a question about sand shots/applying pure swinging motion

[niblick1]

I've been improving my short pitch shots using much more of a Ernest Jones swinging motion, with some direction from Brian about how I was misapplying that approach. I am now hitting some good short pitch shots.

My sand shots are much more erratic. I've watched "Over and Out" many times and can hit some good shots using either the cut shot procedure or the "open the face" procedure, but then I sometimes hit some very bad shots when I get too much sand or not enough sand.

I am wondering if the pure swinging motion really is the right motion to apply in bunkers. Do you need more acceleration/more torque to move enough sand for sand shots generally? the mid-sole pitch technique for pitch shots that I am using I am trying to just clip the grass -but when I try to do that in the bunker I sometimes hit very good shots and sometimes just don't get enough sand (I think). I can hit where I am aiming in the bunker, but my depth on cuts of sand seems to vary too much (maybe changing spine angle?)...I guess basic questions are - will pure swinging work and how to get more consistent slices of sand (length and depth) to move the ball the distance you need to move it? any thoughts?

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Sounds like you have poor control of your aiming point, that's all. Work on the "sand wall" drill until you are consistent. Then you can use whatever approach you'd prefer.

 

[niblick1]

I think I am pretty good (although I certainly could be wrong) at hitting the spot in the sand behind the ball I am looking at - I am not so good at controlling depth and length of sand divot and I am wondering if it is a technique issue.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

I think I am pretty good (although I certainly could be wrong) at hitting the spot in the sand behind the ball I am looking at - I am not so good at controlling depth and length of sand divot and I am wondering if it is a technique issue.

Assuming a level lie, if you consistently had the same technique and "hit the wall" fairly consistently (only missing by 1/2" or so) your depth and length of the sand divot would be consistent as well. The only thing that would make it different would be club choice (different grind = different type of divot)

Are you trying to compare sand divots to different techniques or are you simply using 1 technique with varied results?

 

[niblick1]

Jim-

Thanks for the comments. I think I am good at hitting the same point in the sand but often get different depth of "sand divots"using the same technique. I think maybe there's something I don't understand about the sand shot in general despite practicing a decent amount with a variety of techniques. I will experiment some more and report back....

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Well, you said *think* and that leaves it open in my mind that you aren't as good as you might think. Maybe you are but unless you go to the sand wall drill you won't really know. That drill is much more telling than simply drawing a line in the sand and seeing if you hit it.

However if you truly are good at "hitting the wall" then my hunch is that your downswing plan or face angle (or both) are varying a lot thus creating different sand divots

 

[niblick1]

Well, you said *think* and that leaves it open in my mind that you aren't as good as you might think. Maybe you are but unless you go to the sand wall drill you won't really know. That drill is much more telling than simply drawing a line in the sand and seeing if you hit it.

However if you truly are good at "hitting the wall" then my hunch is that your downswing plan or face angle (or both) are varying a lot thus creating different sand divots

Well, I think I figured it out at least with the cut-shot procedure and hit some great shots this weekend and i also hit some good shots on the range with the open face procedure - I think I am worst at the square-faced sort of chunk-and-run basic shot where I still have some issues with varying the depth of sand divot (could still be aiming point). I think maybe I was just being overly technical - my shots got a whole lot better when i started just thinking about hitting a cut.

 

[Brian Manzella]

I do not feel the "Pure Swinging" approach to be very effective in bunkers.

Need more UUUmmph!

 

[niblick1]

I do not feel the "Pure Swinging" approach to be very effective in bunkers.

Need more UUUmmph!

Yeah, I kind of figured that out.

I finally got the cut shot procedure working very well. I watched Over-And-Out about 7-8 times before I really got it right. I had two great up-and-downs playing last weekend!