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Sand Saves - Your Game

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I tracked stats this fall/winter. My sand saves were 22%. Not too shabby.
 
My sand saves: 1% Wow that sucks!

I use Golflogix. The only way to really tell what your stats are is to track them accurately. The GPS devices do that. This is a great thread. If I look at my strengths and weaknesses, I SHOULD be altering my practice to work on them accordingly. I do not spend hardly any time in a bunker practicing. Why? BEcause I hate sand shots. It's obvious! 1%!!!

My putting is 1.91 per hole which sucks and effects the sand save %. I do work on my putting a lot. Well more than my sand shots.
 
still 0 - for the season on getting up and down from a bunker. Have had some good looks but the putt just hasn't dropped yet.
 
I'm 0-lifetime I think....greenside bunker yips for sure
 
We live in one of the sandiest regions in the country, yet have no sand on the course, lol.

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ive never thought of adressing this, but i now im a bad bunker player, sometimes taking me 2 atemps to get out. will have to keep a total running an see what happens. Is this up an down from greenside bunkers or do fairway bunkers count too??
 
0/3 today and 1/1 in my previous round. Having no trouble getting out of the bunker right now but can't seem to get close to the pin. Not sure if It is best to experiment with different wedges or stick with one wedge and open the face or adjust the swing to try and get the desired distance out of the sand.
 
There really is no substitute for finding a good place to practice bunker shots, I started driving across town to go to a range with a good practice setup for sand shots a few years ago and I would say I am easily 4 or 5 times better than I was a few years ago, it makes a huge difference. It only takes once a month or so to go an hit maybe 100 balls out of the sand and you will be much better after just a few practice sessions no matter what technique you use. It will also improve everything else you do by improving your feel and touch - especially short pitches off the turf. You can also practice hitting bunker shots off of thick grass, it is the same swing just hit behind the ball and blast it out, ball has to be sitting up though to do this.
 
I am still tracking this stat, and now have completed 9.5 of the 20 rounds. In the nine rounds I have now been in 9 greenside bunkers, and converted the sand save 5 times. Today I was 1-1, coming out to 8 feet and holing the par putt. That puts me at roughly 55% nearly halfway thru the tracking period.
 
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Slammin'SAM said:
I am still tracking this stat, and now have completed 9.5 of the 20 rounds. In the nine rounds I have now been in 9 greenside bunkers, and converted the sand save 5 times. Today I was 1-1, coming out to 8 feet and holing the par putt. That puts me at roughly 55% nearly halfway thru the tracking period.
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That is awesome S'SAM, I need to practice more from the sand. I played last weekend in a tournament and in the 3 days I was zero for 9. Not good!
 
The last two course's I played were well bunkered, I spent plenty of time in them. I did a solid job getting out, just not real close to the hole very often. I got 1 of 6 up and down.
 
My sand game is horrid. But my % is probably pretty good. Actually, no it aint. But if I tracked my stats over 20 rounds, I bet I go in the bunker less that 3 times. I strategically avoid bunkers like a STD. I know before going in, I aint coming out in less than 3 shots or I'm coming out via a bladed shot that shoots across the green and leaves me with a 50 yard pitch back.

I hate sand.

hate hate hate sand.
 
2/2 yesterday in my golf league with sand saves - on #3 I blasted it out to about 12 feet and made the putt, and on #1 I holed out of the bunker for the first time ever.
 
Up and down from my only bunker yesterday during a quick 9.
58* SCOR from 15yds. 5ft putt. Boom.
 
I was 0-3 yesterday, partially due to poor putting. Put the first bunker shot within 6 feet, but the putt lipped out. The next bunker I just didn't quite appreciate the slope of the green. I expected the ball to spin right, but it bounced into a slope and rolled left, away from the hole. On the 17th hole, I had the worst fried egg lie I have ever seen. I should have taken picture. I was hitting 9 iron into the green, caught a hair fat, and the ball dropped straight down into the front bunker. I was just proud to get my next shot to land on the green.
 
to be honest, mine is probably around %30. my sand game is really good. i have a stance/swing that i use in the trap that i havn't seen anyone except my dad use (because he tought me it), i'm surprised more people don't do it.
i stand with my legs really bent, weight very far forward, aim 30° or so open, but keep the club head WAY open. cock your wrists early, power through, and don't slide. if the ball is majorly plugged, do exactly the same, but aim square, close the club way down, and chop down on it hard. both swings, try to hit the sand 1" behind the ball.
 
I am terrible from the sand, but I think there is a big issue for public course golfers -- where can you practice sand shots? I do not know of any practice areas near me that have bunkers. We have driving ranges, that also have fake turf putting greens, but no sand. The county courses do not have practice bunkers.

The other problem that was mentioned is that there is a huge variation in the sand -- from hard, neglected bunkers, to soft, fluffy, well maintained bunkers. These require different types of shots. Public courses tend to have the hard, neglected ones, and I end up skulling the ball with my wedge!
 
Slammin'SAM said:
I am still tracking this stat, and now have completed 9.5 of the 20 rounds. In the nine rounds I have now been in 9 greenside bunkers, and converted the sand save 5 times. Today I was 1-1, coming out to 8 feet and holing the par putt. That puts me at roughly 55% nearly halfway thru the tracking period.
Click to expand...

Three more rounds in, and I went 0-0, 1-1, and 0-1. So now I have 12.5 of 20 rounds, and the count is now 6 saves in 11 chances, still hanging around that 55% success rate. The big surprise to me isn't so much my success rate, but the relative rarity that I am in greenside bunkers, less than once per round thru this test period. On the day I converted the one chance, I was within 3 inches of holing it. Today I had a relatively easy chance, and just didn't quite get thru the ball and left it 18 feet short and failed to hole the par putt.
 
2.5/5 today. The half point because I hit a great bunker shot but I missed the 2-1/2 footer for birdie.
 
I was in two bunkers today and I missed both putts :(
 
It seems every time i'm in a sand trap i hit the ball over the green. I can't seem to get under it enough.
 
Now an absolutely stunning 0 - for - 2012.
My course only has one hole with bunkers, and they are NOT filled with fluffy white sand. Been in 3 times, missed the save putts.
Today REALLY hurt, as all I needed was par for 79. Hit behind, skipped across the hard pack, and flew the green. Smoke clears, it's a bogey for 80.

80's good for me. Really. But oh, $DEITY I wish I had some idea of what to do from a hard beach sand bunker.
 
According to Golfshot, I am at 37.5% for the last 99 holes I've played.

I am a terrible sand player so I am surprised to see it that high. I am guessing it isn't counting the save as a par though. It may just be counting if I one putt after a sand shot. I will have to look into it more later.

You've been tapped!
 
0-2 today, I have no bunker skills what so every last week i did really good. But to be honest i never ever practiced out of the sand but i plan on it this week and everything i go to the range. Sadly the local course doesn't have any sand to practice from so i have to drive 20 mins.

I think i would be about 5%
 
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