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Bunker problems

• darrenpaulLMB 180 Posts

  Mon, Nov 4 2013 9:27 AM

  What I mean is that if I am in the bunker 40 yards from the pin, a full swing for 40 yards plus a bit extra to compensate for the sand will either result in the shot going too far or not far enough. but the strange thing is that what works in one bunker won't work in another.

  I had such an experience on Oakmont a while ago. first bunker shot was 55 yards from the pin with the ball hardly in the sand and a slight tail wind, using my 64 tour w wedge that is supposed to hit 60 yards. full swing and a little backspin and the ball landed 2 yards from the pin. next bunker same course, 42 yards from the pin, a slight crosswind and again the ball hardly in the sand. a little backspin and not quite full power with a full swing, the ball went 8 yards and stopped in the rough on the lip of the bunker. the same situation has played out a few times when the ball hasn't even made it out of the bunker. I still use a full shot when in the bunker, but sometimes (when the required power for the distance is used) the ball makes it out of the bunker and lands close to the pin. on other occasions also when the required power for the distance is used, the ball only goes a few yards. and yet I know for sure that if I thought the ball wasn't going to travel far enough and so decided to hit it harder, this would be one of the times when the ball would leave the bunker with no problems and go sailing past the hole and sometimes off the other side of the green.

  I'm not knocking your advice or your stats courteney, but sometimes the ball just doesn't do what it's supposed to do, or what you think it should do. sometimes you select a full swing and find the right amount of back swing to get the ball out of the bunker and close to the pin, other times you do exactly the same and the ball hardly moves or goes too far. how do you explain that? on another note, how does the ball manage to bury it's self in to the sand when it has just rolled in off the fairway or green, but if the ball lands in the bunker after a tee or iron shot it just sits on top of the sand? surely this should be the other way round? it doesn't always happen this way but sometimes it does.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Mon, Nov 4 2013 9:55 AM

  darrenpaulLMB:

  but the strange thing is that what works in one bunker won't work in another.

  Without question but it's more course related as opposed to traps on the same course. The best example is Oakmont-if you take anything higher than what the caddie suggests you're asking for trouble. They play markedly different than traps on BPB which play different than Kiawah, etc.

  Personally, I'm a little suspect of choking full swings in situations like traps because of this and find punching the shot will always work consistently.

• geraldlarousse 1,986 Posts

  Mon, Nov 4 2013 2:54 PM

  Wow... nobody flops out of bunkers??

  Depending on course flop out of bunker is automatic tap in.

  Bunkers are different from course to course. Must find what shot is best on each course.

  I rarely ever play a full shot from bunker. Mostly either a flop or punch shot.

  Practice is the key.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Mon, Nov 4 2013 4:19 PM

  geraldlarousse:

  Wow... nobody flops out of bunkers??

  That was the shot at BPB for sure. Pitches rule there, too. Oakmont took that away being all at least 30-40. 15-20 is a good flop, I just find it easier to hole out with a pitch. 

• donsprintr 2,063 Posts

  Mon, Nov 4 2013 9:53 PM

  And don't try to flop out of the hard sand at Kiawah.... because, just like in real life, the club head has to sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide under the ball to get it airborne ... the hard sand in the Kiawah bunkers/traps won't allow your clubhead to do the slide. That's been my experience ...

  And ... the hard sand makes it easy to get spin on the ball with other shots such as pitches and full shots, because it offers some good hard resistance like you get off the fairway.