trouble in the bunkers

[drawboy]

Hi all you experts. I'm having a bit of trouble in the sand recently. I know how to play the shot but am having no success at the moment. I seem to be going under the ball too much and it's just popping up and not going forward enough. I'm using a vokey 58 deg. Do I need more bounce?

 

[bobmac]

Just 2 questions if I may?
Where is your ball positioned?
How long is your follow through?
Oops, that 3

 

[drawboy]

ball inside left heel and full follow through.

 

[Smiffy]

ball inside left heel and full follow through.

You're doing it wrong.

Ball outside right heel. Pick club straight up very quickly and then decelerate into it as you come back down.
You won't get the ball out but you'll give your mates a laugh

 

[bobmac]

ball inside left heel and full follow through.

That only leaves two possibilities.........
Your hitting the sand too far behind the ball. Or your using a 5 iron
aim to be 2-4 in behind the ball, depending how far you want the ball to go.
HTH

 

[drawboy]

Must be hitting too far behind then. I'll try and take less sand. Thanks for the help, Oh and Smiffy I'm already making everyone laff believe me mate.

 

[JustOne]

Out of interest what IS the bounce on your 58° vokey?

 

[drawboy]

12, so it's not too bad bounce wise, I don't know if it's because the sand is really wet at the moment or as Bobmac say's I'm hitting too far behind. Baffles me though, I used to be a demon out of a bunker now I'm cack.It feels like I'm going right underneath the ball almost slicing straight through the sand instead of bouncing off of it.

 

[Region3]

Do you open the club very much, that will effectively increase the bounce angle and make the club less prone to 'digging in'.

I don't know if it's taught this way or not, or even if you already do it, but I focus on the spot in the sand where I want the club to hit rather than the ball.

 

[Smiffy]

If the sand is nice and dry I will take an open stance, aiming quite a way left of target, crank my sand iron wide open and aim for a spot about two inches behind the ball, maybe even more if the sand is really loose and I am just looking to flob it up out of the sand. I concentrate on that spot, don't take my eyes off of it and just thump into the sand and stay down on it, making sure my head doesn't come up until forced to by my shoulders.
On wet sand I wont stand so open, wont crank the club so much and wont aim quite so far behind the ball.
Ball right off the front foot and weight forward too. Knees as well.