Yes, yes, lack of experience is probably your biggest hinderance. Being new to the game, you have only just begun to see what's in store for the future. What your described, was what alot of people call a wtf shot. Don't know what or why it happened, but it did, and it doesn't matter. The result was that it did happen, question here is, how did you handle it? You said it was in the sand, we'll did you recover and save par? If you did, then what did you do right,and if you didnt, what did you do wrong? Did you learn anything?
These wtf shots are out there on every hole, just waiting to jump up and bite you! It matters not if you have starter equipment , or the best there is on here, they happen. The difference is that better players learned how to cope and recover from them. Don't get discouraged, live and learn, but remember that no matter what awaits you on here, good bad or indifferent, this is called fun! If you really want to have a great time, try playing in the clashs, lol. Good luck to you.