quick height.

Again, it depends on what works for you. You might take a short game/sand lesson sometime if you really want to know details, and get suggestions for your game.

[Elvisliveson]

I have been using a 60 degree lofted club out of the sand. I am thinking that, that might be the wrong club to use if I need distance with my shot. Was going to go down to a 52 for the longer shots. or can I get distance with the 60 and its my horrible sand technique ?

You need to factor in * of bounce in addition to * of loft. You need a bounce which is most suited to the type of greenside bunkers you usually play from and this is usually found in a traditional SW which typically has between 54* and 56* of loft. 50* to 52* is a gap wedge and 58* and 60* a lob wedge.

[mike295]

Right now i am 60 56 and 52 . I need lessons for sure.

[Elvisliveson]

Right now i am 60 56 and 52 . I need lessons for sure.

Then, most of the time you need to go with the 56*. Just riead up on greenside bunker technique on the internet. There are plenty of free tip sights.

[Mrd19abhs]

Make sure tho you know the density of the sand. I my course I cant use my sand wedge cause it has to much bounce cause the sand is more like dirt so I use my LW or my PW depending on how far I need it to travel and how quick I need it to get up.

[golfro]

My standard go to sand wege is my 56* with 10 bounce. If I need the height, I'll use my 60* with 8 bounce.

I don't think I've ever used anything lower than 56* for greenside bunkers. I've gotten by well.

[JML22]

I just use my 53 because it used to be my only wedge and i had no choice and i've gotten really good from the sand so why change it up.
Unless its a huge bunker with a steep elevation change

[sean_miller]

It depends on the lie, the distance to the pin, the lip height, the sand type, and when I last practiced my bunker play. Typically a nice thump with the 56 does the trick, but if the ball is sitting up and I have a lot of green to work with, a 9-iron or GW works fine too - I've never left a ball in the bunker with a 9-iron that's for sure.

[JML22]

Yeah
never forget to assess the type of sand/lie its in
I hit a bunker shot the other day and i forgot it had rained and the sand was super wet and heavy
Needless to say the ball was well short of the hole

[CalBoomer]

I use anything from 58º to 9i from the greenside bunkers, depending on the distance.

What he said exactly. There is a limit to how much distance you can get from a typical sand wedge (54-58* with bounce) when in the sand. If I have to hit a sand shot 30-50 yards or more, I'll go to an open PW or 9i.

[Zeph]

It's all about technique. You can hit a 58.14 wedge from wet and hard sand, or a 58.04 from the softest you've ever seen. You can hit a high pitch with a 58.12 wedge from concrete, and a soft, high greenside bunkershot with a 3 iron. It's all about having the proper technique for the club and shot.

[TourSpoon]

I prefer my 60 from the bunker for almost every situation. With 60/08 I get plenty of height and can vary the distance by adjusting my swing. My recommendation for the average weekend warrior is to find a sand club that you can trust and get on with it, meaning that if you can get the ball out and are putting 90 percent of the time then you are doing pretty good. I am finally at the point where I can get up and down 1/3 of the time, which took a lot of work and trust. Good luck!

[Fourputt]

I use a 56° with 11° bounce for nearly all of my greenside bunker play. I change the swing slightly depending on the sand conditions - a steeper swing for heavy or wet dense sand, and a flatter angle for soft fluffy sand to let the bounce do its thing.

[glk23]

Usually it's my 58* with lower bounce. My 56* has a higher bounce and the bunkers on the courses I play medium to heavy "sand". Would love to play out of light fluffy stuff with my 56, but at best at most courses you get a dry thin top layer with wet sand under it. I'm often short with the 58, but better than skipping the 56 off the wet stuff.