Bunker help..

Last week I got into the kitty litter a couple of time's last week and we won't go into the bad result's or the thought's I had. This is part of the game that I have not paid to much attention, but vowed I would put some time into practice.
I have read playing stance open and some say keep it standard? I understand playing it off of left heel, opening the face and aim a touch left. I went to the range and spent about an hour in the bunker. This stuff was a little wet and probally 3 to 4 ft lip. I experimented with SW, LW and PW at like a 20 foot away cup. The PW did pretty well with a half swing, but the other 2 were usually short, skulled into the lip or blasted over . I think I have been swinging on the wrong path ( too steep? ) and believe I have been swinging inside on the takeaway and not to the outside. Any thought's or suggestion's to help learn this part of the game? Thx

Playing a bunker shot is affected to two main things; what type of shot you are required to play - steep face on bunker ... is it a green side bunker or a fairway bunker where ditance is required. The other is the quality of the sand - is it large grains with stones ... wet sand ... how deep the sand is.

The main thing that can go wrong is, because the ball is quite near to the green, people tend to quit on the shot. You MUST always follow through. Because you play from an open stance off the left heel for a normal bunker shot most of power is taken out of the shot anyway.

TIP: If the ball is plugged, play the ball back, grip firmer in the left hand and close the club face a little - the sand drags the face open. Always feel as your swing is going down and down until you feel the club come up naturally, Never try and scoop the ball.

Having said that, there is no rigid rule for bunkers. The trick is to absorb all the thoughts and consequences of your choice of shot; it really is trial and experience. I wish people would put more practice in for bunker play but it's not that easy as some club don't have practice bunkers.

Paul

Just to add to Paul's post, when playing from a plugged lie, strike down on the sand behind the ball and that should launch the ball out of the sand. You don't want to try to follow through with this shot - bury your clubhead in the sand.

As for where to play the ball in your stance, from middle to just in front of middle is typically the best. Remember to hit the sand first, which will result in the sand lifting the ball out. I also use an open stance, but the result should vary too much from the normal stance.

When playing in fairway bunkers, move the ball back in your stance and make sure to hit the ball first. You are trying to get to the green from a much larger distance so the idea is to play it as if you are in the fairway.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Whenever the ball is sitting up in the sand no matter what the shot i pick