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Does Sand Scare You?

Does Sand Scare You?

Scared? Not a bit. Do always get out? No. But I don't always hit the fairway either. There's some sand shots that are harder than others, but I'm not scared to get my cleats dirty, I just need to relax and concentrate, sand is not a place to be all whatever and just try something half heartedly. Commit and trust.
 
I would rather be in the sand than have a short pitch over it
 
It doesn't scare me, but it probably should based on my abilities. Sometimes its an easy out, others its 2-3 shots and still not close to the pin.
 
I only dislike hard packed sand, if there is any give to it, I'm fine with it.
 
I get thrown off when I play 3 different courses with 3 different kinda of sand. Usually catch a fee fat or thin before I'm grooved and ready to go.


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Sand doesn't scare me but I try and play the right shots to stay out of it. Fairway bunkers will cost me a stroke more often than not.
 
I don't mind being in the sand. I usually do decently out of it. What I don't like is what's supposed to be a sandy bunker that is mud or just solid dirt. Those scare me.
 
the sand is not my friend, per se, but it's definitely not my enemy. I can get out without too much problems.
 
amsmith61 said:
Depends on the bunker. Bunkers with a lot of sand do not scare me. But give me bunker where the sand is packed down, hard as a rock and I am scared for the person standing on the other side of the green.
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This in a nutshell.

Another thing is confidence - the past few months have been kind to me so I'm pretty confident at the moment: I know I can hit it, and if I'm green side I can probably still get it close. As soon as I have a bad bunker round, I know I'll probably revert to my old sand scared self and hit clean every time. It happens whenever I'm practicing bunker shots. I'll be totally fine and hitting some nice outs, and then I'll hit a few bad ones in a row and won't be able to hit any more out from there and its time to go home.
 
Sand isn't something I've practiced enough in the last few years, and while I have a good idea of the technique I need to use, I never swing big enough (or remember to accelerate through) out of fear of catching it thin and going way over. I was in three or four bunkers Saturday, and it might as well have been a two stroke penalty each time.
 
Typically a bunker shot doesn't bother me unless the course has inconsistent sand. Or it's a long fairway bunker shot.
 
It scares me, but I have 0 courses near me that have sand traps so I get no practice in bunkers.
 
Terrified. Hate'em. Can be doing well (at least for me) in a round and spend 3-4 strokes trying to get out. And everybody has a solution. Swinging hard has helped of late but I still hate them.
 
checkered said:
I don't mind being in the sand. I usually do decently out of it. What I don't like is what's supposed to be a sandy bunker that is mud or just solid dirt. Those scare me.
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Yea I was mostly considering ideal sand (which is subjective) but definitely doesn't account for concrete in the shape of a sand trap :)

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Bumping this thread, because this subject has been majorly in my head after two trips to the old sand pit in my round Saturday let to at least two dropped shots, probably more since one bunker trip went like this:

1) chunked, stayed in trap
2) half bladed, out but had a 60 foot putt left
3) double bogey :banghead:

I really really badly need to get my sand game squared away. It's by far the weakest part of my game, and as such leads to my planning such that I never go in a trap if possible - which sometimes leaves me with tougher shots or putts than I should have. And when I do go in, disaster typically ensues, and I can turn less than perfect holes into utter destruction very quickly. I don't know whether it's a mental block, if my technique is rubbish, or if (most likely) it's a combination of the two, but bunkers give me the straight up heebie jeebies and I need to get it figured out.
 
deuce said:
When I first started they didn't scare me, and though I wasn't great at getting out of them I could. Recently I went through a period where I couldn't get out of them on my first try. Or my second try. Or the third ... after spending over an hour with my instructor though on what he calls "the easiest shot in golf" I am more confident again and can get out on the first try.


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As long as I keep up with my practice, I'm not scared of the sand. I can usually get out easy enough, though sometimes not as far out as I would like.
 
It sounds like you are mentally defeated by the sand now. And that happens with all areas of the game at certain points of ones life. But for me, I sort of enjoy the challenge of a sand shot. Open the face, let the bounce help you and accelerate. Never decelerate
 
I'm always confident I can get out of the sand, whether greenside or in the fairway. I think Dave Stockton's "high shot" technique is a great, simple system, and has a similar look & feel to a flop shot, so it's easy to practice. Right now I'm mostly focusing on alignment to hopefully get it closer more often.
 
PhillyV said:
It sounds like you are mentally defeated by the sand now. And that happens with all areas of the game at certain points of ones life. But for me, I sort of enjoy the challenge of a sand shot. Open the face, let the bounce help you and accelerate. Never decelerate
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I am. It's been tough for me for so long that it's just put my brain in jail I think. I know I need a lot of practice, but the wet conditions make it tough right now. Every practice bunker is terrible.
 
Paladin said:
I'm always confident I can get out of the sand, whether greenside or in the fairway. I think Dave Stockton's "high shot" technique is a great, simple system, and has a similar look & feel to a flop shot, so it's easy to practice. Right now I'm mostly focusing on alignment to hopefully get it closer more often.
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So you play it just like a flop? It's funny, because I'm pretty good at open face chips and pitches, but as soon as you put it in the sand, I start chunking and blading.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
I am. It's been tough for me for so long that it's just put my brain in jail I think. I know I need a lot of practice, but the wet conditions make it tough right now. Every practice bunker is terrible.
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Oh man wet sand is my favorite :)
 
Paladin said:
I'm always confident I can get out of the sand, whether greenside or in the fairway. I think Dave Stockton's "high shot" technique is a great, simple system, and has a similar look & feel to a flop shot, so it's easy to practice. Right now I'm mostly focusing on alignment to hopefully get it closer more often.
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I love that you mentioned Stockton. Because in that book, "unconscious scoring", he mentions how in his eyes the bunker shot is the easiest in golf
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
So you play it just like a flop? It's funny, because I'm pretty good at open face chips and pitches, but as soon as you put it in the sand, I start chunking and blading.
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Pretty much. Open stance, open club face, ball just inside the front heel, weight forward (65/35, roughly), chest up. I pick out a piece of sand an inch or so behind the ball, and that's what I look at, because that's where I want the club to enter the sand. From there, a short backswing and hinge the wrists, and then an aggressive swing through, letting the club-head pass your hands at the ball. Finish with high hands and a full body turn. I try to control distance by how much I open the club face and stance. Like I said, alignment is my biggest problem at this point, but I haven't had trouble getting it out of greenside bunkers much since I read and applied Dave Stockton's Unconscious Scoring. Heartily recommend that book.

And aside from the fact that I'm always going to open the face way up on a flop shot, it's a very similar move, IMO.
 
I can't say that sand is my friend but it is certainly no worse than a 10 yard chip (we're talking greenside bunker).

I don't like the long bunker shot (who does) but greenside is no worse to me than a long putt either.

I would say that bunker play is one of my strengths; maybe the only one left.
 
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