Help...easiest club to get out of bunker and what loft and lie angle?

[JChip]

What is easiest club to get out of bunker for a mid teens handicap that struggles with short game?  Also what loft... for standard new england course?  56? 60? 58?  Also, heard that it would be best to to lower lie angle by 1 or 2 degrees from stock setting to help? Thanks for help

[tatertot]

OG Alien ... LOCK 'ER UP!

 

 

 

You ever notice you never see an Alien and a Hammer in the same bag? Ask Chuck Norris why ...

[Binson]

Something like this: 

High bounce scoop sole with heel relief / hosel structure for easy entry into and exit out of the sand. 

Lie angle will be player dependent but you can also try gripping down as that flattens the effective lie angle. 

[Dufferonius]

I read this article: Best Sand Wedge for Bunkers last year and, upon the recommendations in it acquired a Cleveland Smart Sole 4 SW (58°).  Then I watched his No BS: HOW TO GET OUT OF BUNKERS FIRST TIME!! video and, as if by magic, I was getting out of the bunkers.

 

Not every time and not always well, but, a damn sight better when I wasn't getting out of the verkakte things at all.

[JChip]

thanks any suggested clubs that can be used around green as well?

[LeoLeo99]

11 minutes ago, JChip said:

thanks any suggested clubs that can be used around green as well?

Texas wedge whenever possible.

[JChip]

I was looking at Mack Daddy CB wedge, CBX wedge, Mizuno T22 wedge, RTX wedge... thoughts on those? How friendly and what is most useful loft to get out of bunkers?

[Sean124]

What are you using now?

[ShortGolfer]

More loft if you need it to clear the lip of the bunker.  Less loft if it doesn't reach the lip.  What are you using now?

 

The bunkers I play have been wet and brutally hard.  A few weeks ago I saw someone toss one out onto the green!

 

56* seems to be the most popular loft these days for sand wedges.  It used to be 54*.

 

I have the original 54, 58, 60 Callway Mac Daddy CB wedges and they work just fine as easy to use sand wedges.  My set wedge is a 56.

The 54 and 56 have 14 degrees of bounce which should make them easy to use around soft New England greens.  We have plenty of water around as folks have moved to warmer states to the South.

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by ShortGolfer

[JChip]

I use an old mizuno

 

[Tanner25]

CBX2 used to get a lot of love here, maybe worth finding or pick up used. The new Mack Daddy CB wedge is getting positive reviews. 

[cgasucks]

Practice and lessons are best for long term improvement.  You need to get as shallow as possible with good acceleration to do it.  If you get it right, you can get it out of the sand with any wedge.  I practice bunker shots with my PW as the bounce is low which forces me to get as shallow as possible.  That way, it is stupid easy to get it out with a real SW.

[Avidswampthing66]

I agree a lesson would be the best. Bounce is your friend.  But, because you are wanting lofts etc

 

I always use a 54* or 56* sand wedge with high bounce somewhere in the 12-14 range.

You could go middle of the road and get a sand wedge with 10 bounce which could also be helpful around the greens.

 

I think it's very important to carry a sand wedge to use in the sand for bunker shots AND another more versitile wedge for around the greens.  Mack Daddy and Cleveland are both great wedges as are the T-22

 

So 54 or 56* loft with 12-14* bounce 

[RogerinNewZealand]

Your after an Automatic wedge...it just works... cleveland 588ta..buy a 56/ 57  or a cleveland 900 in 56 or 60 or the ping eye 2 style 10 years ago i picked up a cg15 or 16 and it was just so easy to use...

[jordan2240]

I have no idea what lofts they are, but with my off-the-shelf Taylor made speedbladze irons, I used to just carry the club marked as the pitching wedge as my only wedge, and had a hell of a time getting out of bunkers, so I put the club marked as the sand wedge in the bag as well, and have had no issues getting out of bunkers with it.

[Jeffrey02]

Vokey 60* K grind. Good club for heavy rough, too.

[karstens_ghost]

Let's give this a realistic answer.

 

New England sand varies a lot, so I'm going to leave that out for a moment.

 

There are "equipment" ways of getting out, and "technique" ways of getting out. There's also two common ways to play out of a green side bunker. Most common is a splash, and less common but effective depending on lie and sand hardness is to play it "square" like it's on a cart path. I personally recommend the splash whenever possible because it's easier to control for most players.

 

When they say "open the face", what you're doing is putting more metal below the club's leading edge, as well as increasing the loft and also slightly narrowing the safe hitting zone. These are easy things to deal with, and should be ok if you're a mid-cap. It's not your first rodeo.

 

So you imagine a poker chip behind your ball. Find the grain of sand that's 3 o'clock of the poker chip. That Tiny, little grain of sand. That's now your target. You want to hit that grain of sand with the same power that would go 3x farther than your shot. IOW, you want 13 yards, hit that grain of sand like a 40 yard shot.

 

For equipment, to make this easier, you need to decide how happy you are to thump it out. Ideal is between 54 and 60º. Many choose based on their favourite sand club, some choose by distance like I do; 54 for any length and 59 for really short. Either way, get your club to be open a few degrees. You can try it in grass. Could you hit shots from the rough with it open? Does it look weird? Awkward? Correct? That's the wedge loft you've got to figure out. My guess is you'll probably like something between 56 and 58, with about 10-12 degrees of "bounce", and something that opens just a little bit, but not floppy wide open.

 

Take a look at wedges that have a regular or wide amount of sole. This will allow for more of a thump as described above. More momentum will help propel the ball with ease.

 

If you're a square picker, choose a wedge that's a thin sole, so you get the least sand possible.

 

If you run into course conditions where sometimes the sand is packed and hard pan, but other times soft, make sure you have some sort of thin option for those tight shots.

 

To summarise, if your sand is average to fluffy, and you play a splash, get a medium or wide sole 54-58 and figure out that splash technique. Good luck.

 

ADDITIONAL:

To be fair to the equipment side, you can always get something like https://us.dunlopsports.com/cleveland-golf/clubs/wedges/smart-sole-4/smart-sole-4-wedge/MSMARTSOLE4-BS.html S sole, and it's basically just a regular shot. It just doesn't get used for anything other than sand… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Edited September 14, 2023 by karstens_ghost

[Stuart_G]

7 hours ago, Avidswampthing66 said:

Bounce is your friend.

 

Depends on the condition of the bunkers.   For soft sand - yes.   For hard packed bunkers (not as well maintained or very thin layer of sand)  - bounce is the enemy.

 

That's why it's important to ask the OP about the conditions of the bunkers he's normally plays before you can make any decent recommendation.

 

13 hours ago, JChip said:

Also what loft... for standard new england course?  56? 60? 58? 

 

There is no such thing as a standard New England Course :-).   Just within a 30 mi radius of me you can find all different types of bunkers - from super soft to concrete.

 

Hard sand - more loft, more square to present less bounce. (I'd use a 58* fairly square).

Soft sand - less loft opened up to present more bounce.  (I'd use a 54* opened up or maybe even a 50* for longer shots)

 

13 hours ago, JChip said:

Also, heard that it would be best to to lower lie angle by 1 or 2 degrees from stock setting to help?

 

I wouldn't waste any time with that.    

 

As other's have said - put more effort into getting lessons, improving technique - and find a place where you can actually PRACTICE bunker shots.     That's usually the biggest problem, many go to the range and hit tons of drivers and even irons - but few actually spend any practice time in a bunker.

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Stuart_G

[ShortGolfer]

Playing as a single on a nine hole executive course presents opportunities for bunker play.  Instead of rushing a slow foursome, practice bunker shots!

Try all your wedges to see what works best in different situations.  

There are places on my home course where I can look around and see who might be behind me.  

Edited September 14, 2023 by ShortGolfer

[NoTalentLefty]

The foot wedge when no one is looking….

[cgasucks]

1 hour ago, ShortGolfer said:

Playing as a single on a nine hole executive course presents opportunities for bunker play.  Instead of rushing a slow foursome, practice bunker shots!

 

 

That's exactly what I did a few days ago.  Most of my bunker practice is done that way.  

[mshills]

28 minutes ago, NoTalentLefty said:

The foot wedge when no one is looking….

 

If the bunker is deep enough, grenade-toss!

[tatertot]

17 hours ago, Binson said:

Something like this: 

High bounce scoop sole with heel relief / hosel structure for easy entry into and exit out of the sand. 

Lie angle will be player dependent but you can also try gripping down as that flattens the effective lie angle. 

The Ping Glide ES grinds are actually very close to these ... and awesome for escaping the dessert wastelands.

[CodyShootsHigh]

I am a 19 handicap and absolutely love my Vokey 60* out of the greenside bunkers. Once I figured out how to release the head before impact, it all became a speed game for distance. I used to struggle mightily with that part of my game.

[bcjim]

The most common cause of failure is many golfers just don't swing hard enough and/or they decelerate.  I use a high bounce 56. In firm sand I just make sure I swing hard enough that I still move sand and get the club sliding under the ball.  

I don't square it up unless it's really impenetrable surface. 

[mshills]

Bunker play is my favorite.  🙂  I have a 54 degree bent to 55 and have never needed more loft.  I can just about hit myself in the face with this one, and if the shot calls for a 58 or 60 degree, it is a shot I should not attempt.

 

OP, get more shallow than you think, open the face more than you think, and accelerate more than you think.  Look for Monte's "Use the Bounce" instructional.  That will fix you up.

[manima1]

Vokey D grind is automatic out of the bunker

[Simp]

If the fundamentals aren't good, then no wedge will help you. Once that's mastered, any wedge will work and bounce is your friend. 

[Springsteennut]

I’ve been using a Tour Edge 1 out wedge the last few years. It’s 58 degree. Got it for free and it sat in the basement for a couple of years. I got frustrated with my bunker play so I figured it couldn’t be worse than what I was doing at the time. It was so much easier and my sand saves went way up. It’s also great for chipping out of the heavy rough around the green. It’s actually a very versatile club. I do use my 54 degree wedge on longer bunker shots and I’ve gotten pretty consistent with it and have considered getting a regular 58 to match my other wedges. But if it ain’t broke why try to fix it.

[Flip4000]

I have found a vokey 58 K grind to be the easiest bunker club I have ever used