A Great Drill for Sun or Snow - Golf Tips

Rick V., Team Titleist Staff
Duxbury, MA

Team Titleist Staff

February 12, 2021 at 12:33 PM

Hey, everyone.

I wanted to share a great drill that has really helped with my short game. This drill comes to us courtesy of Layne Savoie, co-founder of WedgeCraft. It's typically done, as Layne demonstrates in the video above, in a bunker, but the cool thing is that it also works really well in snow. I just smoothed the snow down a bit with the back surface of a snow shovel and then pressed an alignment rod into the snow to form the reference line.

In this first clip, I bottomed out a few inches behind the line and came in pretty steep. The club made a muffled "WHOOOMP" sound. The ball floated up and traveled just a few feet - great feedback for the fat shot that it was.

Snow Line Drill, Shot 1

In this second clip, I still entered the snow an inch or two behind the line, but I was much shallower. I heard an audible click from the club face meeting the ball, without no snow in between, and the shot flew about 15 yards.

Snow Line Drill, Shot 2

Give it a try if you're snow-bound like me. Really a great way to train low point and attack angle on your chips and pitches.

One additional note – this drill worked just as well for me off of wood chips, if you don't have a bunker or snowbank handy.

Good luck and for more great tips from Layne, visit his Instructor Page on the Titleist Instruction Center.

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Barry M
Reno, NV

February 12, 2021 at 07:35 PM

How about tips on hitting out of hardpan bunkers. In Reno area the course managers are allergic to sand so they use loose dirt. It plays similar to a heavy sand when it's fresh but as soon as the sprinklers hit it, it gets packed down and the club feels like it bounces off the surface. I try to do a chip off of it but you have to catch it just right to make it work. Any suggestions, other than carrying around your own bucket of sand to improve the bunkers?

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LAYNE S

February 16, 2021 at 11:42 AM

Hard pan bunker shots can be difficult for the masses because not many players know how to steepen their Attack Angle to accommodate for the "stiff bounce back up" once the club begins the sand "Entry Point". Therefore, it is critical to be steep and match that with a perfect sand "entry point". The firmer the surface, the steeper the club musty descend into the ball to get the lead edge of the club "under" the ball while having a precise entry. Lots of precision required for success, but possible! Obviously, an open lead edge (added loft) and high bounce options can be more tricky...

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Eric H
Ridgway, PA

February 15, 2021 at 07:57 AM

This looks like a great way to get the golf fix we all need in the dog days of winter! Ill be outside in the snow if you need me!

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Rick V., Team Titleist Staff
Duxbury, MA

Team Titleist Staff

February 16, 2021 at 09:34 AM

Great question, Barry. My approach to hard-pack bunkers is that bounce is not your friend. Rather than use a sand wedge or lob wedge with a lot of bounce (which makes it easy to skip off the hardpan and blade the shot), try a pitching wedge. You want the sharp leading edge of the club to dig into the hard sand just behind the ball. Try to get a little steeper with your angle of attack and take a few practice swing outside the bunker first, to really dial in where the club is striking the ground.

I feel your pain, because this is not an easy shot and takes some precision, as well as some practice time to the get the weight right for your particular bunker conditions.

One thing you might consider, too, is a closer look at your wedge set-up. Bob Vokey often recommends a high-bounce 54° or 56° (S, D or F grind), but a lower bounce lob wedge, like a 58°M or 60°L. This gives you a little more versatility, so that you'll have options whether you face soft or firm turf/sand conditions. Check out the Vokey Wedge Selector page for a little more detail: www.vokey.com/.../wedge-selection.aspx

Good luck!

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Chuck Z
Mt Pleasant, SC

Military

February 16, 2021 at 01:29 PM

Rick V., Team Titleist Staff said:

February 16, 2021 at 09:34 AM

Great question, Barry. My approach to hard-pack bunkers is that bounce is not your friend. Rather than use a sand wedge or lob wedge with a lot of bounce (which makes it easy to skip off the hardpan and blade the shot), try a pitching wedge. You want the sharp leading edge of the club to dig into the hard sand just behind the ball. Try to get a little steeper with your angle of attack and take a few practice swing outside the bunker first, to really dial in where the club is striking the ground.

I feel your pain, because this is not an easy shot and takes some precision, as well as some practice time to the get the weight right for your particular bunker conditions.

One thing you might consider, too, is a closer look at your wedge set-up. Bob Vokey often recommends a high-bounce 54° or 56° (S, D or F grind), but a lower bounce lob wedge, like a 58°M or 60°L. This gives you a little more versatility, so that you'll have options whether you face soft or firm turf/sand conditions. Check out the Vokey Wedge Selector page for a little more detail: www.vokey.com/.../wedge-selection.aspx

Good luck!

Before they redid our sand traps (they were packed hard most of the time in the winter and spring) use to give my PW a workout. Now that we have bunkers with great drainage we can use our sand wedges with bounce. Same advise and instruction that our Master Instructor gave me and it does work. We have learned to play in all kinds of traps over the years. Hard sand, waste, and regular sand. We have enough wedges in our bag to adapt with practice. Great advice, Rick. Hope to see you at the TTI.

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Barry M
Reno, NV

February 16, 2021 at 07:13 PM

Rick V., Team Titleist Staff said:

February 16, 2021 at 09:34 AM

Great question, Barry. My approach to hard-pack bunkers is that bounce is not your friend. Rather than use a sand wedge or lob wedge with a lot of bounce (which makes it easy to skip off the hardpan and blade the shot), try a pitching wedge. You want the sharp leading edge of the club to dig into the hard sand just behind the ball. Try to get a little steeper with your angle of attack and take a few practice swing outside the bunker first, to really dial in where the club is striking the ground.

I feel your pain, because this is not an easy shot and takes some precision, as well as some practice time to the get the weight right for your particular bunker conditions.

One thing you might consider, too, is a closer look at your wedge set-up. Bob Vokey often recommends a high-bounce 54° or 56° (S, D or F grind), but a lower bounce lob wedge, like a 58°M or 60°L. This gives you a little more versatility, so that you'll have options whether you face soft or firm turf/sand conditions. Check out the Vokey Wedge Selector page for a little more detail: www.vokey.com/.../wedge-selection.aspx

Good luck!

Thanks Rick. Never really thought about the bounce in relation to the bunker fill material. We never know what the bunkers are like until we arrive, and some may have been watered and set up, where others are fresh raked. I have a 56.12 in the bag right now but also have a SM6 at 56.08 so maybe I'll throw it in the bag next time, or try the pitching wedge.