Bunkers with hard sand

[OmegaG5]

Bunkers at my local course are a b******d to play when it has been raining.

The sand is almost solid, especially in the bottom of the bunker. The result is that it is just about impossible to hit the sand behind the ball and let the sand fly. The club has a tendency to bounce off, which results in a thinned shot which either doesn't get out, or it shoots out way beyond the green.

How do you play this shot?

The second scenario is even worse. The bunker is almost full of water, leaving a 12" rim of sand around the edges. When the ball is in the water, then there's a free drop, but of course still in the bunker.... usually on the rear downward facing slope. Now, as that is solid sand too, it compounds the problem.

Suggestions?

R.

[chollyred]

Play it like hard pan. You have to pick it clean. May want to use a lob wedge or pitching wedge with less bounce for this shot. Plan for a lot of roll.

[cabinessence]

I try to avoid picking it clean if at all possible. Use a wedge without much bounce, keep the club face square and dig in.

As for bunkers with water, if there is only 12" of mud around the edge, I just take it out of the bunker. Life is too short to play in conditions like that.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by cabinessence

I try to avoid picking it clean if at all possible. Use a wedge without much bounce, keep the club face square and dig in.

As for bunkers with water, if there is only 12" of mud around the edge, I just take it out of the bunker. Life is too short to play in conditions like that.

Except that now you have incurred a penalty stroke. I still feel it's better to learn how to play those difficult shots, rather than just blow it off. You won't always hit a perfect shot under those conditions, shots like that even stump the pros. All you can do is evaluate your best option, factoring in lie, where you want to end up, and what shots you can make with the clubs you carry. Aiming at the pin isn't always an option.

[OmegaG5]

So I guess that there isn't some "magic pill" for this shot then.

Tomorrow morning I shall be out in a competition between our seniors section and another club. Its been raining all day today and the forecast for tomorrow isn't good. And those bunkers are going to be awkward again, and some full of water.

Last time it was like this I got into trouble on the 9th... and from the bunker...
1. didn't get out (back into the water)
2. thinned it out a mile the other side of the green
3. chipped back onto the green and... back into the damned bunker!
4. played safe and chipped backwards onto the fairway so that my next shot took the bunker out of play.
(took a lot of shots on that par 5!)

So tomorrow I'll be looking either not to go there, or looking for the safety exits

R.

[Sandpiper3]

I play in bunkers similar to these, they are rock hard.

Use a low bounce wedge and open the race right up (i use my 60* with 4* bounce), then use the leading edge to slice right into the sand downwards as hard as you can about an inch behind the ball, after youve hit, here's the diff:

Dont follow through, hit it and just stop, the ball should pop out completely dead, so itll go out a little and just roll out. Your not guna be able to spin the ball well out of these conditions unless your picking the ball, so allow for that.

[warbirdlover]

Lower bounce on your sand wedge helps too. Mine is 10º. I would have preferred 8º but couldn't find one. Many times I'll use my PW instead. Real bitch is when the sand is full of pebbles and stones. If they're like that I won't ruin a club, I'll take it out and screw taking a stroke. You pay good money to play these courses, no reason for bad conditions.

[OmegaG5]

Well... today I did have the opportunity...
Par 3 14th.... lovely shot from the tee.... 3" short of being a great shot at the green directly at the pin .... it thumped into the cliff face of the bunker just under the lip, and bounced back into the depths, needing a 5ft lift to get it out.

Set up... ball a little forwards... all my weight forwards... hit the sand 1" behind the ball.... and out it popped, just. Together with a 5" long "divot" of solid wet sand sailing through the air onto the green.

Got my par. (Won the hole and finished the matchplay)

R.

[Sandpiper3]

Thats along my advice right?

If so..... your welcome

[OmegaG5]

Brilliant advice !!
I knew I could count on you guys.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by OmegaG5

Brilliant advice !!
I knew I could count on you guys.

Hey Omega, where you been hiding?