Escaping from the Sand Trap

frozen golferAfter a mishit from the fairway, I found myself face to face with the ultimate golfer’s nightmare: a monstrous seven-foot high wall of sand standing between me and the safety of the green. How could I escape?

Getting out of the sand trap is no easy task, even for seasoned golfers. For beginners, it’s not uncommon to waste 3 or 4 shots, hacking away and watching helplessly as your ball slams into the merciless bank of sand in front of you.

But thankfully, modern sand wedge design has come a long way. The key to escaping from the sand trap lies at the bottom of many of today’s sand wedges. It’s a small ridge, called the “bounce,” on the sole of the wedge, that helps the club glide through the sand, helping to pop the ball up and over elevated sand banks and safely onto the green.

Nevertheless, getting out of the sand trap safe and sound requires a lot of skill. Make sure to open your stance and take a full swing. Hit the sand about one inch behind the ball. If done correctly, your ball will ride up on a magic carpet of sand. This is thanks to the bounce underside of the club. Accuracy is also important; make sure you have the proper wrist position. Practice this shot regularly at the chipping practice area of your local golf course (hopefully they have a sand trap) and use our aid, the Pause-N-Throw, to help you to retain the right position through the shot. Before you make your swing say to yourself, “Don’t quit on the shot.”

Keeping all this in mind, and mustering all the mental focus I could gather, I stepped up to my impossible sand shot, took a deep breath, and swung the club. The ball rose from the blast of sand, comfortably clearing the immense sand wall, and settled nicely on the green. I breathed a sigh of relief and went on to make a “sandy par.”