bunker shots

[woody69]

OK, so I know the basics and I actually feel fairly confident out of a bunker providing the pin is approximately 10 yards or so away and there is plenty of sand. I open my stance to 10 feet or so left of the hole, open the club face to point at the hole and swing normally (full swing) aiming an inch or 2 behind the ball. It "usually" pops up, lands gently and comes to a stop relatively quickly around 6-8 yards (if I'm lucky)

I've recently done some work in the bunkers where the sand is pretty much non-existent and try to play it like a lob off a tight lie, so feeling OK about that scenario. For it I take my 60 wedge, get my weight on my left side, stance slightly open (though not as much as my usually bunker shot) and try a flop type shot with full swing. High risk shot, but not really sure how else to play it, especially if there is a relatively high lip. I have on some occasions just hit a 7 iron and effectively rolled it out the bunker, but those opportunities are few and far between!

the issues I have are the following scenarios:

1. A bunker with plenty of sand where I have a lot of bunker to carry to get on to the green.

There is a massive bunker on our 2nd. It's a dog leg right and if you slice your tee shot you could end up just in it and it's probably about 60 yards long from the back to the edge of the green (hopefully this map will work) - https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=wo...eld+park&cid=0,0,8552036601765073062&t=h&z=18 - I assume I should just be playing for the green with a full shot depending on the distance, trying to hit ball first with normal stance, essentially treating it like a very loose lie? Usually I end up fatting it a few yards forward or play out to the side. I think the thing that gets me is the amount of sand. If there was hardly any it would be much easier!

2. A bunker with plenty of sand where the pin is very tight to the bunker, i.e. within say 5 feet of the edge.

We have a few of these. If I play my usual shot it's going 15 feet past, so I tend to inadvertently slow down and end up duffing it. I seriously lack distance control out of bunkers. Should I be taking a full swing, but stopping the club at around the 4 o'clock position (imaging the ball is sat at 6 o'clock in the sand)

3. A bunker with plenty of sand where the pin is anything over 20 yards away

Same as 2, but in reverse. I'm getting it out OK (usually), but it's hitting 8 yards or so and coming to a pathetic stop, there's virtually no roll. I wondered if it was worth trying a PW or a 9I out if the face wasn't too bad, but I'm really not sure of the swing speed, length etc.

 

[JustOne]

Greenside bunkers, always ensure your head is very much behind the ball to shallow the angle of descent and keep the loft on the face..... the further the pin, the less open you need to stand.

Faiway bunkers just stand tall, and maybe grip down an inch to avoid the sand, again head behind the ball so you're not too steep.

 

[duncan mackie]

1. yes - the trick is not to open the face at all! You don't want to hit the sand with the flange before you make contact with the ball. this will also contribute to you feeling you have to hit down through the ball - which is good.
2. just go 15ft past
3. yes, although even a GW can make a significant difference. go into a practice bunker and use your range of clubs with your single swing and note the differences. In practice you will probably pick from 3 rather than trying to estimate single club differences. here you can open the faces, consistent with your 'normal approach' to give a similar sole profile and encourage a simlar swing. there are alternatives but this is a good way to do it.

 

[Robobum]

Greenside bunkers, always ensure your head is very much behind the ball to shallow the angle of descent and keep the loft on the face..... the further the pin, the less open you need to stand.

Faiway bunkers just stand tall, and maybe grip down an inch to avoid the sand, again head behind the ball so you're not too steep.

For fairway bunkers I have an odd thought in my mind to focus on the front of the ball, seems to help me pick it clean.

A bit too clean on 2nd shot of the day @ West Hill. Bladey wedge over the green @ 8 and across the 9th fairway for a lost ball in the foliage nearer the car park than 8th green!!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

For the longer shot why not use a 52 degree wedge (or similar) as long as it has a reasonable bounce. You can open it a touch or have the blade square. It takes some practice and belief but makes longer shots a lot easier without having to swing longer and harder with the SW

 

[JustOne]

A bit too clean on 2nd shot of the day @ West Hill. Bladey wedge over the green @ 8 and across the 9th fairway for a lost ball in the foliage nearer the car park than 8th green!!!

Blob?

How can anyone decide if your 'front of the ball' tip is a good one or not with that info LOL

Next time just write that you made a birdie :thup:

 

[Robobum]

Blob?

How can anyone decide if your 'front of the ball' tip is a good one or not with that info LOL

Next time just write that you made a birdie :thup:

Luckily it was spinning so didn't take out the windscreen of my car

 

[jimbob.someroo]

I'm actually running a clinic of getting up and down out of the back of the left hand side greenside bunker on the 4th at West Hill. Best shot I played all day ... although only time I got up and down from 4 bunker attempts, although that was mainly due to putting

I'd like to think I'm ok out of greenside sand so will throw my tuppence in if it is of any use ...

The way I play the shot is dictated by two things. 1) height needed to get out of the bunker 2) amount of stop / roll I want on the shot.

For higher shots which stop quicker, I open the face more and hit closer to the ball. I generally aim half an inch or so behind the ball and in my head, see the sole of the club digging into the sand on a relatively flat plane, hitting the ball somewhere near the middle of the face. Almost like a flop shot from grass.

For shots which I want to run out a bit more, I hit further behind the ball and on a slightly steeper angle. I want to feel like I'm almost creating an explosion behind the ball, with the momentum created pushing the ball upwards and forwards, with the sand trapped between the ball and club limiting the amount of spin. There's a good video of Brad Faxon doing this sort of shot out of silly lies here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJd777AfRj4

I always try and keep two things the same though. I swing shorter than usual - by that I mean maybe 3/4 at max. And I feel like a accelerate quickly into the shot. For me, and I think it's generally the case, I have far greater success out of sand when attacking the shot. It sounds obvious but if you hit sand first, as you should (again in my opinion) intend to with these shots, you need to make sure you're hitting it hard enough to actually get the ball out.

Like I say, just my tuppence worth - feel more than free to disregard!

 

[woody69]

Thanks for all your replies. I do need to think a little better about club selection. Usually if I'm in the bunker I'm pulling the SW out before I even get there. Using different clubs such as the 52 is a good shout. I also don't think about where I position my head, it's more about where I distribute my weight, so that's definitely something else to think about.