Sand trap help?

Question

Sadly, I live in Michigan, so I won't get to practice this until March. I am a good all-around player, but I struggle when I get into the trap. If I remember right, the ball should be in the middle of the stance with the face open, and your body facing away (to the left) of the pin. If that's all right, I know some of the technique :)

Any tips?

Answer 1

Yikes you got more tips than any one person could handle.  Sounds like everyone gets up and down from the bunker all the time.  I would just add one thing - go ahead and hit the shot and by that I mean accelerate the club-head through impact.  The most common mistake I see people making in the bunker is being afraid to hit it and decelerating which leaves them in the bunker most of the time.

Answer 2

First of all, have the right sand wedge for the job, one with enough bounce. bounce is the part of the sole that will either slide on the sand or dig down into it. softer sand generally needs a club with more bounce, so the bounce goes through the sand and lets the face do its job. wet sand usually needs less bounce because the sand is hard enough to be slid across.

Next, dont have your feet line pointed at the target. But, do have the face opened up enough that it points to where you want to hit and it will be able to get the ball up.

Last, swing on an outside swing path. Take the club back on the outside of the target line, and come down the same way. This is because, it allows the club to slide right under the ball, not slowing down your swing speed.

Always, practice,practice,practice. Practice this shot to the point where you are confident enough to get out of the sand during your next round.

Or, like they say,"dont hit it there in the first place" ;)

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Depending on the softness of the sand you want to hit two inches behind the ball. The harder the sand the closer your impact with the ball is the better. Remember every trap is different from the front to the back. Alter your shot plan accordingly. IE if your on a downhill lie, just try to get onto the green. If your on an uphill lie, attack the pin. Take the depth your ball lays in the sand into your thoughts and plan as well.

If its buried you will have a harder shot, and then you should play safer than if it lies up.

If you can hit a consistent flop shot, try the same motion one inch deeper into the sand.

These are a few of my techniques. I am a 16 handicap , but i feel bunkers are the strongest point of my game.

Answer 4

First of all, think about what you want to accomplish.  When I get in a sand trap my objective is not to get the ball close to the hole, it is to get the ball on to the green so that I will have a chance to make a putt and save par.  Once you have mastered that you will develop feel and can become quite good at getting the ball close to the hole.  In my opinion it is the easiest shot in golf if your main objective is getting the ball out of the sand and on to the green.

Answer 5

i fyou watch the pros do it you will learn

Answer 6

Hi,

All the above answers are good. As we all know it is not just about getting out of the sand trap, but also having some control of the ball - especially coming out of a green side bunker.

Try regrooving your sand wedges about once a month. This will allow you to generate more spin. There are several companies producing good golf regrooving tools.

I bought one here:-

http://www.golfersmate.net/club_groove_t...

By playing the same bunker shots as I normally do - but with recut grooves - I noticed a real improvement in being able to stop the ball close to the pin.

Hope this helps - Ciao !!

Answer 7

Here's another tip, in case you want more.

I would use and only use a sand wedge. It has the largest degree of bounce, which will help you swing the club head through the sand.

I also open up my club head all the way, meaning the club face itself is almost pointing straight up in the air.

As far as how far to hit the sand, (remember you aren't hitting the ball) I imagine that I literally have to hit the sand to my target. Not shovel, but hit the sand to my target.

Answer 8

First, it shouldn't be in the middle of your stance, unless there is some kind of odd lie. You should set up to the ball so it is just off of your left instep, and open the club face aboout thirty degrees. Next, swing like you have to hit the ball ten yards further than you actually, splashing the clubface in the sand seconds before impace. Finish with a high release. Your grip should be soft, let the loft of the club do the work and make sure you follow through. Open stance will promote higher ball flight and softer landings.

have fun in 2008

Answer 9

I'm not that great of a bunker player but i know how to play them. Here is how it works when you open the clubface of a sandwedge it actually aims way right of target so you must

adjust your body and aim left to counteract. Play the ball about a hair in front of middle on flat lies. The key to bunker shot is having your weight on your left front foot about 70%.

Play this shot like a flop shot come from the outside and swing hard yet smoohtly to ensure a balanced finish. You want to hit behind the ball of course but the real key is to keep weight on your front foot and hit it as long as your swing doesnt get flat the bounce of the club should work nicely

and poof the ball out  good luck.

Answer 10

You have everything correct, you want to aim two ball lengths behind the ball and get a good chunk of sand, it's not the wedge that's getting the ball out of the trap, it's the sand. However if this a bunker on a par 5 and your first shot went into it, you can probably hit less than a ball length behind the ball to get distance so you could par the hole.

Answer 11

Great tips for you as shared with me from some scratch golfers I play with... these tips worked for me. They'll work for you.

Green side bunkers, loose or somewhat loose wet sand:

Your ball placement should be one to two balls forward of center on flat lies. On uphill lies, center the ball in your stance, on downhill lies, use 2-3 balls forward.

Open your club face to ensure it is aiming down or just left of your target line.  Use a lob wedge (58*/60*/64*) for very close shots. Consider using a 54*/56* sand wedge for longer green side bunker shots.

The closer you are to the pin, the more open your stance should be (if you're right handed, aim left with your body - up to 30*-45* open for very close shots). As you get further away from the pin, perhaps  you're completely across the green, your stance should be perhaps 15*-30* open.

Move through your back swing slowly and focus on ACCELERATING forward as you swing under the ball. Most people chop down at the ball or try to hit the ball first. They take a big back swing and let the club head die when it hits the sand. This will nearly always yield poor results (unless you're buried in the lip of a bunker in an extreme uphill lie). The secret to getting out of a bunker every time is accelerating as you move the club head under the ball, through the sand.

For hard packed or very wet sand in a green side bunker, treat the ball as you would on a tight lie in the grass or fairway. You can hit the ball first rather than trying to blast through the sand. Play it as a pitch or chip shot depending on the distance you need to carry the ball. For very short blasts or lob shots from hard sand, you must focus on strongly accelerating through the dense or packed sand. This will require strength, focus and proper execution.

Fairway bunkers (>45 yards from the pin):

Go for the green! Make that your goal. Just getting out of the bunker shouldn't be your goal. You want to be putting for birdie after you take your bunker shot.

For close fairway bunkers (>45yrds, but <80yrds) use your 54*/56* sand wedge and hit the ball first, rather than contacting the sand with your club head. Depending on the type of sand (loose/dense/dry/wet), you'll need to practice your back swing length to figure out how far you can hit the ball. A nice 3/4 shot (left arm pointing to 9 o'clock in your back swing) should yield a 70-80yd shot with a sand wedge)

For fairway bunkers (>80yrds out). Move from a gap wedge 50*-53* up through your irons depending on the distance from the green). Generally, I'll add one club to account for the distance I'll lose from being in a bunker.

Check that your feet are aiming just left of the center of the green. For flat lies, keep the ball in the center of your stance (or just a hair behind center). Keep your lower body quiet (if you lift your heels, keep them flat, and reduce just slightly the turn you normally make with your hips) focusing on making a more compact back swing. Grip down slightly on the club's grip to account for being closer to the ball, as your feet will generally sink slightly in the sand. Take a smooth swing. Fire!

If you'll follow these tips, you'll hit more greens in regulation from fairway bunkers, and you'll give yourself a better chance at making a Sandy from a green side bunker.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 12

SETUP

stance open

face open

ball off inside of front foot

weight 60/40 on front foot

WHILE SWINGING

most imortant=head still

hit 2 inches behind ball

accelerate thru

dont stop the club going through the sand

dont get too wristy in your swing

if you have a 10 yard bunker shot, imagine that you are hitting a 30 yard pitch shot, if you 20 yards, imagine 60. so multiply the distance by 3 and swing that hard

hope this helped

Answer 13

u hit behind the ball and try to splash the sand on the green with your follow through. dont over complicate it.