First handicap card

[Lawrence22]

I eventually got to complete my first handicap card yesterday now we are back on proper tees. I had a pretty poor round but don'y feel I played that badly. I had never been off the whites before and was surprised how much they could change some of the holes even though there was only a few yards difference. However my main problem yesterday was bunkers. I had started well (for me) par on the first and double on the second. Then on the par 3 3rd I thought I had hit a great tee shot, 6" further and it would have been perfect but it unfortunately caught the lip of a bunker and rolled back in. 5 shots to get out end up with 8. Twice more on the round I had good looking shots coming up just short into bunkers and more probs getting out. The sand was very wet and compacted and I found it a nightmare trying to make a good contact.
So in the end I shot 109, 11 more than last week and most of those left in the bunkers. I think this first card points towards a 27 handicap as I believe they only count as far as a double bogey each hole, if I altered my card thus it would have been 97 with sss of 70. I am hoping my next two cards will improve on this one.

 

[GeordieAggro80]

Good on you mate for getting the first card in. Good that you kwow where some of your practice is needed. Bunkers are a pain in he backside but part of golf.

When i first started i knew you were meant to hit behind the ball and actually play the sand but i never truely believed it in my head. It made no sense. But now i always take a full swing in green side bunkers and play the sand a good inch to 2 inches behind the ball. I never fell any contact with the ball but i get out every time. Give it a blast and dont be scared. You'll be out in no time and your scorecards will improve

Good luck with your next 2 scorecards!!

 

[Lawrence22]

Thanks for that, my dad had told me the some thing, but the sand was so compacted yesterday I am not sure I could have played them like that. Think if I had tried I may have done myself a wrist injury. Maybe I'm wrong and just need to commit. My sand wedge just seemed to bounce off the surface, by the end of the round I was trying to use my gap wedge out of the bunkers and clip the ball off the surface. I had more success getting out this way but was generally flying the greens.

 

[Achilles]

Wet sand is my nemesis!! Hate playing out of it so know how you feel!

 

[Region3]

I don't know if it's the right way to go about it, but playing out of wet sand I don't open the face because the sand is more resistant to the club going through it, and you don't want the extra bounce that opening the face gives you.
I also hit the sand closer to the ball and not quite as full a swing.

 

[Imurg]

Play it as a chip from a tight fairway lie. Clip the ball taking virtually no sand.

 

[Lawrence22]

Thanks for the info guys. Hopefully the course will dry out in the next few weeks. My gap wedge has a much lower bounce angle than my sand wedge so I think I will continue to use it from wet sand. Just need to perfect it, or avoid bunkers in the first place.