[UJRonald]

I feel I have a solid grasp on the art of bunker play, most especially when I play in quality bunkers. By quality I mean proper bunker sand, free of rocks, and properly maintained. But give me a poorly maintained bunker, and it's anyone's guess if the ball is getting out or not. By no means am I claiming to be a great bunker player, just that I should be able to get out and somewhat close to my target on most occasions. I've watched and read many tips about bunkers, but none ever talk about what to do in your average, muni course (all the courses I play). My "good" plugged lie never looks as nice as their "Bad" quality lie.

What are some of your expectations out of bad bunkers, as well as how you approach nasty sand shots at your course.

[euylvaygdq]

This in one of the issues I am going to have with Morgan Cup practice...if you have looked at the courses we are playing, they are full of bunkers!!

My home course has the worst bunkers in the world!! The sand is always wet and packed, in fact half the time nobody plays them...they get treated as ground under repair..that's how bad they are....so without real access to some quality bunkers it's going to be hard to practice my bunker play.

[arindiruppya]

Good topic. I practice my bunker play, but then a number of times I find myself in bunkers where the sand is inconsistent at best, and all that practice is almost for naught. I really dig in my feet to get a feel for the "sand" and go from there. In those cases my strategy is just to get out of the sand and onto the green.

[UJRonald]

Have fun at the MC! From the few videos I saw of the last one, the courses look amazing.

My course has one practice bunker, and it's basically an 8' wall, with only an uphill lie, hitting into a net. Not to mention we had a different president the last time it was raked or fluffed, or whatever. So even if you can can get it up over "The Wall" you don't have a green to see how the ball reacts. On the course, each bunker is different from the last. I will say, they are getting better, yet the people doing the maintenance still don't quite know what to do.

[ZZtop]

I think if's bad quality I just hit down on the sand a little more or sometimes if it's really bad I'll just take the ball out cause the bunkers here can be horrible

[Sxedlawb]

The sand at my course is awful. The local dogs love to play in it, s you are either sitting in a paw print, or it has rained and the sand is packed firm so you cant get at it. I basically swing like hell and hope for the best.

[Peter Hill]

This in one of the issues I am going to have with Morgan Cup practice...if you have looked at the courses we are playing, they are full of bunkers!!

My home course has the worst bunkers in the world!! The sand is always wet and packed, in fact half the time nobody plays them...they get treated as ground under repair..that's how bad they are....so without real access to some quality bunkers it's going to be hard to practice my bunker play.

You can do what coolbreeze did last year.

[UJRonald]

Holy hell, that was the first genuine laugh I've had in months! That's what I'm talkin aboot!

[fluistulkn]

Dr. D, when we play Friday you will see how my bunker game is............I avoid at all cost. I will litteraly play around the bunkers. I don't like sand and sand doesn't like me. Oh and I have practiced at your course' bunker, 8' wall is right!!

[UJRonald]

Thanks for the proof that I'm not exaggerating! I try to stay away from bunkers myself as well. Ancil bunkers are tough!

[euylvaygdq]

You can do what coolbreeze did last year.

I forgot about that Smalls...LMAO

Hey it would be the best sand I hit out of all year...LOL

[d1Bc25UP]

I've never been taught nor learnt proper bunker technique. I always treat it as though the sand starts where the bottom of the ball is actually resting and let the loft of the club do the rest. Don't know if this is how anyone else does it but it works for me.

[nicegirlflor]

My home course, due to inconsistent improvement programs, has 3 different types of sand in the bunkers. This makes for interesting days when you're a little off course.

Around the greens, I do nothing too fancy. Tight, packed wet sand? Close the face a little, get steeper and hit through. Fluffy sand? Splash it, open the face a little if you like, make sure you accelerate through and complete the swing. Hey, I'm no Seve.

[JakilSong]

Most of the time the bunkers at my course are packed hard due to the rain so it's almost the same as playing off the fairway.
On the odd occasion we get dry weather I was told to imagine there is a standard tee underneath the ball and aim to break that tee in half, seems to work pretty well for me

[erelvenewmeva]

I have the same issue with sand and it hurts me when I play other courses. We do have a bunker or two that I could get practice from on technique but the sand is nothing like it is when I go elsewhere and the bunkers are not as challenging at our course either. One thing that helped me when I played my last tournament was to go to their practice bunker and hit a bunch of balls. I was awful at first but finally got the hang of it. I didn't have any problems during that tournament but there have been some tournaments that I was killed by sand traps because I didn't practice. There's a guy at my course who told me he made a bunker in his backyard and it helped him tremendously. I guess some of you would have to buy a sand box like Coolbreeze.

[Eagevawax]

The one weakness of my game. My home course does not have sand bunkers, so I don't play out of one often. When I do get into one at a away course, I found the a lower lofted wedge like my 52 degree is the way to go for me. Don't have to swing as hard and I normally get it out, so I'm happy.

[pipojambo]

I can't play out of bunkers for my life. #8 - par 3 at my home course has two bunkers in front of the green that I am in 85% of the time The sand is wet and packed and since the ball flies straight down into it it gets buried and I have to hit it insanely hard with like a 9-iron to try and get it out. The practice bunker over at the other course isn't much better. TBH the country club by our house doesn't even have that good of bunkers. Last year when I played there I couldn't get out of those.

[NumsAmenniams]

My bunker play is awful at best. I have serious yips about getting out of them. If I'm out in 2 it's a miracle

[isogeople]

Most of the time the bunkers at my course are packed hard due to the rain so it's almost the same as playing off the fairway.
On the odd occasion we get dry weather I was told to imagine there is a standard tee underneath the ball and aim to break that tee in half, seems to work pretty well for me

My instructor gave me this tip about 6 months ago and it is a great one, it works really well with dry sand and fairly well with wet sand. I recommend giving it a try.

[Gremlinn]

We have very few bunkers in play here, yet I've almost always done pretty well based on just watching and reading tips on the subject. The worst bunker shot I ever had was at the Florida outing in 2010. 18th hole I flew it in to the bunker, the ball was buried next to the back lip and about 3 feet above my head on a side slope. IT WAS BRUTAL!t The only shot I had was from outside the bunker reaching down from above as P4B and company watched. I actually got the club on it, the ball ran all the way across the green into the bunker on the other side of the green. I think I finished my round with a 10.