Hard packed bunker strategy

[capking]

What do you do when you hit in the bunker and there's either barely any sand or its baked and hard packed. Played today and hit into 2 like this and it didn't go well haha.

[Exactice808]

What do you do when you hit in the bunker and there's either barely any sand or its baked and hard packed. Played today and hit into 2 like this and it didn't go well haha.

 

Lip or no lip?

 

If its putt able, I will use the putter, a playing partner did an amazing shot yesterday with a hard bunker grabbed his 7 wood even though it had a lip and "Skateboarded the ball", rolled up the face, hit the lip and hopped on the green.

 

 

If not this is also why I have a low bounce 8* bounce 60 lob wedge or find the lowest bounce club with the most loft that I can hit it clean out of a hard bunker......no different from a tight lie or the famous Mickleson shot off the cart path....

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

you have to get the leading edge digging. most players to me look like they freak out by that kind situation by scooping the ball even MORE, which gets the bounce impeding the leading edge from doing it's job. bladed shots result.

[Matt J]

I agree with KLP. I square the club face and hit down HARD. Chunk and run my buddy always calls it.

[iteachgolf]

Hands really low at setup

[capking]

you have to get the leading edge digging. most players to me look like they freak out by that kind situation by scooping the ball even MORE, which gets the bounce impeding the leading edge from doing it's job. bladed shots result.

Would you use a high bounce 56 or a low bounce 60? And do you just take a half swing an inch back behind the ball? Thanks

[pinhigh27]

you have to get the leading edge digging. most players to me look like they freak out by that kind situation by scooping the ball even MORE, which gets the bounce impeding the leading edge from doing it's job. bladed shots result.

Would you use a high bounce 56 or a low bounce 60? And do you just take a half swing an inch back behind the ball? Thanks

 

high bounce hurts you here because it's stopping you from taking sand.

 

lower hands a little, face less open to reduce bounce.

[Galanga]

I will hit those hard but leave the club in the sand and usually (not always) I don't get the bounce-skipper into the ball. Play for it to run.

[capking]

Thanks, these 2 bunker miss hits added 5 strokes and a few tears haha

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

you have to get the leading edge digging. most players to me look like they freak out by that kind situation by scooping the ball even MORE, which gets the bounce impeding the leading edge from doing it's job. bladed shots result.

Would you use a high bounce 56 or a low bounce 60? And do you just take a half swing an inch back behind the ball? Thanks

if done correctly? you really could use either... you get the club digging correctly... the little difference in bounce is irrelevant... now I would grab the 56* probably first if the play was a rather long shot...

 

to answer your second question... it's a shot you have to practice, A LOT (to determine the length of your swing)... and even then it's obviously a VERY difficult one when out on the course... honestly, if your aren't as good as you'd like to be out of the sand yet, 1 inch isn't enough margin for error... that's the "all ball first" disaster scenario IMO... I'd double or triple it to 2-3 inches and make sure you get a quality, heavy strike.

[Exactice808]

you have to get the leading edge digging. most players to me look like they freak out by that kind situation by scooping the ball even MORE, which gets the bounce impeding the leading edge from doing it's job. bladed shots result.

Would you use a high bounce 56 or a low bounce 60? And do you just take a half swing an inch back behind the ball? Thanks

if done correctly? you really could use either... you get the club digging correctly... the little difference in bounce is irrelevant.

 

Exactly under these circumstance, you would want to basically hood this shot so there is no bounce and the leading edge has no where else to go but down due to the descending blow.

 

Unfortunately this becomes one of those more difficult shots as this would need to be a pretty good "Bottomed" out swing.... because if you hit behind the ball first, you may bounce the leading edge into the ground too early and "bounce the club" causing a thinned/skulled and vice versa, if dont get the leading edge down far enough that is the death skull into the face of the bunker.....

 

tough shot to practice and really requires keeping your body extremely quiet.

[2bGood]

Low bounce and don't open the face or even close the face a bit and play it like a regular bunker shot.

[capking]

you have to get the leading edge digging. most players to me look like they freak out by that kind situation by scooping the ball even MORE, which gets the bounce impeding the leading edge from doing it's job. bladed shots result.

Would you use a high bounce 56 or a low bounce 60? And do you just take a half swing an inch back behind the ball? Thanks

if done correctly? you really could use either... you get the club digging correctly... the little difference in bounce is irrelevant... now I would grab the 56* probably first if the play was a rather long shot...

 

to answer your second question... it's a shot you have to practice, A LOT (to determine the length of your swing)... and even then it's obviously a VERY difficult one when out on the course... honestly, if your aren't as good as you'd like to be out of the sand yet, 1 inch isn't enough margin for error... that's the "all ball first" disaster scenario IMO... I'd double or triple it to 2-3 inches and make sure you get a quality, heavy strike.

Honestly when there's lots of sand I've been money, but when it's hard packed I've struggled

[capking]

Do you guys suggest going back in the stance to ensure I get sand first? Or more neutral and stand closer choke up and pound it?

[MonteScheinblum]

Don't open the face and speed is your enemy.

 

If you have an old version of your wedge, hit some short pitches off a cart path and see what you have to do to bottom out properly.

[capking]

Don't open the face and speed is your enemy.

 

If you have an old version of your wedge, hit some short pitches off a cart path and see what you have to do to bottom out properly.

 

I don't Have the old version of my clubs, had a old callaway 60 and a TM atv 56 and upgraded to the mizuno s5 56.14 and 60.06, one of the shots I was way back in the bunker and was a foot away from the lip and tried to have a small back swing and pick it. it was horrendous. Left it in the front of the bunker.

[Exactice808]

Do you guys suggest going back in the stance to ensure I get sand first? Or more neutral and stand closer choke up and pound it?

 

Depends on how you are most comfortable hitting a clean shot......

 

Again, if its truly packed hard sand, there is no sand to take its like hitting off a cart path so requires you to pick it clean.....

 

by placing the ball back in your stance in essence you will have forward shaft lean removing bounce from the club and having the leading edge up against the sand. But sometimes this gets you very steep and all kinds of bad things can happen when you get too steep....

 

So again position yourself where you are most comfortable to remove as much bounce as possible and allow the leading to be as close to the bottom of the swing. Secondly you want to be descending but again not chopping down to china. Let the loft of the club do the rest....

[MonteScheinblum]

Don't open the face and speed is your enemy.

 

If you have an old version of your wedge, hit some short pitches off a cart path and see what you have to do to bottom out properly.

 

I don't Have the old version of my clubs, had a old callaway 60 and a TM atv 56 and upgraded to the mizuno s5 56.14 and 60.06, one of the shots I was way back in the bunker and was a foot away from the lip and tried to have a small back swing and pick it. it was horrendous. Left it in the front of the bunker.

 

Trying to pick a green side bunker shot is generally not the best course of action.

[capking]

Don't open the face and speed is your enemy.

 

If you have an old version of your wedge, hit some short pitches off a cart path and see what you have to do to bottom out properly.

 

I don't Have the old version of my clubs, had a old callaway 60 and a TM atv 56 and upgraded to the mizuno s5 56.14 and 60.06, one of the shots I was way back in the bunker and was a foot away from the lip and tried to have a small back swing and pick it. it was horrendous. Left it in the front of the bunker.

 

Trying to pick a green side bunker shot is generally not the best course of action.

I definitely found that out the hard way haha

[capking]

The easiest play here is hoping the courses spend some money and throw some sand in the bunkers!

[capking]

In all seriousness I have a couple courses that have a bunker area for the range, I'll try to simulate it. Thanks for all the input

[b.helts]

I've never seen a green side bunker so firm you couldn't get the club under the ball.

 

Weight forward, club square or slightly open, longish swing that delivers the club almost straight down (feel, clearly not real) behind the ball. Almost in slow motion.

 

Takes a bit of feel. Next time you practice bunker shots take the rake and move all sand away until you reach the bunker's base layer and try it from there.

[dap]

The famous sand belt courses in Melbourne Australia are known for hard packed sand. The general rule is not using a wedge with a lot of bounce and not opening the clubface too much. A higher lofted wedge is also a good idea for more height to get out of deep bunkers.

[fccplayer]

If you frequently play courses that have a lot of firm sand demo a 60* ping glide with the TS sole. I use it with my regular bunker swing and it cuts through firm sand with ease. I tried out about 10 wedges trying to deal with firm sand and the glide made it simple.

[fccplayer]

Sorry for the duplicate post.

[capking]

The famous sand belt courses in Melbourne Australia are known for hard packed sand. The general rule is not using a wedge with a lot of bounce and not opening the clubface too much. A higher lofted wedge is also a good idea for more height to get out of deep bunkers.

Thanks my only Aussie experience course was in cairns when I was 13, judging from above that seems like that's the right play

[capking]

I've never seen a green side bunker so firm you couldn't get the club under the ball.

 

Weight forward, club square or slightly open, longish swing that delivers the club almost straight down (feel, clearly not real) behind the ball. Almost in slow motion.

 

Takes a bit of feel. Next time you practice bunker shots take the rake and move all sand away until you reach the bunker's base layer and try it from there.

I'll try that thanks!

[b.helts]

I've never seen a green side bunker so firm you couldn't get the club under the ball.

 

Weight forward, club square or slightly open, longish swing that delivers the club almost straight down (feel, clearly not real) behind the ball. Almost in slow motion.

 

Takes a bit of feel. Next time you practice bunker shots take the rake and move all sand away until you reach the bunker's base layer and try it from there.

I'll try that thanks!

 

One thing I forgot to mention is very soft hands and arms. Good luck! Very firm bunkers are not easy.

[dap]

The famous sand belt courses in Melbourne Australia are known for hard packed sand. The general rule is not using a wedge with a lot of bounce and not opening the clubface too much. A higher lofted wedge is also a good idea for more height to get out of deep bunkers.

Thanks my only Aussie experience course was in cairns when I was 13, judging from above that seems like that's the right play

 

You also want to drive down through the sand after you have contacted the sand. If you quit too early the club can still bounce into the ball. It's instinctive to hit the sand and stop because there is a lot of resistance from the sand so need to remind yourself to hit thru with some decent follow through.

[naval2006]

There's this Lee Trevino sand play video on Youtube and he gives perhaps the best piece of advice for these situations: "well, if there's no sand, you've got to create sand."

 

Worth watching. Notice how he doesn't do anything different save he goes at it to "create sand". Very difficult shot to handle, but terribly necessary if you play in packed sand courses as I do.