Can't get out of bunkers

[garyinderry]

Maybe I'm not understanding but that just looks like the normal bunker technique that most people teach, to me. Whenever I used to try and open the face and chop the ball out I'd either bounce into it and knife it, or hit the sand too far back from the ball and the ball only jumps about one yard and stays in the bunker.

Hope this explains it a bit better.

 

[Maninblack4612]

Nice one. Biggest takeaway from that is to keep my weight more on the left leg - I mean he said that about six times so it must be important.

That reminds me, Stan Utley says to lean towards the hole with weight mostly on the left.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Nice one. Biggest takeaway from that is to keep my weight more on the left leg - I mean he said that about six times so it must be important.

Yes, I definitely lean on my left side now when I didn't before. It's a really effective clip, it helped me enormously.

 

[garyinderry]

Here is rory and rahm talking about using the heel of the wedge.

If you look carefully rory talks about having a bad lie. The bad lie he talks about looks pretty much a standard lie in a normal club bunker.

If good players use this technique on bad lies then why can't bad players use it on good lies? That's my thinking

 

[garyinderry]

Here is Shane at it. If it can do this with a semi plugged lie. What do you think it can do with a decent lie?

Wish I knew this 10 years ago.

 

[Orikoru]

If you look carefully rory talks about having a bad lie. The bad lie he talks about looks pretty much a standard lie in a normal club bunker.

So true that. These guys have no idea what a real bunker is!

 

[Bdill93]

Still working is it? Hopefully…

Im far from perfect still but my bunker play has improved vastly since that short session. I think the whole concept just clicked in my brain well and its stuck.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Im far from perfect still but my bunker play has improved vastly since that short session. I think the whole concept just clicked in my brain well and its stuck.

I think a lot of our problems out of bunkers are ‘fear based’…and so once you see that a simple technique allied with confidence can work, we’re up and running.

 

[Bdill93]

I thought a lot of our problems out of bunkers are ‘fear based’…and so once you see that a simple technique allied with confidence can work, we’re up and running.

I agree! When I hit one now I know I'm getting out, its just the outcome that I get that makes me unhappy at times!

 

[Gopher]

whats the sand in your Bunkers like? high bounce is good for soft plentiful sand, not so for compacted or not much sand.

Thanks for all the replies... you may have hit upon something here, the sand in our bunkers is compacted... on every shot you're hitting into the darker, firmer sand less than an inch from the surface so maybe less loft and bounce are required.

I've also seen many videos about weight and having it on the left side.. I've tried that but it still doesn't stop me hitting it either fat or thin. I think more practice is required but I'm always thinking that practice area bunkers are nothing like those on the course.

 

[Gopher]

I think a lot of our problems out of bunkers are ‘fear based’…and so once you see that a simple technique allied with confidence can work, we’re up and running.

This is true, I used to think that I was quite good out of bunkers but I've just lost any confidence and now probably have a short, jerky quick swing.

 

[Orikoru]

Thanks for all the replies... you may have hit upon something here, the sand in our bunkers is compacted... on every shot you're hitting into the darker, firmer sand less than an inch from the surface so maybe less loft and bounce are required.

I've also seen many videos about weight and having it on the left side.. I've tried that but it still doesn't stop me hitting it either fat or thin. I think more practice is required but I'm always thinking that practice area bunkers are nothing like those on the course.

This is true, I used to think that I was quite good out of bunkers but I've just lost any confidence and now probably have a short, jerky quick swing.

Agree with both points here. All these tutorial vids make it look easy, you load weight on your left side and hit the sand about an inch before the ball every time. Just doesn't work like that - can easily still hit the ball clean, or thin, or hit the sand three inches behind and not get it out. Takes a bit of practise, but at my course the only practise bunker is tiny and has almost no sand in it, so not very user-friendly.

It's absolutely a confidence thing. Once you leave a couple in the sand, your bunker swing because jerky, or too short, or decelerates on the way down as you're scared of it. That's totally one of the biggest problems.

 

[Orikoru]

I put my old Dunlop 60 in yesterday (8 bounce) to try the above techniques. First bunker - short-sided, probably decelerated because of that, knifed it into oblivion and lost the ball. Second bunker, green was above me at eye-level. I shanked it, but luckily it did come out a mere inch above the top of the bunker and found the right hand fringe, so a lucky result. Of course I was lining the heel up with the ball as instructed in the video Gary shared, so it's no surprise to me that I shanked it really. I just don't think I can bring myself to swing hard enough, so I'm not able to break the sand - club just bounces into the ball.

I think what I might do is spend £500 on a new sand wedge - that way I'm guaranteed never to go in another bunker again.

 

[garyinderry]

You have to commit to breaking the sand. You have to hit it hard enough to break through the sand and get under the ball.

You have nothing to lose. What are doing now isn't working so take the hand break off. See the heel of the club as a "tool for digging". DRIVE that heel under the ball and see what happens. Then you can dial back the speed if u need to. Absolutely bang that club in under the ball.

 

[bobmac]

You have to commit to breaking the sand. You have to hit it hard enough to break through the sand and get under the ball.

You have nothing to lose. What are doing now isn't working so take the hand break off. See the heel of the club as a "tool for digging". DRIVE that heel under the ball and see what happens. Then you can dial back the speed if u need to. Absolutely bang that club in under the ball.

Don't know who he is but he is talking sense.
3 inches behind the ball
3 inches under the ball
Full swing

 

[Orikoru]

You have to commit to breaking the sand. You have to hit it hard enough to break through the sand and get under the ball.

You have nothing to lose. What are doing now isn't working so take the hand break off. See the heel of the club as a "tool for digging". DRIVE that heel under the ball and see what happens. Then you can dial back the speed if u need to. Absolutely bang that club in under the ball.

Cheers. It's hard to tell your brain to essentially hit a full swing for a 10 yard shot, I guess.

We all have our achilles heels. My mate who plays off 12 is incredible at these bunkers shots, but he can't play a simple chip and run without duffing it. If we combined our games we'd be some player.

 

[clubchamp98]

Cheers. It's hard to tell your brain to essentially hit a full swing for a 10 yard shot, I guess.

We all have our achilles heels. My mate who plays off 12 is incredible at these bunkers shots, but he can't play a simple chip and run without duffing it. If we combined our games we'd be some player.

Yes my mate is scratch, he’s the worst bunker player I know.
But he dosnt go in many.

 

[patricks148]

Yes my mate is scratch, he’s the worst bunker player I know.
But he dosnt go in many.

the best bunker player i know is off 18, hes very steep, mind the rest of his game is terrible, bunkers is something to behold, esp the spin on the ball.

 

[clubchamp98]

the best bunker player i know is off 18, hes very steep, mind the rest of his game is terrible, bunkers is something to behold, esp the spin on the ball.

Yes my mate is a drawer of the ball.
He turns his hands over on every shot so bunkers he’s just hopeless.

He looks like a hacker in a bunker not a scratch player!

 

[Gopher]

Yes my mate is a drawer of the ball.
He turns his hands over on every shot so bunkers he’s just hopeless.

He looks like a hacker in a bunker not a scratch player!

I hadn't considered that... every single shot I hit is a draw or hook. I can't hit a fade to save my life, with both woods and irons... and I can't get out of bunkers either.

Are the best bunker players generally faders of the ball?