Do you at all times seize your sand wedge when your ball results in a greenside bunker? We dove into some stats supplied by Shot Scope to see which membership you ought to be utilizing to flee the greenside bunkers. The most effective methods to get out of a greenside bunker is to be assured within the shot you’re taking. Realizing you’ve gotten the precise membership in your hand will assist.
In regards to the knowledge
The bunker statistics are primarily based on a dataset of greenside bunker photographs taken from inside 25 yards of the pin. We did have a look at knowledge for the 9-iron, pitching wedge and hole wedge however only a few golfers used these golf equipment on this state of affairs (fewer than three p.c per membership typically) so the pattern dimension is extraordinarily small.
As a result of most gamers hardly ever use these irons and wedges out of greenside bunkers, the restricted knowledge can typically present excessive up-and-down percentages. Nevertheless, primarily based on such minimal knowledge, we are able to’t declare these golf equipment are actually the very best selections.
Our fundamental comparability centered on the sand wedge and the lob wedge, aiming to find out which is more practical for golfers in several handicap ranges.
Bunker efficiency metrics for golfers with a 1–5 handicap
Golfers with the bottom handicaps are those we wish to emulate. These gamers are more likely to stand up and down than different handicap ranges. As well as, they have a tendency to get the ball nearer to the outlet on their escape photographs.
There may be one large takeaway right here that you will note and that’s that the lob wedge is just not solely the popular membership but additionally essentially the most environment friendly membership for these lower-handicap gamers escaping from the bunkers.
The upper-lofted lob wedge is chosen 67 p.c of the time whereas the sand wedge is just chosen 27 p.c of the time. (The opposite six p.c was a mixture of the hole, pitching wedge and 9-iron.)
ClubUp & Down %% Not Getting Out First TryAvg. Proximity (ft)Membership Utilization per Handicap (%)SW27percent5percent19.927percentLW30percent5percent18.567%
Bunker efficiency metrics for golfers with an 11–15 handicap
If we bump the handicap as much as the 11-15 vary, you’ll see the sand wedge to lob wedge utilization is near the identical. So is the up-and-down share.
Nevertheless, you will note that the up-and-down share for this group is significantly decrease than that of the low-handicap gamers and they’re virtually twice as prone to keep within the bunker on their first shot.
Key takeaways: Perhaps begin incorporating the lob wedge much more to get out of the bunkers. The bottom-handicap gamers are doing it and having higher success and hitting photographs nearer to the pin.
ClubUp & Down %% Not Getting Out First TryAvg. Proximity (ft)Membership Utilization per Handicap (%)SW18percent10percent24.241percentLW18percent9percent24.148%
Bunker efficiency metrics for golfers with a 21–25 handicap
Increased-handicap golfers are the least doubtless to make use of a lob wedge. Solely 35 p.c of the high-handicap gamers select the lob wedge to get out of a bunker. This group of gamers solely will get up and down about 12 p.c of the time.
Clearly, there’s a ability issue and approach part to getting out of the bunker however the gamers with essentially the most success are these utilizing extra loft. In case you are a high-handicap participant carrying a lob wedge, use it out of the bunkers.
The higher gamers are doing it, you haven’t any actual draw back, and also you’ll be much less prone to go away the ball within the bunker in your first strive.
ClubUp & Down %% Not Getting Out First TryAvg. Proximity (ft)Membership Utilization per Handicap (%)SW12percent14percent28.250percentLW13percent13percent27.735%
How to decide on which membership to make use of out of a bunker
Once you be taught the fundamentals of how one can hit a sand shot, it’s best to have the ability to swap between the sand wedge and lob wedge primarily based purely on the space to the pin. Quick photographs with little inexperienced to work with are finest for the lob wedge.
For longer bunker photographs with quite a lot of sand to go over earlier than reaching the inexperienced, think about using the sand wedge to cowl a little bit extra distance.
The underside line and most vital takeaway is that the lob wedge is a extremely efficient membership to make use of out of the sand and lots of mid- to high-handicap golfers will not be profiting from that. Go mud off the lob wedge and take a look at it out of a bunker in the present day.
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