While bunkers are always challenging, golf in winter provides different challenges when playing out of bunkers that are wet.

What happens when the sand is wet?

At Yarra Yarra there are 3 distinct sand types, soft, medium and firm, this is due to the sand type in that part of the course. When bunkers are wet the sand becomes firmer and this requires a different approach to playing from them, in particular with the club you select.

Bounce

The bounce on your wedge you select is the most important decision you will make when entering a bunker. The sand at your feet will dictate what club you take, not what is in front of you. If you take the wrong club in the wrong bunker, you reduce the chances of a successful shot greatly.

Soft Sand = High Bounce                     12 to 14 degrees

Medium sand = medium bounce       10 to 12 degrees

Hard Sand = low bounce                    6 to 8 degrees

Wedges fall into 2 distinct categories, skidder or digger and to be successful in bunkers on the sand belt you need one of each and you need to select the correct on in the bunker you are in.

For most golfers the correct make up is:

56 degree sand iron with 12 to 14 degrees bounce

60 degree lob wedge with 8 to 10 degrees bounce

In soft sand the high bounce sand iron will skid through the sand while the low bounce club will dig, think the left-hand back bunker on the 15^th.

In hard sand the low bounce lob wedge will dig through the firm sand while the high bounce club will bounce off.

Wet Sand

When wet, all types of sand play firmer. If you are in a bunker that is normally soft it will play medium while a firm bunker will play even firmer.

The ball will come out lower and tends to travel further as well, you will need to think about where you aim when bunkers are wet. Aiming at the hole is not necessarily the best way to have the lowest number of shots.

In a bunker that is normally soft you need to play it as if it is firmer, keep your sand iron squarer at address or take lob wedge.

Aim to skim the sand instead of taking a deeper divot. Trust that the sharper leading edge of the lob wedge will cut through the sand rather than bouncing off it. In trying to skim the sand try and take less divot, if you enter the sand too far from the ball the club is likely to get stuck, leaving the ball in the bunker.

Practice

There is nothing more important than practicing from wet sand on the range before trying this on the course.

Practice with a square leading edge on your sand iron in the practice bunker when they are wet, this will give you a great feel of what happens in wet sand as well as how high and how far the ball travels.

Wedges

If you are not sure if your wedge set up is correct for Yarra Yarra your Professional Staff are here to help.  We have a range o0f fitting and dem wedges to help you improve your bunker play.

The Callaway Jaws wedge range has 5 different grinds and sole shapes with varying loft options and with a fitting session the right wedges for you can be determined and this can vastly improve your bunker play.

To book a wedge fitting or bunker lesson contact your Pro Shop.

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