Sand issues

[Brickman]

I am having problems getting out of a bunker.  I have tried 2 or 3 different approaches (swing along my foot line, hinging my wrist quickly to get the club vertical, etc.) but seem to hit Fat shots that either leave the ball in the sand (like a chunked shot) or hit a line drive an inch or two off the sand into the side of the bunker.   I swaIng hard to try to force the ball out but more times than not it takes 2 or 3 shots to get out.   Any suggestions I can try.   I am frustrated as hell.    Thanks for any help or suggestions!

[Vinsk]

This. It's excellent.

[Foot Wedge]

I can attest to the effectiveness of the link that @Vinsk posted as just a few weeks ago I was in your position.  Another thing is that swinging 'hard' is kind of relative.  You're swinging 'hard' for the distance that you are from the pin, which would be 10-20 yards.  But you don't want to crush the sand.  You want to swing smoothly.  The bounce of the club will keep it from digging into the sand and will skate under the ball.  This is the 'thump', and you have to trust that it works.  It's a strange mental issue because you know how close you are distance-wise so you may decelerate, which causes a miss.  Or you know that you need some power to get the sand to lift the ball out so you whack it, which also causes a miss.  Follow the thread's advice, swing confidently, and once you get a feel for the swing that gets the results REPEAT.  If there's a range that has a practice bunker, track your progress.  I tracked how many swings it took to escape a bunker with a high lip 10 times.

First Session: 17

Second Session: 13

Third Session: 11

[Mr. Desmond]

I can only add non-technical discussion to the link ... but try this, it works if you are not doing it already -- slow the tempo, relax the arms, get rid of all lag on normal bunker shots, and hit the sand with the back of the sole - yes, flip - the clubhead swings past the hands on the downswing. You get a nice thud on the best shots. Even not best shots have you engaging the bounce.

Swinging harder does not help - you are probably hitting with the leading edge and digging. Try the setup in the link and try the above. Find it in the dirt. Good luck.

Edited August 10, 2017 by Mr. Desmond