Any tips for the dreaded 30-50yd bunker shot?

[dash1988]

So im having an absolute nightmare with this shot, fairway bunkers im fine i just try to pick the ball out cleanly im usually pretty successful with this.

Greenside the same 9/10 i can hit both 1 inch behind the ball carry it to the hole n stop it with spin and take more sand and let it release (usually lol).

But as soon as it comes to the 30-50 yard bunker shot anything could happen iv tried different clubs,taking sand, picking it cleanly and i either end up miles off the back of the green or i just get out n end up with a chip.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[LeftyTrevor]

Try an 8 iron and chip like you normally would.

[Texian]

Take whatever club or make whatever swing that would carry it 10 yards farther and hit it normal. You'll get a little sand and the shot will come up 10 yards shorter than it would have off the grass. Right where you want it.

[dash1988]

i tried this with a 9 tho and it went nowere i use the hinge and hold to chip so i just figured the ball is compressing into soft sand thats what kills the shot.

[Ben]

I've had some success with this shot lately. I just take my 58*, my normal club for this shot. Play it back in my stance, to insure I catch the ball first. Weight a touch forward. Stay over the ball and down with the shot through impact.

I make sure I know my yardages, to the pin and to the front and back of the green to know my range of error.

I also like to have a positive mental picture/attitude (which is the truth with every shot I take). More often then not, if I feel like I'm about to pull off the shot like I imagine, I do. This shot is not "dreaded", its just another shot.

[Jakester23]

Go to your course and hit a few from the green side with your sand wedge then back up and use your pw to see how far it goes then 9, 8 so on and so on. Saw this on the golf fix and tried it a few times and it worked well but the trick was to swing the same as you would if your in a green side bunker but change clubs according to distance.

[rustyredcab]

First: This is a hard shot. Getting distance correct is not easy even for the pros. The pros do well but not as well as if the shot was a nice lie on grass.

I play a 30-50 sand shot much like a play a fairway bunker shot. Want to concentrate on excellent contact. As said above, I plan for it to not go as fair as it would if I were on grass. I work hard to keep lower body stable. And I take very little or no sand before the ball but do hit down through the sand into and past the ball. I also try and keep my head down until after the ball has landed.

[David in FL]

Don't hit it into a bunker 30-50 yds away from the green! That's a little tongue in cheek, but from a course management perspective you have to understand that doing so is going to cost the average mid-high handicapper at LEAST one, more likely 2 strokes. There is no reward worth that risk for you.

[uttexas]

Both challenging shots for sure For the 30yd bunker shot, I'd use my 50 degree gap wedge, ball forward in stance, backward shaft lean, open club face, taking a thin layer of sand, accelerating through the shot. Basically a greenside bunker shot with the gap wedge. For the 50yd bunker shot, I'd use my 50 degree gap wedge, ball middle of stance, neutral shaft lean, accelerating through the sand. [VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfblN_-_KfY[/VIDEO] [VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0aJY3u3j6U&playnext;=1&list;=PLFD2099DD10E0890B&feature;=results_video[/VIDEO]

[saevel25]

Its tough to say, but from what you said,

Quote:

i either end up miles off the back of the green or i just get out n end up with a chip.

It sounds to me you are swinging way to hard for this shot. If your going to pick it clean like a normal shot from the fairway you got to hit it like you would from the fairway. Which means, hit it like a 30 yard fairway pitch. If your taking a hack at it like a green side bunker shot but clipping it clean you will send it flying over the green, or end up short.

For me, i try to hit it like a normal pitch shot, but i usually play it like a low pitch shot. I play the ball towards the middle or slightly back of middle. Then i will hinge my wrist and really hit the ball first. Usually this does pretty good for me.

Though on this one course i play, there bunkers are huge and they sit 5 yards off the green. So you will have 20 yard green side bunker shots if you end up in the front bunkers. These shots are tricky, i usually play the ball in the center of my stance, take my 52 degree wedge and open it up, and really try to take a very shallow attack angle, and just slide the club just about half an inch behind the ball. This usually means i will catch little sand between the clubface and the ball, and it goes further.

[TourSpoon]

For the 30 yard shot I set up like a normal sand shot like I would do with my 60. Since I am way across the green, I square up a little and use a 54 degree sw and square the blade and hit a pretty normal shot. The splash with the square blade will send the ball out lower and farther with some run out. For the 50 yard shot I plat the ball just right of middle and hit a 1/2 54 sw hitting ball first. The key here is to accelerate through the ball. If you hit ths correctly it will stop.

[Ben]

Originally Posted by TourSpoon

For the 30 yard shot I set up like a normal sand shot like I would do with my 60. Since I am way across the green, I square up a little and use a 54 degree sw and square the blade and hit a pretty normal shot. The splash with the square blade will send the ball out lower and farther with some run out.

For the 50 yard shot I plat the ball just right of middle and hit a 1/2 54 sw hitting ball first. The key here is to accelerate through the ball. If you hit ths correctly it will stop.

I went out to my regular practice spot on my course today for an hour and a half to practice short game, mainly bunker shots. What started out as short high shots, turned into longer (30y max) bunker shots. For those I did what you're talking about. I do have a 54, but I use that mainly for approach shots. I have a 58 for my around the green shots. In rediscovering my short, high bunker shot technique, I applied the same technique to the long shots, as you suggest, squaring the clubface more to the target and simply hit the shot the same. As well, as someone posted the Luke Donald Mizuno series video above, (I've seen those videos before) and remembered what he talks about in keeping the hands a bit forward for "chunk and runs. Totally works.

[TourSpoon]

Originally Posted by Ben

I went out to my regular practice spot on my course today for an hour and a half to practice short game, mainly bunker shots. What started out as short high shots, turned into longer (30y max) bunker shots. For those I did what you're talking about. I do have a 54, but I use that mainly for approach shots. I have a 58 for my around the green shots. In rediscovering my short, high bunker shot technique, I applied the same technique to the long shots, as you suggest, squaring the clubface more to the target and simply hit the shot the same. As well, as someone posted the Luke Donald Mizuno series video above, (I've seen those videos before) and remembered what he talks about in keeping the hands a bit forward for "chunk and runs. Totally works.

I am glad it worked out for you. I actually did this a few rounds ago from 30 yards and made the 15 footer for the ultimate sandy.

[BugDude]

The last time I had this shot I did not have much of a lip I had to get up over.  So I ended up using a pitching wedge with a half swing punch shot hitting the ball first.  It came out low trajectory, hit the green, and stopped.  It wasn't a pin seeking tight approach, but it was on the green.  I'm in love with the half wedge punch shot and use it from clean lies inside 100 yards...not much different with a clean lie in the bunker from that distance.

[dak4n6]

Probably the hardest shot in golf. I saw this not on Golf Fix, but on the other instruction show on GC with the older guy with the British accent. He said for this shot, treat it just like a greenside bunker, but use a less lofted club like a 48* or 9 iron. Align left of the target, open the face some (but not pointing to the sky), and swing across your foot line.

I have tried this a bunch of times since seeing that, and it works great. By opening the face you are creating bounce with the back edge of the club's sole. You can swing nice and hard at it and take a fair amount of sand, and the ball will go a good distance with consistency.

[David in FL]

The last time I had this shot I did not have much of a lip I had to get up over.  So I ended up using a pitching wedge with a half swing punch shot hitting the ball first.  It came out low trajectory, hit the green, and stopped.  It wasn't a pin seeking tight approach, but it was on the green.  I'm in love with the half wedge punch shot and use it from clean lies inside 100 yards...not much different with a clean lie in the bunker from that distance.

I hit a very similar shot. Either with my PW or gap wedge. Comes in with a LOT of spin.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by dak4n6

Probably the hardest shot in golf. I saw this not on Golf Fix, but on the other instruction show on GC with the older guy with the British accent. He said for this shot, treat it just like a greenside bunker, but use a less lofted club like a 48* or 9 iron. Align left of the target, open the face some (but not pointing to the sky), and swing across your foot line.

I have tried this a bunch of times since seeing that, and it works great. By opening the face you are creating bounce with the back edge of the club's sole. You can swing nice and hard at it and take a fair amount of sand, and the ball will go a good distance with consistency.

I had one of these the other day and tried this exact approach.  I played it exactly like a normal bunker shot but with a PW (might have even been a 9I) and it worked like a charm.  Not super close to the hole or anything ... but it was on the green leaving me a par putt which is all I could really ask for.

[brooksie]

uttexas has got it in a nutshell the way luke donald plays it (off the front foot 56 degree wedge steep swing and attack it is perfect) if this doesnt work the best way i find simply depends on the lie and the bunker itsself if its a wet bunker then splashing it wont work it will end up being a thin or a hozzel rocket i take a PW and take a full swing triying to catch it fat slightly fly it to the pin and it stops instantly but if dry then the luke donald way is good but dont open the face.

the best way is to be confident over the shot this is one shot where thinking about what could go wrong usually happens picture the shoot be confident and it works every time. :)