Fat Bunker Shots

[ttaggart]

I seem to be hitting a lot of fat greenside bunker shots of late. I used to play at crappy courses where the sand was more like dirt and the club would skip more than dig and I didn't have to worry too much about hitting my shots fat. But now that I'm playing at some nicer courses with nice bunkers it seems like I am catching way too much sand and having trouble getting out of greenside bunkers. Thanks for the tips.

[Mr. Desmond]

Check your technique

If you've been playing dirt bunkers, you may have the hands forward and not opening the bounce, causing the leading edge to dig, causing the "fats."

With softer sand, open your stance and the clubbface, have the hands slightly in back of, or even with the club head, the ball positioned around the front heel .... oh, heck, you can review soft sand technique anywhere, but to use the bounce, don't get the hands forward of the head - Stan Utley once said the downswing in the sand is like snapping a towel. Cock the wrist quickly going back and snap the towel coming down - that should expose the bounce ... and don't turn your wrists over - keep the right hand open to the sky

[hero12]

If I hit "fat" bunker shots, its because theres too much movement in my lower body.  The quieter I keep my lower body, the easier it is for me to take the amount of sand I want to take.

[Pablo68]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Check your technique

If you've been playing dirt bunkers, you may have the hands forward and not opening the bounce, causing the leading edge to dig, causing the "fats."

With softer sand, open your stance and the clubbface, have the hands slightly in back of, or even with the club head, the ball positioned around the front heel .... oh, heck, you can review soft sand technique anywhere, but to use the bounce, don't get the hands forward of the head - Stan Utley once said the downswing in the sand is like snapping a towel. Cock the wrist quickly going back and snap the towel coming down - that should expose the bounce ... and don't turn your wrists over - keep the right hand open to the sky

Excellent advice there. Well put!

I wish I had read that years ago......

Here's a video that kind of goes along with that line of thinking and has helped me understand where my technique was wrong.

[luu5]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Cock the wrist quickly going back and snap the towel coming down - that should expose the bounce ... and don't turn your wrists over - keep the right hand open to the sky

Unless you use butterfly grip on sand shots.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Check your technique

If you've been playing dirt bunkers, you may have the hands forward and not opening the bounce, causing the leading edge to dig, causing the "fats."

With softer sand, open your stance and the clubbface, have the hands slightly in back of, or even with the club head, the ball positioned around the front heel .... oh, heck, you can review soft sand technique anywhere, but to use the bounce, don't get the hands forward of the head - Stan Utley once said the downswing in the sand is like snapping a towel. Cock the wrist quickly going back and snap the towel coming down - that should expose the bounce ... and don't turn your wrists over - keep the right hand open to the sky

Originally Posted by hero12

If I hit "fat" bunker shots, its because theres too much movement in my lower body.  The quieter I keep my lower body, the easier it is for me to take the amount of sand I want to take.

Buy fixing these two things, my greenside bunker play did a 180.  My usual swing flaw is holding too much lag, my hands too far forward at impact.  That also led to digging in on bunker shots.  Setting up with the ball off my front heel, and keeping my hands inline with, or slightly behind the club head, made a HUGE difference.  Now I get that nice little "thump" sound out of the sand.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by luu5

Unless you use butterfly grip on sand shots.

of course!

I'm still working on distance control with this technique...

And technique is different with very soft hands, everything close to body, and right hand passing left, so to speak