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Tip #40: Adapting To Different Sands
In the course of my yearly tournament schedule I see a
half dozen different varieties of sand, each with a different degree of
coarseness, compaction and depth. Each of them calls for a slightly
different attack.
 | | In deep, powdery bunkers, open the blade of the sand wedge and position the ball more forward in your stance. |
I've always felt
that the finest bunker sand in the world is in Australia. Maybe I'm
just used to it. After all, for a decade or so before I became a
golfer, I spent a lot of time on the Australian beaches.
The Aussie sand is rather granular and firmly packed,
and the bunkers at most courses are shallow and constructed so
that the ball rarely plugs, even in the front lip. Instead, it just
rolls back down the face.
The same type of sand is prevalent at many
British courses, certainly at the seaside links where beach sand is
smoothed and compacted by constant wind. (Consequently, buried lies are
relatively rare in the British Open.)
In general, this type of sand is easy to play from
because you can judge more easily the chain reaction from club to sand
to ball. You can also impart plenty of spin from these firm bunkers
because you tend to get a lot of bounce. For that reason, you should
generally attack such shots with a less open clubface than you would
use in most bunkers. It's also wise to play the ball back in your
stance a bit more than usual. This will encourage more of a digging
action and guard against a belly-bounce.
In deep, powdery bunkers such as those at Augusta
National and Oakmont, the wedge will tend to dig and bury. So it's wise
to play from these bunkers with an open sand wedge and to position
the ball a bit more forward in your stance than usual. The loose
consistency also requires a relatively firm swing. If you play most of
your golf on a course with this type of sand, you should be sure to get
yourself a wedge with plenty of flange.
The trickiest kind of bunkers may be those with loose
sand over a firm crust. When Bob Tway holed his explosion to beat me at
Inverness, he played from this type of bunker.
In hard-bottomed bunkers
such as this, the ball rarely buries, but you have to be careful
nonetheless. Generally, your club will glide smoothly through the sand
and ball, unless you dig a bit too deeply and cut into the crust. When
that happens the club can slow down, causing you to leave the ball in
the sand. It's safest to attack these bunkers with a heavy-flanged
wedge, to allow the club to bounce off the surface.
 | | Most bunker shots offer a margin of error, so attack them with confidence. |
One of the reasons I like to play out of the British
bunkers is that the sand is often wet. This really makes it pack
together densely, providing a uniform cushion under the ball so that
the wedge slides smoothly underneath and bounces up and through rather
than digging deep.
In wet sand, you usually have a clean lie,
and this tempts many players to try to play out with a chip shot. As
far as I'm concerned, that's absolutely the worst idea in the world. As
aggressive and confident a player as I am, I never try to play chip
shots from the sand. The possibilities for error are simply too great.
In fact, I'll take out a putter and roll the bail out of a bunker
before I'll chip it.
Another reason never to chip from wet sand is the fact
that a blast is so simple. You actually have a couple of options on how
to handle it. If you need distance, you can address this ball with a
square face, since from wet sand you don't have to worry about digging
too deeply. Since the wet, compact cushion will transfer your
energy quickly, you don't need to swing very forcefully to get plenty
of fly and roll. Just take the usual open stance and make a smooth pass
at the ball, hitting an inch and a half behind it.
If, on the other hand, you need to play a short shot to a
tight pin, this is your chance to show off and maybe even make the ball
suck back into the hole. Open the face of the wedge wide and lay it
back, position the ball just back of center in your open stance, and
make a very quick, nipping swing -- short back, short through with
plenty of acceleration -- taking only an inch of sand behind the ball.
Most important, go at this shot with the confidence it deserves. When
you hit it properly, you can really make the ball dance.
- Greg Norman
| Golf Tip Archive |
| Tip #61 | Gamesmanship - Posted Dec. 31, 2003 |
| Tip #60 | The Seven-Fingered Shot - Posted Dec. 24, 2003 |
| Tip #59 | Slice An 8-iron On Long Bunker Shots - Posted Dec. 17, 2003 |
| Tip #58 | Reading The Green - Posted Dec. 10, 2003 |
| Tip #57 | Handling Heavy Grass - Posted Dec. 3, 2003 |
| Tip #56 | The Pitch Shot - Posted Nov. 26, 2003 |
| Tip #55 | Post Impact - Posted Nov. 19, 2003 |
| Tip #54 | Three Trick Shots - Posted Nov. 12, 2003 |
| Tip #53 | Getting Out Of The Trees - Posted Nov. 5, 2003 |
| Tip #52 | Fades and Draws - Posted Oct. 29, 2003 |
| Tip #51 | Sixth Sense In The Sand - Posted Oct. 22, 2003 |
| Tip #50 | The Downswing - Posted Oct. 15, 2003 |
| Tip #49 | Low Shots - Posted Oct. 8, 2003 |
| Tip #48 | The Right Club On The Tee - Posted Oct. 1, 2003 |
| Tip #47 | Reinforce On The Course - Posted Sept. 24, 2003 |
| Tip #46 | The Lob - Posted Sept. 17, 2003 |
| Tip #45 | Brave And Bold Putts - Posted Sept. 10, 2003 |
| Tip #44 | Club Selection - Posted Sept. 3, 2003 |
| Tip #43 | Meaningful Practice - Posted Aug. 27, 2003 |
| Tip #42 | Tackling Trouble Shots - Posted Aug. 20, 2003 |
| Tip #41 | Adapt To Different Sands - Posted Aug. 13, 2003 |
| Tip #40 | Difficult Lies - Posted Aug. 6, 2003 |
| Tip #39 | The Takeaway - Posted July 30, 2003 |
| Tip #38 | The Chip Shot - Posted July 23, 2003 |
| Tip #37 | The Punch - Posted July 16, 2003 |
| Tip #36 | Shotmaking Strategies - Posted July 9, 2003 |
| Tip #35 | Metal Readiness - Posted July 2, 2003 |
| Tip #34 | Aptitude Starts with Attitude - Posted June 25, 2003 |
| Tip #33 | Perfect Your Putting Position - Posted June 18, 2003 |
| Tip #32 | Take the Right Position - Posted June 11, 2003 |
| Tip #31 | Learn to Read the Green - Posted June 4, 2003 |
| Tip #30 | Dig it out of the Rough - Posted May 28, 2003 |
| Tip #29 | Get the Stiffest Shaft You Can Handle - Posted May 21, 2003 |
| Tip #28 | Get Hungry around the Green - Posted May 14, 2003 |
| Tip #27 | Blast it Out of the Water - Posted May 7, 2003 |
| Tip #26 | Think Your Way Out of Trouble - Posted April 30, 2003 |
| Tip #25 | Overhaul Your Game - Posted April 23, 2003 |
| Tip #24 | Become a Sand Expert - Posted April 16, 2003 |
| Tip #23 | Know When to Pick Your Shots - Posted April 9, 2003 |
| Tip #22 | Learn to Work Your Shots - Posted April 2, 2003 |
| Tip #21 | Countdown to Takeoff - Posted March 26, 2003 |
| Tip #20 | Perfect Your Alignment - Posted March 19, 2003 |
| Tip #19 | Learn the Basics of Sand Play - Posted March 12, 2003 |
| Tip #18 | Playing in the Rain - Posted March 5, 2003 |
| Tip #17 | Should You Swing the Same? - Posted Feb. 26, 2003 |
| Tip #16 | Finish Your Swing Strong - Posted Feb. 19, 2003 |
| Tip #15 | Hit it Through the Wind - Posted Feb. 12, 2003 |
| Tip #14 | Put Horsepower in Your Swing - Posted Feb. 5, 2003 |
| Tip #13 | Hit the Right Club - Posted Jan. 29, 2003 |
| Tip #12 | You Can Spin the Ball Back - Posted Jan. 22, 2003 |
| Tip #11 | Don't be a Sucker - Posted Jan. 15, 2003 |
| Tip #10 | Make Your Practice Meaningful - Posted Jan. 8, 2003 |
| Tip #9 | Hit it Deep - Posted Jan. 1, 2003 |
| Tip #8 | Learn to Love The Sand - Posted Dec. 25, 2002 |
| Tip #7 | Get Inside Their Head - Posted Dec. 18, 2002 |
| Tip #6 | Get a Handle on Flyer Lies - Posted Dec. 11, 2002 |
| Tip #5 | Hitting it High - Posted Dec. 5, 2002 |
| Tip #4 | Swing a Knockout Punch - Posted Nov. 28, 2002 |
| Tip #3 | Spin it Out of the Sand - Posted Nov. 21, 2002 |
| Tip #2 | Hit off the Deck - Posted Nov. 14, 2002 |
| Tip #1 | Attack Every Putt - Posted Nov. 7, 2002 |
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