Playing From Poor Quality Bunkers

[RJ1185]

My home course is for the most part well maintained. However, a few of the holes have a problem with wind exposure to the bunkers and as such the softer loosely packed sand tends to blow out. What is often left is firmer tightly packed sand. How would people advise playing these? I've started appraoching them like a firm bare lie which has been a bit more consistent than a concentional bunker shot for me.

Any thoughts?

[mcanadiens]

My home courses are munis. The city doesn't have the funds to deal with the unfortunately large number of bunkers, so they are varying levels of bad from one season to the next.

As such, I take each shot individually.

If there's enough loose sand that I think I can execute a standard, sand-first shot, I'll default to it. Often I try to make a bit more of a backswing to make sure the ball gets out. Then pray I don't come up thin.

Sometimes it's total hard-pan and there's no chance. I'll usually take my 60-degree and hit a standard pitch shot (ball first). 

[Buckeyebowman]

What he said! ^^^ Every bunker shot can be a different challenge. If you can find a place to practice from a bunker in different conditions it would be advantageous. What your post made me wonder was where on Earth do you live that the wind blows so hard that it blows sand out of the bunkers? Our problem is usually rain packed sand w/poor drainage! 

Finer sand will pack down harder than coarser sand. Ask me how I know! I don't know how long you've been playing, but it's good to pay attention to the condition of the sand in bunker. How does it feel underfoot? I've almost broken a wrist trying to play an explosion off of hard packed sand! Might as well try to take a divot on concrete!

On the other hand, I played in a TST member outing a few years back at Eagle Creek near Norwalk, OH. I believe mcanadiens played in the same outing. The course was pounded by 2" of rain the day before we played. On the first hole I hit one over the green into a bunker. I went in with a PW expecting to play some kind of "chip" shot out. As soon as I stepped into the bunker I noticed how it felt under my feet, it had "give". Then I noticed how large the grains of sand were, they allowed the water to drain through.

I'm no expert in the sand & gravel business, but I would expect that the "grade" of material in question was on the north side of "sand" and the south side of "gravel". I went back to my bag for a SW, hit an explosion onto the green, and made the putt for par.