Wet compact bunkers

[garyinderry]

No I'm fine thanks. I played today and was in 3 compacted greenside bunkers. Got it within 8 feet twice and saved par and about 12ft and missed the putt. I'll stick to proven methods thanks

That's great. If you have no trouble then maybe these videos aren't for you.

Here's an Australian golf professional demonstrating both the sqaure face and open face technique from firm sand.

 

[Neilds]

No I'm fine thanks. I played today and was in 3 compacted greenside bunkers. Got it within 8 feet twice and saved par and about 12ft and missed the putt. I'll stick to proven methods thanks

Then don't do it, not everything on the internet is aimed at you - do we need a link to the Ricky Gervais sketch about guitar lessons?

 

[3 jabber]

Then don't do it, not everything on the internet is aimed at you - do we need a link to the Ricky Gervais sketch about guitar lessons?

I'm not doing it but thanks for looking out for my welfare, much appreciated

FWIW I was trying to point out a more reliable bunker method for amateurs rather than a method requiring pro level skills.

 

[Orikoru]

I know how to play bunker shots. In your video the guy advises to dig the heel into the sand to avoid the club bouncing off the hard packed surface. Doing that will cause shanks. Not advisable at all. But as I said, do it your way.

I am firmly in this camp. If I try that technique, the club bounces off the hard sand and sends the hosel directly into the ball. Unless I get very lucky and manage to flop the ball out taking no sand at all and clipping it clean. Then it's probably sailing over the green. The 'heel breaking the sand' doesn't happen, it bounces. I have to try and play it pretty square and steep and try and break the sand with leading edge effectively.

 

[garyinderry]

It's 2 degrees outside at the minute so you can imagine how firm this bunker is.
Can't lay the blade way open but it's open some and I'm digging that heel in under the ball and it pops up nice.
Getting good height and control.

 

[patricks148]

the old Torvean course here had terrible compacted bunkers and though the were quite small and only a couple of feet deep most had a reverted face. quite a lot of the guys just putted out of them. i even saw a guys putt through bunkers to get on the green rather than try and flop over

 

[Orikoru]

the old Torvean course here had terrible compacted bunkers and though the were quite small and only a couple of feet deep most had a reverted face. quite a lot of the guys just putted out of them. i even saw a guys putt through bunkers to get on the green rather than try and flop over

There are two bunkers on my course that I've putted out of successfully. It only works when it doesn't have much of a lip the front, otherwise the ball will just launch out straight up and land back in the bunker again.

 

[garyinderry]

Out for 5 holes this afternoon with some bunker practice thrown in.
Bunkers today had thawed out at least but still what you would call heavy.
Made some videos to show the technique working on bunkers that arnt like concrete but you still need to break that sand or its bye bye ball. Haha

 

[garyinderry]

Green running away and hard left to right. Some height and control needed for this one.

 

[garyinderry]

Kinda short sided bunker shot.

 

[patricks148]

when ive been in this situation i have just chipped out with my most lofted low bounce club. my SW has 14 deg of bounce so no use in compacted bunkers, bunkers on courses i tend to play have the opposite issue too much sand.

 

[GreiginFife]

For the most part if a greenside bunker is very compacted then I just play it like a chip off a hard, tight fairway lie. Ball before sand with a normal chipping motion. Don't get as much spin as a traditional bunker shot but like any fairway shot, swing length to control distance.

 

[garyinderry]

For the most part if a greenside bunker is very compacted then I just play it like a chip off a hard, tight fairway lie. Ball before sand with a normal chipping motion. Don't get as much spin as a traditional bunker shot but like any fairway shot, swing length to control distance.

It's not a bad idea if you are playing to a medium distance pin and not much lip to get over. Nip it off the top.

Why not try driving the heel into the sand with an open face and see if you can gain some control. It works in all sand conditions.

 

[garyinderry]

From 45 seconds. Justin Rose talking about having to play "not a lot of sand under the ball" shots with a steep angle of attack and the face open. Note the low hands which brings the toe up. Heel pointing at the ball.

 

[garyinderry]

Seve told Paul lawrie who told this guy. Haha

If he can pop it out this lie, you can hit it out of a semi decent lie.

 

[GreiginFife]

It's not a bad idea if you are playing to a medium distance pin and not much lip to get over. Nip it off the top.

Why not try driving the heel into the sand with an open face and see if you can gain some control. It works in all sand conditions.

Because I get enough control with the method I use without introducing the unnecessary risk of necking it at right angles.

I am also sufficiently proficient from dry sand, possibly one of the strongest parts of my game.

 

[garyinderry]

Justin Rose doing this on YouTube 14 years ago. This is nothing new.

 

[Orikoru]

It's not a bad idea if you are playing to a medium distance pin and not much lip to get over. Nip it off the top.

Why not try driving the heel into the sand with an open face and see if you can gain some control. It works in all sand conditions.

..for some people maybe!

 

[garyinderry]

..for some people maybe!

There's absolutely no reason why anyone can't learn how to do it.
If you can break the sand with a club it can be done by anyone.

If you try it and can't do it, take a video and I'll help you get it right.

 

[Orikoru]

There's absolutely no reason why anyone can't learn how to do it.
If you can break the sand with a club it can be done by anyone.

If you try it and can't do it, take a video and I'll help you get it right.

Our bunkers can get very solid, I think personally I don't hit it hard enough which is why it still bounces instead of breaking the sand - but when I do swing harder the contact point goes all over, so I'll be too far behind it or hit the ball before the sand. Then anything can happen.

Not to get into a debate over it, but all the videos demonstrating the technique are obviously from good players. For a poor player like me this technique is harder to get right, and getting it wrong is more punishing (i.e. if you shank it). That's why I wouldn't want to persist with it.