Wet sand bunker shots

[dronfield]

Hi
Can anyone please advise a fairly straightforward method for playing greenside bunker shots out of wet sand?

Last week i did some practice, and thought i had found a decent method - using my 60 degree 06 bounce lob wedge, square clubface, playing the ball back in my stance, and hitting down on the ball.

However, yesterday morning in our medal, opening hole par 5, i was in a greenside bunker in 3 and tried this method - bladed the ball out the course, left next shot in the bunker, before blading another one over the green. Walked off hole with an 11 - round ruined by 7.50am!

Youtube videos vary re advice on ball position, clubface, angle of attack etc.

Cheers
Rich

 

[SammmeBee]

Same as a normal bunker shot....

 

[dronfield]

Same as a normal bunker shot....

Does the bounce of the club not then result in the club literally "bouncing" off the hard sand and then catching the ball on its equator?

 

[SammmeBee]

Not if you maintain speed through the ball....

 

[rulefan]

Don't be afraid of hitting through the sand. It's not concrete.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Don't be afraid of hitting through the sand. It's not concrete.

Definitely. I played several bunker shots of compacted wet sand and simply played it like normal and ensured I accelerated though the ball. Even though the sand is wet, the bounce will still do its jobs

 

[Huwey12]

I play with a square face, weight on front foot. If I open the face I find the bounce blades the ball

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I play with a square face, weight on front foot. If I open the face I find the bounce blades the ball

Try this. May explain why it happens and how to sort it

 

[dronfield]

I play with a square face, weight on front foot. If I open the face I find the bounce blades the ball

This is what i practised and found to work, until yesterday's disaster!
Will go to club tomorrow and try normal bunker shot set up and see if can get some consistency with that method.

 

[Huwey12]

Forgot to mention I play this with low hands and with no forward shaft lean

 

[dronfield]

Forgot to mention I play this with low hands and with no forward shaft lean

What ball position - back or forward in stance. Hitting down on ball?

 

[clubchamp98]

This is what i practised and found to work, until yesterday's disaster!
Will go to club tomorrow and try normal bunker shot set up and see if can get some consistency with that method.

You said you had the ball BACK in your stance not forward.

If you have the ball to far back you deloft the club and steepen the aoa.
In this position you would need to move a lot of sand to get the ball out.
If you bladed it that’s just a bad shot really???

I play it just in front of the centre of my stance ,square face 56 d 10 bounce.
Normal bunker shot but you must give it a bit more speed than a soft sand shot.
Good luck.

 

[Orikoru]

I used to try and play bunker shots with my 60. On Saturday it was raining constantly so I was dreading going in a bunker, eventually did on the 12th. I remembered a Golf Sidekick video I saw recently though where he said no matter what the conditions go with a high bounce club and splash it out. I used my 56 which is 14 bounce, didn't even worry about where the ball was in my stance (probably middle), just focused on keeping the speed up right through the ball/sand, and it worked perfectly. Did it again on the 16th, same result. I think bounce is king, just got to keep that speed up - no fear!

 

[dronfield]

You said you had the ball BACK in your stance not forward.

If you have the ball to far back you deloft the club and steepen the aoa.
In this position you would need to move a lot of sand to get the ball out.
If you bladed it that’s just a bad shot really???

I play it just in front of the centre of my stance ,square face 56 d 10 bounce.
Normal bunker shot but you must give it a bit more speed than a soft sand shot.
Good luck.

Cheers - i did clearly play the ball too far back, hence took no sand with the shot.
I was trying to clarify with Huwey where he had positioned the ball, because he did not state that in his post, but everything else he advised was what i had also done - square clubface, weight on front foot.
Am going to try and get to club today (weather permitting) so will practice again with ball further forward. My 56 degree wedge has 12 degree bounce, so ill take that as well as the 60 degree.

Rich

 

[dronfield]

I used to try and play bunker shots with my 60. On Saturday it was raining constantly so I was dreading going in a bunker, eventually did on the 12th. I remembered a Golf Sidekick video I saw recently though where he said no matter what the conditions go with a high bounce club and splash it out. I used my 56 which is 14 bounce, didn't even worry about where the ball was in my stance (probably middle), just focused on keeping the speed up right through the ball/sand, and it worked perfectly. Did it again on the 16th, same result. I think bounce is king, just got to keep that speed up - no fear!

Thanks Orikoru - am going to try and do some practice today so will take my 56 degree 12 bounce wedge as well as the 60 degree. The new Taylormade Hi Toe Bigfoot club interests me - is 58/60 degree with 15 degree bounce. Was thinking of using it for all bunker shots, but was worried that that high a bounce would be no good from wet sand - sounds like that now may not be an issue.

Rich

 

[Foxholer]

It's speed that is the key!

For me, bounce may help or hinder (!!) depending on the actual condition of the wet sand around the ball - for the particular shot.

If the sand is still 'fluffy but soggy', then high bounce will work better than low bounce - as it 'helps' the ball out, compared with low bounce that simply digs into the soggy sand and little 'energy' is transferred to elevating the ball.

If the condition is such that the ball is sitting on a 'hard pan' of sand, then low bounce will be more successful (for me) getting under the ball - as high bounce will more likely (literally) bounce and thin the ball.

But either way, it's increasing clubhead speed from 'normal' that is most important!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I had been using the Ping wide sole (high bounce) and went back to the SS (standard sole) yesterday which was the perfect model for the conditions. The sand was compacted (hard pan as Foxholer describes) but opening it up a tad and using speed (and commitment) worked perfectly

 

[garyinderry]

High bounce is killer from hard packed sand.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

High bounce is killer from hard packed sand.

Agreed, gave up with high bounce, just tends to bounce off and thin the ball.

I use low bounce 60 wedge, I tend to play the shot with a jabbing/chopping/throwing action of the clubface into the sand(not thinking though, like I do with normal sand), try to hit 1.5-2 inch behind the ball, ball forward in stance, weight more on front foot and throw/jab/chop club into sand. Feels quite a violent action when compared to soft sand. It tends to take a low depth short 'divot' out of the sand, but ball pops out the sand quite easily, provided there is enough speed into the jabbing action.

Practise and see what technique works for you.

 

[dronfield]

Agreed, gave up with high bounce, just tends to bounce off and thin the ball.

I use low bounce 60 wedge, I tend to play the shot with a jabbing/chopping/throwing action of the clubface into the sand(not thinking though, like I do with normal sand), try to hit 1.5-2 inch behind the ball, ball forward in stance, weight more on front foot and throw/jab/chop club into sand. Feels quite a violent action when compared to soft sand. It tends to take a low depth short 'divot' out of the sand, but ball pops out the sand quite easily, provided there is enough speed into the jabbing action.

Practise and see what technique works for you.

Cheers DRW - ive been up to club today and done some more practice.
Tried both the 56 /12 and 60/08 wedges, and seemed to be more consistent with the 60. Ball opposite left heel, weight forward and kept hands low and shaft central ( as opposed to leaning forward), and trying to hit sand 1" behind ball.
Think i will persevere with this technique - biggest challenge was my inconsistency in where the club was entering the sand and this is what i now need to focus on.

Thanks everyone for your input & help here - really appreciated.

Rich