Do you at all times seize your sand wedge when your ball leads to a greenside bunker? We dove into some stats supplied by Shot Scope to see which membership try 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 have got the fitting 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 take 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 % per membership typically) so the pattern measurement is extraordinarily small.
As a result of most gamers not often use these irons and wedges out of greenside bunkers, the restricted knowledge can generally present excessive up-and-down percentages. Nonetheless, primarily based on such minimal knowledge, we will’t declare these golf equipment are actually the very best selections.
Our major comparability targeted on the sand wedge and the lob wedge, aiming to find out which is more practical for golfers in numerous 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 rise up and down than different handicap ranges. As well as, they have a tendency to get the ball nearer to the opening on their escape photographs.
There may be one large takeaway right here that you will notice and that’s that the lob wedge shouldn’t be solely the popular membership but additionally probably the most environment friendly membership for these lower-handicap gamers escaping from the bunkers.
The upper-lofted lob wedge is chosen 67 % of the time whereas the sand wedge is just chosen 27 % of the time. (The opposite six % was a mixture of the hole, pitching wedge and 9-iron.)
| Membership | Up & Down % | % Not Getting Out First Attempt | Avg. Proximity (ft) | Membership Utilization per Handicap (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 27% | 5% | 19.9 | 27% |
| LW | 30% | 5% | 18.5 | 67% |
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 proportion.
Nonetheless, you will notice that the up-and-down proportion for this group is significantly decrease than that of the low-handicap gamers and they’re virtually twice as more likely 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.
| Membership | Up & Down % | % Not Getting Out First Attempt | Avg. Proximity (ft) | Membership Utilization per Handicap (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 18% | 10% | 24.2 | 41% |
| LW | 18% | 9% | 24.1 | 48% |
Bunker efficiency metrics for golfers with a 21–25 handicap
Greater-handicap golfers are the least possible to make use of a lob wedge. Solely 35 % 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 % of the time.
Clearly, there’s a ability issue and method part to getting out of the bunker however the gamers with probably 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 more likely to go away the ball within the bunker in your first strive.
| Membership | Up & Down % | % Not Getting Out First Attempt | Avg. Proximity (ft) | Membership Utilization per Handicap (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 12% | 14% | 28.2 | 50% |
| LW | 13% | 13% | 27.7 | 35% |
How to decide on which membership to make use of out of a bunker
Whenever you study the fundamentals of hit a sand shot, you must be capable of change between the sand wedge and lob wedge primarily based purely on the gap to the pin. Brief photographs with little inexperienced to work with are finest for the lob wedge.
For longer bunker photographs with lots of sand to go over earlier than reaching the inexperienced, think about using the sand wedge to cowl a bit of extra distance.
The underside line and most necessary takeaway is that the lob wedge is a extremely efficient membership to make use of out of the sand and plenty of mid- to high-handicap golfers are usually not profiting from that. Go mud off the lob wedge and take a look at it out of a bunker at the moment.
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