How to hit Sand/Bunker Shots

[Suchmo]

Thanks to MVMAC for this thread. By following the steps outlined I'm finally having some success from bunkers. Just a heads up for those struggling: Don't underestimate the importance of keeping the back swing close to the body. To paraphrase Stan Utley, feel like you're swinging inside a phone box and make sure the shaft is vertical (or very close) when the club hits the sand. To me, learning bunker play seems very much like learning to whistle: It feels high on impossible for a while, but if you keep trying (and following decent instruction) you'll quite suddenly get get the 'feeling' for it and not look back.

[Tomputt]

I agree with all the above...I would just like to add for greenside bunkers, you should also have an early wrist break.  Keep weight forward throughout swing.

[Suchmo]

The 'early wrist break' is what I was trying to communicate when I recommended keeping the hands close to the body in the backswing, but your phrase expresses it much more precisely. I've found that the early wrist break is equally essential in the pitching method advocated by Mvmac and Iacas. (Also, I meant 'nigh on impossible' rather than 'high on impossible' in my previous post.)

[natureboy]

What adjustments to stock swing / setup advised to get up & out in one for this type of bunker lie?

I recently visited a poorly raked section of a bunker with a lie similar to the pic below with a clod / mound of sand behind the ball only the ball was sitting up on top of the sand which was kind of crusty (on the surface) & hard.

General condition of the bunker was similar (but not as bad) as the crater-scape below. Ball was on upslope & above my feet.

[mvmac]

What adjustments to stock swing / setup advised to get up & out in one for this type of bunker lie?

I recently visited a poorly raked section of a bunker with a lie similar to the pic below with a clod / mound of sand behind the ball only the ball was sitting up on top of the sand which was kind of crusty (on the surface) & hard.

I would basically use the same technique with a couple changes. I'd open the face a little more and get my spine a little more vertical, less axis tilt at set-up. It's also important to not "help" the ball get out of the same, generate some speed and blast it out of there.

[natureboy]

I would basically use the same technique with a couple changes. I'd open the face a little more and get my spine a little more vertical, less axis tilt at set-up. It's also important to not "help" the ball get out of the same, generate some speed and blast it out of there.

More vertical spine to prevent exposing too much bounce through the clod of sand and slice through it better with leading edge to make sure club still has speed when it reaches the ball? Tradeoff of less secondary tilt with more open face to still get ball high?

I angled shoulders with the slope, which is probably what (mostly) spoiled the shot. Sounds like good advice. Thanks!

[mvmac]

Added a new video to the first post.

[natureboy]

Good explanations.

I think I saw that in the Seve Dublin lesson video that he narrowed his stance a touch with the fried egg lie? Did I see correct / is this advisable to help with being steeper on the ball?

[mvmac]

Good explanations.

Thanks.

I think I saw that in the Seve Dublin lesson video that he narrowed his stance a touch with the fried egg lie? Did I see correct / is this advisable to help with being steeper on the ball?

Not something I thought about but I can see how it might help you "lean" more on your left side.

[Suchmo]

Using this technique in a practice bunker where there were patches of dry sand and patches of wet, clumpy sand, I tried hitting my gap wedge (46°, v. low bounce) with great success from the wet stuff and then, out of curiosity, tried the same club out of the drier stuff; I found escaping bunkers far easier with the gap wedge than with my SW. Perhaps it was just because I can escape with less club-head speed, and thus it felt a little more controlled, or perhaps it is down to the nature of the sand at my local course. Perhaps it's a flaw in my technique. Does anyone have experience of something similar?

[mvmac]

 

Aaron Baddeley demonstrating textbook bunker technique. Weight left, ball just ahead of the forward shoulder, return the shaft to vertical before it hits the sand #golf #PGA #pgatour #bunker #sandersonfarmschampionship #aussie

A video posted by OnTour Golf (@ontourg) on Nov 3, 2015 at 4:04pm PST

[RFKFREAK]

How have I never seen this thread before?

I'm surprised that you'd use the same technique in firm/wet sand as you would in dry/fluffy sand. 

I'm always feel in wet/firm sand that I can't get the clubhead sufficiently into the sand underneath the ball or that it'll get stuck and that I'll blade it across the green. 

[natureboy]

On 11/6/2015, 1:58:02, mvmac said:

Baddeley bunker shot video not embedding here.

Great post, but just noticed that the person who originally instagrammed it was a touch off in their description. Ball position looks closer to below sternum, hands actually led club slightly at sand impact, but did release under through the shot. He also seems to have a very slight pivot, but that could just be the legs responding to the upper body.

Edited November 30, 2015 by natureboy

[mvmac]

5 hours ago, natureboy said:

Ball position looks closer to below sternum, 

Regarding the ball position, I think there may be a little something going on with the camera angle or he was hitting a long bunker shot. Guy taking the video is his instructor, Scott Hamilton.

5 hours ago, natureboy said:

hands actually led club slightly at sand impact, but did release under through the shot.

Not much at impact and those wrists angles are coming out quickly.

[natureboy]

12 hours ago, mvmac said:

Regarding the ball position, I think there may be a little something going on with the camera angle or he was hitting a long bunker shot. Guy taking the video is his instructor, Scott Hamilton.

Not much at impact and those wrists angles are coming out quickly.

Clubhead appeared to be behind left arm & hand when it entered the sand, but he is clearly releasing and using the bounce as you say.

• Could be camera angles. If so, I think there's a bit of either / or. If the camera angle is not square face-on and ahead of Badds then the apparent ball position as well as the apparent alignment of shaft with left arm would also be shifted. Also his stance seems wider than his shoulders which may be skewing my perception of the ball position relative to the left shoulder.

I would go with your guess that it's a slightly ball back position for longer penetrating / running shot. Just trying to figure out if there are any real vs. feels or that this may not be the 'standard' shot the original poster was describing.

Is the general goal on a standard bunker shot alignment of the shaft with the left arm around impact or alignment of the shaft with the shallowed spine axis tilt?

 

<how do you shift location of uploaded images within a post?>

Edited November 30, 2015 by natureboy

[b101]

Hi @mvmac (and, indeed anyone else), I was wondering if you'd check my diagnosis of my bunker play. I'm not dreadful out of the sand but would love to improve my control as well as the height at which I can fly it out of the bunkers. So, I recorded my shots today (feel not being real and all that) and based on comparing my video to yours at the start, my thoughts are:

1. Need to move ball further forward and weight more forward
2. I sort of collapse a bit on the follow through - possibly a result of #1
3. More speed needed? I tried to feel like the pivot was doing the work, but looks like your shots flew much higher than mine.

Again, many thanks for any thoughts.

 

[mvmac]

10 hours ago, b101 said:

 

1. Need to move ball further forward and weight more forward
2. I sort of collapse a bit on the follow through - possibly a result of #1
3. More speed needed? I tried to feel like the pivot was doing the work, but looks like your shots flew much higher than mine.

 

1. Yeah move the ball up and widen your stance.

2. For a bunker or pitch shots, that's fine. You want the arms to be "soft" and for the club to swing past the hands.

3. Yes, for now I'd just make a longer backswing, swing the arms further back.

[b101]

57 minutes ago, mvmac said:

1. Yeah move the ball up and widen your stance.

2. For a bunker or pitch shots, that's fine. You want the arms to be "soft" and for the club to swing past the hands.

3. Yes, for now I'd just make a longer backswing, swing the arms further back.

Thanks, will work on that and get back to you