Deeply Filled Bunkers

[HomerJSimpson]

My club has recently upgraded (well that's their description) the bunkers. To most of the members they've just dumped a load more sand in them. As a result, there's a lot of sand under the ball but I'm struggling to get the ball out. In the practice bunker with a decent but not excessive amount no problem, but in these renovated ones I play a splash shot, seem to take a lot of sand and the ball barely moves.

I'm confused and wonder whether a) it's my Ping tour wedge with a wide sole and 10 degrees of bounce or b) there's a better way of playing the shot. I have struggled at other courses and it's begiinig to frustrate me that I can practice well and have made progress but the bunkers on the course now bare little resemblance to the practice one.

How do others escapre deeply filled sand. The faces themselves aren't too steep (typical parkland)

 

[One Planer]

When there is plenty of sand in a bunker, I personally try and shallow out my AoA.

Still play the ball forward. Still hit the sand first, but with a shallower AoA, I feel the club glides easier through the sand.

Probably guff but works for me.

 

[Foxholer]

When there is plenty of sand in a bunker, I personally try and shallow out my AoA.

Still play the ball forward. Still hit the sand first, but with a shallower AoA, I feel the club glides easier through the sand.

Probably guff but works for me.

Seems the best way for me too.

@Homer. The sand should settle in a month or so - especially after some rain. I can remember when 1 old club put nice fluffy sand in the greenside bunkers of a reasonably long Par 3. There were several balls lost in the first couple of weeks! It's quite likely that the new sand is highlighting a faulty technique that you have got away with with the old sand. Make sure you complete the swing through and don't merely hit down/at the sand/ball and squirt it out. Here's Pete Cowan's excelent demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkMt66M-71c

 

[turkish]

When there is plenty of sand in a bunker, I personally try and shallow out my AoA.

Still play the ball forward. Still hit the sand first, but with a shallower AoA, I feel the club glides easier through the sand.

Probably guff but works for me.

Newbie Alert- what's AoA?

 

[fundy]

Newbie Alert- what's AoA?

angle of attack

 

[One Planer]

Newbie Alert- what's AoA?

Angle of Attack.

How steep or shallow your swing path is into the ball.

 

[fundy]

all about using the bounce of the club and not the leading edge to make sure you dont take too much sand for me, easier said than done sometimes though, i find have the hands slighly back at address can help this

 

[garyinderry]

I much prefer a lot of sand in a bunker. Less chance of blading it!

 

[patricks148]

It depends where you end up in ours. If you are in the middle there's not much as its all raked up the face

 

[the_coach]

but in these renovated ones I play a splash shot, seem to take a lot of sand and the ball barely moves.

I'm confused and wonder whether a) it's my Ping tour wedge with a wide sole and 10 degrees of bounce or b) there's a better way of playing the shot. I have struggled at other courses and it's begiinig to frustrate me that I can practice well and have made progress but the bunkers on the course now bare little resemblance to the practice one.

How do others escapre deeply filled sand. The faces themselves aren't too steep (typical parkland)

the wedge you have is a an ideal club for this & other bunker shots. it will be in the set-up & execution the issue is that's causing you difficulties.

for this type of shot out of lots of sand you cannot afford any digging type of action or present the leading edge to the sand, all the energy is lost downwards in the sand with not enough forward momentum, so ball doesn't come out. also used to harder lies less sand those swings are a good ways more gentle you can let the club do the work. this type of shot needs a bigger swing motion something like a 50, 60 yard pitch from the turf to shift the ball some 30 feet or so.

you gotta set-up to use the good degree of bounce & sole width your wedge has.
to that if a square face for a shot from the grass with this club has the leading edge looking at 12 o'clock, you'd need to open the club first so the leading edge more points to 2 o'clock then take your grip.

if you do this at home somewhere you can lay the face open this way should notice a couple things that are key, the leading edge open is a good way off the ground, which is as you'd need it to utilize the bounce properly.
also laying it open to 2pm also flattens the shaft angle to the ground so your also standing a little ways further from the ball, this is also what you'd want, plus this puts the club face & your hands level, hands not in front of the ball, also good.

so you'd need to maintain all of the above plus put the ball off your left pec, where a crest would be on the shirt.
& then open the feet & hips a little ways to your target line, plus the slightly open & also slightly wider stance with some knee flex, this will then put the ball off the inside of the left heel, but do it hat ways around off the pec first then organize the stance otherwise the ball will end up to far forwards in the stance.
it's important the knee flex is retained into impact & through otherwise you'll skull it. aim point for entry around 1&1/2" behind the ball, your looking for a shallow swing taking a dollar bill (£5, £10 ?) note size that the balls sitting in the middle of.

you need to keep this solid quiet leg base to support the fuller turn through, this is also why the stance & hips need to be a little ways open to give you the space to swing through to the fuller finish, set-up square & the left side will get in the way.

this soft sand creates a lot of friction, folks usually swing a ways too easy & not full enough.

so if you take the backswing back to left arm horizontal to the ground shaft at 90º you'll need to swing through, {it's power from the body pivot connected to arms, not arm swing alone} so that at the finish the hands are just above the left shoulder on the through swing, the whole right side, right shoulder having turned through the shot.

it will no doubt feel a ways too big a swing motion from what you've been used to, but as long as the entry point is right, your posture height maintained you should be good to go, just takes a bit of practice.

just draw a line in the bunker set-up as described & practice that bigger swing turn through making sure the entry point is on that line & your taking that note size bunch of sand out each time with that bigger swing motion & turn through each time, (gotta swing right ways through here need that speed under the ball) you should hear a kinda 'thump' on the sand each time, no speed not the bounce going into the sand but the leading edge & there will be no 'thump' & you won't be able to swing through to just above shoulder height on the through swing.

if the practice bunker hasn't got the sand the same you can cheat it by building up some sand. or if it's quiet on the course practice hitting the line a bit out there swinging towards the rough not the green though so you don't get the Club on your back for covering the green.

 

[Beezerk]

I much prefer a lot of sand in a bunker. Less chance of blading it!

This
Fed up of our bunkers having shallow packed sand so the club just bounces up without getting under the ball. Nearly took my head off with a rebounding ball a few times

 

[USER1999]

No such thing as a poor bunker, there's just poor technique. Same swing does not fit all, and if you can't vary your bunker play to suit the sand conditions, you're on a hiding to nothing.

I don't care how much, or little sand is in there, it matters not a jot.

 

[freddielong]

No such thing as a poor bunker, there's just poor technique. Same swing does not fit all, and if you can't vary your bunker play to suit the sand conditions, you're on a hiding to nothing.

I don't care how much, or little sand is in there, it matters not a jot.

What he said

Just take less sand

 

[Beezerk]

No such thing as a poor bunker, there's just poor technique. Same swing does not fit all, and if you can't vary your bunker play to suit the sand conditions, you're on a hiding to nothing.

I don't care how much, or little sand is in there, it matters not a jot.

Actually I think you may have a point there :cheers:

 

[stevelev]

No such thing as a poor bunker, there's just poor technique. Same swing does not fit all, and if you can't vary your bunker play to suit the sand conditions, you're on a hiding to nothing.

I don't care how much, or little sand is in there, it matters not a jot.

What about when you have a stance in decent sand, the club looks to be sat on the same, yet there is only a dusting of sand under the ball so like playing of hardpan.

 

[Ads749r]

My club has recently upgraded (well that's their description) the bunkers. To most of the members they've just dumped a load more sand in them. As a result, there's a lot of sand under the ball but I'm struggling to get the ball out. In the practice bunker with a decent but not excessive amount no problem, but in these renovated ones I play a splash shot, seem to take a lot of sand and the ball barely moves.

I'm confused and wonder whether a) it's my Ping tour wedge with a wide sole and 10 degrees of bounce or b) there's a better way of playing the shot. I have struggled at other courses and it's begiinig to frustrate me that I can practice well and have made progress but the bunkers on the course now bare little resemblance to the practice one.

How do others escapre deeply filled sand. The faces themselves aren't too steep (typical parkland)

hi homer, I'm a member of ascot too.

I know what you mean about the sand. It's a bit too fluffy at the moment and I've had to change my swing and aoa to get the desired result. They changed it about 2 months ago too in a couple of bunkers on the back nine first I seen but the past couple of weeks all of them have been done. A lot of members I've played with in the greedy have mentioned about the dodgy kiddy sand too. The worst I've experienced so far is the 7th left hand green bunker is so deep with sand that the ball always plugs (I sound like I'm always in there haha) hopefully now the wetter weather is coming they will compact down and become manageable for everyone. But still better than the beginning of the year when there was no sand in a lot of bunkers, never bladed so many shots

 

[Foxholer]

No such thing as a poor bunker, there's just poor technique. Same swing does not fit all, and if you can't vary your bunker play to suit the sand conditions, you're on a hiding to nothing.

I don't care how much, or little sand is in there, it matters not a jot.

Absolutely agree - but only when you are aware of the what type of conditions you have. There's a hole on Gullane #2 (the first Par 3, about 6 or so) that has/had bunkers with varying sand (clayish, beach sand or shells), but it was obvious (from the colour/texture) what it was/how the particular bunker would play. I had the misfortune to be in a nice new bunker the other week that felt soft underfoot and looked the same where the ball was, but it actually was just a coating under the ball, so thinned it (OOB)!

The style Patrick posted about is reasonable typical of many links courses (TOC is the same), Walton Heath are pretty much all hardpan under a thin coating, West Course are all deep but 'honest' and an old Club had 3 (4 once the started a refurbishment program,) styles that were identifiable by sight. As long as you know the style, you can adjust your technique. It's the unknown that causes problems!

 

[Smiffy]

hi homer, I'm a member of ascot too.

That admission could possibly open up a whole world of hurt

 

[HomerJSimpson]

hi homer, I'm a member of ascot too.

I know what you mean about the sand. It's a bit too fluffy at the moment and I've had to change my swing and aoa to get the desired result. They changed it about 2 months ago too in a couple of bunkers on the back nine first I seen but the past couple of weeks all of them have been done. A lot of members I've played with in the greedy have mentioned about the dodgy kiddy sand too. The worst I've experienced so far is the 7th left hand green bunker is so deep with sand that the ball always plugs (I sound like I'm always in there haha) hopefully now the wetter weather is coming they will compact down and become manageable for everyone. But still better than the beginning of the year when there was no sand in a lot of bunkers, never bladed so many shots

Had a quick lesson with Jamie the other night and we hit a few from the bunker on the right of the ninth. Seems my address position and weight were out of kilter and my angle of attack a little steep. Perfect in the practice bunker but that has a decent amount of sand and not this deep powedery we have around the course at the moment. Might try and sneak out at last light tonight and find a bunker somewhere and hit a few and see what happens.

 

[One Planer]

No such thing as a poor bunker, there's just poor technique. Same swing does not fit all, and if you can't vary your bunker play to suit the sand conditions, you're on a hiding to nothing.

I don't care how much, or little sand is in there, it matters not a jot.

Have a big :thup: from me!