Wet compact bunkers

[garyinderry]

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.

Post 13 shows a kid learning it. Most of the videos are of good players because that's all I can find on YouTube. Plus they may be good players but what they are doing isn't technically all that difficult.

I've demonstrated that I could dig the heel under the ball on a frozen bunker. You won't play on one harder than that.

If you are trying this and blading them. You are likely not getting shoulders tilted left enough at address. It needs to feel quite extreme.

Also the firmer the bunker the easier you can swing.

I've taught this to my mates dad. I think he's off 16 at minute. He was struggling so I got him to throw some balls down and had him sorted in 2 minutes flat.

It's requires good set up and some trust. Then you can play around with the variables to the shot. (How much to open the face, how steep, how hard to hit it, how low with the hands, etc. )

 

[garyinderry]

Dan grieve teaching a golfer like you and me.

Watch from 32.42

 

[garyinderry]

Jack Kelly on Instagram: "Have a hard time when there is less sand in the bunker or when they get really firm and packed? Club bouncing into the ball and sailing past the pin? We don’t want to use bounce for these shots, we want to use the sharp par

188 likes, 3 comments - realjackkelly on October 29, 2024: "Have a hard time when there is less sand in the bunker or when they get really firm and packed? Club bouncing into the ball and sailing past the pin? We don’t want to use bounce for these shots, we want to use the sharp parts of the...

www.instagram.com

 

[3 jabber]

I find it strange that you are pushing this so hard. The vast majority of handicap golfers use a tried and tested method that works. The amount of practice required to get your method to work would be much better spent on their swing to avoid going into bunkers in the first place.

 

[Orikoru]

Post 13 shows a kid learning it. Most of the videos are of good players because that's all I can find on YouTube. Plus they may be good players but what they are doing isn't technically all that difficult.

I've demonstrated that I could dig the heel under the ball on a frozen bunker. You won't play on one harder than that.

If you are trying this and blading them. You are likely not getting shoulders tilted left enough at address. It needs to feel quite extreme.

Also the firmer the bunker the easier you can swing.

I've taught this to my mates dad. I think he's off 16 at minute. He was struggling so I got him to throw some balls down and had him sorted in 2 minutes flat.

It's requires good set up and some trust. Then you can play around with the variables to the shot. (How much to open the face, how steep, how hard to hit it, how low with the hands, etc. )

I don't mean to poo-poo your suggestions, and I enjoy your contribution to the forum, but I tried it and it didn't work. I'm not really able to put the time and practice in to make it work, as there is no decent practice bunker at my course, so it would be waiting until I go in one on a round and hitting and hoping. So I'm going to stick with something more conventional.

Not trying to be rude, but as 3 Jabber said, you do seem very defensive over this bunker technique when people are saying it doesn't work for everyone or without a lot of coaching.

 

[garyinderry]

I find it strange that you are pushing this so hard. The vast majority of handicap golfers use a tried and tested method that works. The amount of practice required to get your method to work would be much better spent on their swing to avoid going into bunkers in the first place.

Why are you bringing nothing but negativity to this discussion?

The reason i promote this method is that I truly belive it can be learnt by anyone.

I've posted plenty of videos from a kid doing it, justin Rose doing it, Dan grieve teaching some youtuber and othe golf professionals showing how effective it can be.

I used to have real trouble in wet bunkers and now with some knowledge its child's play.

This isn't my method. It's what I do but it's been done a long time before I stumbled across it.

If it helps even one person I'll be happy. This part of the forum used to be thriving with people posting videos and discussing differnt techniques. I learnt a lot here down the years but it seems to have died a death.

 

[garyinderry]

Not trying to be rude, but as 3 Jabber said, you do seem very defensive over this bunker technique when people are saying it doesn't work for everyone or without a lot of coaching.

It doesn't require a lot of coaching.

I taught an man in his 60s how to do it in 5 balls.

Demonstrated it twice. Put him in a half decent set up and told him to hit the heel in under the ball and he popped it up no sweat.

He thanks me pretty much every time he hits a nice bunker shot now. It really isn't that hard.

As with anything. Opening your mind to new ideas may reap great rewards.

I'll continue to post of this topic. It may not be for you, it may not be for 3jabber but it will click with someone and they will be happy. I can live with that.

 

[bobmac]

What is the bounce designed to do?

 

[garyinderry]

What is the bounce designed to do?

On grass it can be used as a skid plate to make the club ride along the grass without digging.
It will also aid bringing a club back out out the turf if you take a divot.

In sand it will prevent the club from digging. Especially soft sand.

The way I'm using it is after I break the firm sand with the heel of the club. The bounce / back edge kicks in to bring the club back out of the sand.

 

[garyinderry]

There's nothing to it. There's a huge margin for error. There's nothing fancy to it.

Lower the hands. Get the toe in the air. Gouge it out with the heel and get it on the green.

 

[bobmac]

It just seems counter productive to me.
You open the face, which increases the risk of a shank which makes the club bounce more but then put the ball back in your stance and use the heal to reduce the bounce. So by lowering the hands, you've reduced the bounce problem that you created by opening the face...

I've thought of a compromise....
Ball centre, face square and let the leading edge dig in and gouge it out.
That keeps enough loft to get the height you need and greatly reduces the risk of a shank

 

[garyinderry]

It seems a bizarre thing to do as I I've been there and you have seen it. Thinning balls and air mailing greens.
If you haven't lowered the hands and really used that heel to dig you will probably like me, underestimate how well it actually does that job. It's mind boggingly good at it.
On really firm sand you can say open it 30 degrees and you will still be fine.
As long as you are steep enough.
I've shown that it could dig balls on a frozen bunker. The majority of bunker shots won't be played from anything as extreme as that.
I've also shown how easy it was to play from firm heavy sand.

I'm not telling people to lay the club wide open on firm sand. But it's definitely beneficial for control of the flight to be able to have the ability to have it open to some degree.

All bunker shots from firm sand has its risks. The square face shot gone wrong is also very destructive. Been there.
I belive this heel method is so much more effective than a square face shot.

 

[garyinderry]

This is prime example or what I see people doing and the results they get with the sqaure face when they get it wrong. I was watching this attempt from behind my sofa. Scary.

 

[garyinderry]

This guy shows the two methods. He claims the heel shot is for more advanced players. I'd argue its really not. In reality it's no more difficult to do and the pay off you get from it is 100% worth trying and doing repeatedly.

 

[bobmac]

This is prime example or what I see people doing and the results they get with the sqaure face when they get it wrong. I was watching this attempt from behind my sofa. Scary.

No.
The ball came out with plenty of height but went too far because the ball was off his back foot and he entered the sand too close to the ball.

This guy shows the two methods. He claims the heel shot is for more advanced players. I'd argue its really not. In reality it's no more difficult to do and the pay off you get from it is 100% worth trying and doing repeatedly.

That's easy to say when you're off 5
Any time you open the face, you expose less of it to the ball, unless you adjust your aim increasing the chance of the shank.

As I said before, if it works for you fine, but I wouldn't encourage it and I certainly wouldn't teach it.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

@garyinderry

Some great videos - this is how I learned to play golf using people’s videos etc

People can find them useful some may have other methods

Not sure why some are finding ways to be negative about someone just looking to give some advice and maybe help someone

There is not just the one method to hit a golf ball and there is not one technique that’s wrong

 

[garyinderry]

The story of how I learnt this goes back 7 years ago when I was struggling and posted some warts and all bunker practice.
I'll post them here to get a flavour of how bad was.
I was off about 9 at the time. Going in a bunker could spell the end of my round very easily. Not a great place to be.

Here's those videos...

Bob took a look and asked why was I hitting so shallow into them shots. You need to get into the sand.

This set off a light bulb in my head...

 

[garyinderry]

This was shortly after with the intention of getting steeper and getting under the ball.

Getting better.

Train of thought is. Steepness in these heavy bunkers is the key.

 

[garyinderry]

Next thing I'm watching Justin Rose dig a ball out with the heel of the club.

Thought crosses my mind. If he can do that from a plugged lie... how well does that work in say a firm bunker.

So this was the first day I ever tried using the heel to dig the ball out on firm bunkers.

Some mixed results. Some fantastic. Some thin but enough good there for me to try and work out how to make this better.

 

[garyinderry]

It took some time to work out the kinks but in reality with the right set up the shot is easy.

Weight left
Till shoulders left to help the steep angle of attack.
Lower handle and open the face a touch
Hit behind the ball with the ball.

I'm sharing this so others don't have to spend the time I did working it out.