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Re: Pot bunkers on St. Andrews

• TopFlite7 346 Posts

  Tue, Feb 11 2025 2:13 AM

  Is there a simple rule to follow or trick to get out of the pot bunkers?

  I got stuck in one close to a green and did really bad getting out.

  Thanks

• SimonTheBeetle 3,713 Posts

  Tue, Feb 11 2025 2:24 AM

  Ask Mr. Tommy Nakajima about it. I'm sure he has a tip or two you can use!

  (If you need an interpreter, come to me. 😉)

• BlackBogey 616 Posts

  Tue, Feb 11 2025 8:59 AM

  If it's greenside number 1 objective is to get out and leave yourself a putt for your next shot.  For me, a 100% power FBS Flop out of 30/40 sand will fly about 8-9yds and roll out a few more with a 64* wedge (depending on ball of course).  Then figure in elevation between you and landing spot, and also between the edge of the green and the hole, add or subtract based on that and strong head/tail winds.  That bunker in front of Merion #10 isn't really a pot bunker, but if I get in there and the pin is front left about 12yds away I figure a 95-100% flop with FBS is gonna get me pretty close.

  Best bet is go in Practice mode and put yourself in one and hit a few mulligans to see how your clubs/ball react.

  For fairway pot bunkers at St Andrews and RSG are a different story and it depends how close to the lip you are.  Sometimes you can get away with maybe a 8-9 iron to try to advance it, and sometimes it's best to just take your medicine and flop out sideways and try to save par from there.

   

• Dneirf 461 Posts

  Tue, Feb 11 2025 2:24 PM

  TopFlite7:

  Is there a simple rule to follow or trick to get out of the pot bunkers?

  I got stuck in one close to a green and did really bad getting out.

  Thanks

  Good advice BlackBogey!

  A simple rule to follow or trick to get out of the pot/greenside bunkers:

  It is important to understand that spin on the ball will be lost in sand, and in rough, because the sand or grass will prevent solid contact with the club face and ball.

  With that understanding, opening the face of the club by using 100% backspin will cause the ball to go almost straight up and then drop almost straight back down again in short distances due to the lack of club and ball contact.

  The club penetrates the sand or grass digging deep under the ball with too much sand or too much grass between the fully opened club face and the ball, rendering the ball to go straight up then straight back down.

  So.....A simple rule or trick to follow:

  [01] 40% sand = Take the total distance from the pin to the ball and divide it by 2. Then add the divided distance to the total distance. In other words, total distance plus half the distance.

  [02] If the ridge of the bunker is above your chest or higher then also add 1 to the above equation in [01]. (total distance plus half the distance plus 1).

  [03] Open the club face slightly by adding two and one half (2.5) dots of back spin.

   

  [04] 50% sand = Take the total distance from the pin to the ball and divide it by 2. Then add the divided distance to the total distance plus 1. In other words, total distance plus half the distance plus 1. (60% add 2, 70% add 3.)

  [05] If the ridge of the bunker is above your chest or higher then also add 1 to the above equation in [04]. (total distance plus half the distance plus 1 + plus 1).

  [06] Open the club face slightly by adding one (1.0) dot of back spin.

   

  [07] Adjust to your style of play, clubs, and ball.

   

  Best of luck to you here at World Golf Tour,

  -Dneirf

• SimonTheBeetle 3,713 Posts

  Wed, Feb 12 2025 11:40 PM

  Dneirf:

  ...opening the face of the club by using 100% backspin...

  Giving backspin is not so much about opening the clubface as it is about making a steeper swing path than usual, effectively creating a more descending blow.

  That’s why a punch shot is generally a much more efficient way to escape from a bunker.

  On the other hand, an exaggeratedly open clubface, like in a flop shot, often does little more than waste a stroke in most bunker situations.

• SamSpayed 5,057 Posts

  Sat, Feb 15 2025 5:02 PM

  TopFlite7:

  Is there a simple rule to follow or trick to get out of the pot bunkers?

  I got stuck in one close to a green and did really bad getting out.

  When I'm in a pot bunker, I generally try a full shot with full backspin first, unless it's obvious that my ball is resting right up against the front wall of the bunker.  If that's the case, I'll just bite the bullet and hit a backwards shot to get out of the bunker.

  In a more general sense, if you're looking for bunker advice, I'd suggest listening more to people like Simon who have had better success with bunker shots...

  

  ... vs. others who have not

  

• Dneirf 461 Posts

  Tue, Feb 18 2025 1:04 PM

  SamSpayed:

  TopFlite7:

  Is there a simple rule to follow or trick to get out of the pot bunkers?

  I got stuck in one close to a green and did really bad getting out.

  When I'm in a pot bunker, I generally try a full shot with full backspin first, unless it's obvious that my ball is resting right up against the front wall of the bunker.  If that's the case, I'll just bite the bullet and hit a backwards shot to get out of the bunker.

  In a more general sense, if you're looking for bunker advice, I'd suggest listening more to people like Simon who have had better success with bunker shots...

  

  ... vs. others who have not

  

  SamSpayed SamSpayed SamSpayed.....Respectfully.....

  Let's call Spayed a Spade to avoid euphemism!.....OK?

  Everyone exists their own theories, styles, beliefs and disbeliefs about this Video Golf Game. And Dneirf is most certainly entitled to his without being spaded.

  If one scrutinizes Dneirfs' Stats, one will discover that all of Dneirf's Stats are deliberately skewed to exaderation. This is a security measure True Champions deploy.

  Best of luck to you here at World Golf Tour SamSpayed,

  -Dneirf