Rock hard bunkers

[Duff McGee]

I was going to ask this in the "should courses get rid of bunkers" thread but decided it was off topic. When you are playing on a cheaper muni and the sand trap sand is very hard, how do you play the shot? I had been aiming a little more behind the ball and swinging harder which worked for me a few times earlier in the year. But last time I tried this it was a disaster where the sand was so hard I couldn't dig in it more than half an inch and the ball shanked off over the green into the woods. Do you just play it like a chip shot off of a cart path? :)

[rkim291968]

I hit down on it rather than trying to glide through it.

[Lihu]

I was going to ask this in the "should courses get rid of bunkers" thread but decided it was off topic.

When you are playing on a cheaper muni and the sand trap sand is very hard, how do you play the shot?

I had been aiming a little more behind the ball and swinging harder which worked for me a few times earlier in the year. But last time I tried this it was a disaster where the sand was so hard I couldn't dig in it more than half an inch and the ball shanked off over the green into the woods.

Do you just play it like a chip shot off of a cart path? :)

Crunchy hard or like hard pan?

I've watched many a senior play both conditions with a chip type shot. They seem to get a little under the ball, and play like a chip or even a shorter version of their bunker shot? That's how they explained it to me as they always seemed to manage to get within a few feet of the pin for their sand save.

[Duff McGee]

I am actually pretty dang good from the sand when the sand is as it should be. But I am a very one dimensional sand player in that all of my shots are a variation on the blast shot.

[SavvySwede]

I hit down on it rather than trying to glide through it.

Bounce is your friend. I've chipped them before but only when I have a lower lip and room to roll because it'll want to come out low. A pitching technique gives you the height you need for your typical greenside bunker.

[rkim291968]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkim291968

I hit down on it rather than trying to glide through it.

Bounce is your friend. I've chipped them before but only when I have a lower lip and room to roll because it'll want to come out low. A pitching technique gives you the height you need for your typical greenside bunker.

Use lower bounce club?

[colin007]

Use lower bounce club?

Pretty much the opposite, actually.

[billchao]

Use lower bounce club?

No, you still want bounce. You can glide a wedge off of concrete with bounce and the right technique. If you don't have any sole relief on your wedge it will be harder, but not impossible.

[Duff McGee]

I figure pretend you are hitting off of concrete and make sure you only hit the ball (at least for the swing thought). Bad idea?

[Jeremie Boop]

I figure pretend you are hitting off of concrete and make sure you only hit the ball (at least for the swing thought). Bad idea?

That's pretty much what I've resorted to doing.

[Duff McGee]

That's pretty much what I've resorted to doing.

How have the results been?

[Jeremie Boop]

How have the results been?

Good when I do it correctly, bad when I don't. Basically if I don't bounce off the ground behind the ball and blade it the shot works out as well as can be expected.

[Duff McGee]

Maybe I'll just do that but make sure to get it out of the bunker...no finesse allowed.

[akpklarson]

I golfed with a guy in a scramble tourney last week.  Our team found ourselves in a greenside bunker on a long par 5.

We should've had something better, but 3 of the 4 failed on this hole and we didn't want to give up the yardage.

Anyway, this guy, who happened to be a senior, putted out of the sand.  There was a 3" or so lip, but he still went for it.  Said a bunch of his senior buddies had been doing it.  He took an aggressive swing, but not near as aggressive as you'd think with a putter, it hit the lip, caught a little air and rolled in tight to the pin!

Seems like a bad thing to get used to, but if it works it works!

I have yet to try it, and am not sure if I will.

[Grumpter]

If it is similar to playing off of hard pan (but with a small amount of sand) then I will take my 60 degree wedge without increasing the loft and hit much closer to the ball than a 'normal' greenside sand shot. I don't try to pick the ball. I am looking to hit the sand just behind the ball. I find opening the face can cause the club to bounce off the hard dirt/sand producing a thin rocket off the bottom of the club.

[RGoosen]

If it is similar to playing off of hard pan (but with a small amount of sand) then I will take my 60 degree wedge without increasing the loft and hit much closer to the ball than a 'normal' greenside sand shot. I don't try to pick the ball. I am looking to hit the sand just behind the ball. I find opening the face can cause the club to bounce off the hard dirt/sand producing a thin rocket off the bottom of the club.

This is the way to play this shot. You do not want a lot of bounce on a hard pan type shot. If you do you will likely skull if. The softer/fluffy the sand the more bounce you need.

[saevel25]

This is the way to play this shot. You do not want a lot of bounce on a hard pan type shot. If you do you will likely skull if. The softer/fluffy the sand the more bounce you need.

Basically astro-turf type material. Wedge with lots of bounce, using the bounce. It's a common myth that lots of bounce can't be used on tight lies. Also bounce isn't everything on a wedge. You have to be concerned with the shape of the sole as well.

[inthehole]

Hard bunkers are ALL I play.     Its been so frustrating seeing all these shows on TV about how to play from fluffy bunkers ... totally meaningless on my courses - I would like to see someone in the know explain the best way to execute the shot from really hard packed bunkers.

I can't pick it clean enough to try using the bounce and swinging reasonably hard at greenside ... I've gotten pretty good at using a lot of lag and hitting an inch or so behind the ball ... HARD !    It's a dig in / blast out shot for sure - if you don't really, I mean REALLY hit down on it and power into the hard sand, it will skull it into the woods every time.   Introducing the bounce on a truly hard bunker is sketchy at best ... at least at my skill level