These are interesting stats indeed! Wow…. I love the learning that’s available now that we have so many stats. I can definitely use some work on the approach play. The strategies here are things I can appreciate. I’ve found that I’m more likely to get up and down if I take more club and hit a more focused easier shot than trying to whack something full tilt. Boring golf is just what I need in my life. LOL. Thanks Coach!!!
The advice is correct. Single handicap and I use the similar strategy on course. Avoid bunkers as much as possible. I’ll take a bump and run or short wedge sot anyway.
I have watched 1000s of golf vids and this is the best explained and best delivered I've ever watched which will also have the biggest impact on my golf.
I guess I'm an outlier as a high hc with a decent bunker game. I'd be picking the bunker every time and be confident of getting closer to the pin than from 70 yards in the fw. However if my 2nd shot is greenside rough vs bunker I'd be picking rough every time.. Def food for thought there coach 👍
Greenside bunkers including bunkers up to 50 yards away is a big range. For sure, 30-50 yard bunker shots are super difficult, but I'd be interested to see the breakdown for bunkers that are (truly) greenside vs longer greenside bunkers.
Interesting, the ‘experts’ I play with have been telling me for 2 years I need to get better from bunkers and now I know what I actually need to do is get better at avoiding them!!
They’re not wrong it’s just there is more potential for better scores from avoiding in the first place. I’ve always felt a good bunker save can help change the momentum of a bad round so there’s positives to everything 😂
This has made such a difference to my scores. Of course needs to come with hitting distances more accurately (which I am) but definitely plotting a path away from trouble and accepting an easy bogey instead of a more likely double/triple is the answer for me. But also .. practice practice practice.
Really interesting stuff coach. I am a 15 and yes 1 in 5 in takes me 2 to get out. But having had a lesson on bunkers I am no longer afraid. That and putting lesson were perhaps best money spent.
GIR/Approach is my issue for sure. Though I must say, I am a pretty decent bunker player so green side bunker don’t bother me a lot. Rather not be in them for sure but if we visit them I get out pretty well. Now I wish I could just hit my irons better 😁
Fairway up to 130m out rather than the bunker every time. There´s no shot more terrifying than out of a wet, hard packed greenside bunker! I used to just go for the green and lost so many shots along with my temper in there, now I just try to avoid them, and my handicap came down in leaps and bounds. great tips here Coach!
Sound & sensible advice coach Lockey..! It's such a pity that in the heat of battle most of us don't stop to think about our own "course management"😱🤔🤣? Thanks and keep the videos coming..👍👏
So very true, the biggest mistake most of us amateurs make is under clubbing cos we can hit it 155 yards on a warm summer day, we never factor in its cold, a safety factor and most hazards are short so hit it slightly long. Bunkers for us high handicapper’s are a nightmare, lots of clubs practice facilities don’t have practice bunkers. My club had 90 bunkers on the course on a bad day they act like Magnets and things go from bad to worse
Great video. I will keep practising bunker shoots to keep lowering my score if I end up in them but will definitely rethink my strategi and make sure I stay clear of them. I am going sub 80 this year so need to work on my short game to get the last strokes of my cards🤙
Great stats; it reinforces that the goal from the sand should be to get it on the green and two putts. Sand saves shouldn't be a consideration for handicaps above 10.
This makes me wonder what the percentages are for landing in a green side bunker from 70 yards away for the various handicaps. I would hate to be 70 yards away, thinking this is better than being in the bunker, only to then hit my next shot into said bunker! Yikes!
Depends greatly on the lie/position in the bunker, as well as the texture of the sand. I have to assume the table shown is an average of easy and nearly impossible bunker shots.
Shot Scope shows me as being .01 better than a tour player from the bunker. That said, it's only recorded 5 shots from the bunker and I'm sure enough to bet the farm that number is not going to stand the test of time. Still, I'm comfortable from the bunkers. I have two wedges with two different amounts of bounce to help me get through wet sand or help me not dig in when it's soft and fluffy stuff. I'm prepared to tackle any bunker. Still, I'd choose the 70 yard shot. In fact, 70 is my exact preferred layup number because from that number with a 3/4 swing of my 50 degree gap wedge I've holed out more balls that I have fingers over the years. My chances of getting up and down are better from that distance than anywhere except maybe even closer. The range across the street out my back door is 80 yards long. From there in, I'm sharp. I need to get out to a real range and work on the longer stuff though. Shot Scope isn't as kind with my numbers there.
How are we calling a bunker at 50yds greenside(probably a shot every player include pros struggle with)? I wonder what the numbers look like if we assume all greenside bunkers are say only 20yds away. I suspect the msg would change?
I don't disagree with the ideas in this video, but I do wonder if the following plays a significant role when it comes to the ShotScope stats: In my experience, better player play most of the time better maintained courses than high handicappers - the premise being that the better one is the more one is willing to invest in the game and thus affords higher end courses. Where this matters for this video is the quality of the bunkers one encounters. At higher end golf clubs bunkers tend to be very well maintained, have generous amounts of sand in each bunker, and the sand is of a high consistency, whereas clubs at the lower end of the cost spectrum typically need to safe money and bunkers are one of the easiest places to do just that. Lower quality bunkers tend to offer a greater degree of challenge, even to the highly skilled player and thus tag on more shots on average. Anybody that has ever played a PGA Tour venue near the time of the tournament and compared the bunkers to the bunkers found at a local muni will likely agree with me. Thoughts?
My thoughts are higher handicaps will struggle out of any bunker. Better golfer will escape out of any bunker. Better golfers have more success and can read the situation better ie, no sand, more sand and adjust.
Par 5's unless I'm under 200 yards on my second shot. Which is pretty much never. I'm laying upto about 100 yards... Don't care if I have to hit a 130 yard pitch. Twice now I've holed out from 90 something yards. With the rest of the shots normally being in nice 1-2 putt distance... I trust that yardage more than I trust trying to hit a long iron or somthing to get it close from 200-250 out and doing some kind of random chip... Chipping and putting is by far the worst part of my game...
Bunkers kill scores. Regardless how you wish to see it, It does. If your local practice facilities got bunkers on range practice from them. If not - use a course bunker when no groups are behind you drop 2 or 3 balls and have a quick practice. It helps. Better to miss them but if you do find one best to know how to get out.
Depends on the bunker. The one you showed I’d rather be in. A deep pot bunker with a 3ft wall of stacked sods, I’d rather be on the fairway. But then, I’m not good at golf.
Devil is in the detail here though, right? First hole at my course is 260yd Par 4, guarded by two greenside bunkers and 2 more bunkers about 60yds out - so you either try and drive the green or lay back to ~70yds. Unless you're horrific out of bunkers, if you've got 260 in the tank surely the play is to go for the green? You might average the same from the bunker as from 70yds, but you then have to factor in all of those eagle putts / tap in birdies you might have as well? Maybe I'm missing something?
Id've said, "Bunker. 100%." This is really shocking. Now, I am willing to put my bunker game up against anyone who is +2 or worse despite struggling to get back below 8 myself, but still.... this does make me reconsider my strategy on several types of holes.
to be clear, and not that anyone is reading, but I hit a small bucket out of the practice bunker today and missed the (admittedly large) green exactly zero times.
Those shot scope stats are a bit misleading. If you're classing a greenside bunker as '50 yards and in' then of course the equivalent distance for a high handicapper is 60 yards....it's almost the same distance!
Definitely 70 yards out that is a comfortable 60degree for me, probably one of my best clubs in the bag in most cases. Bunkers are the worst part of my game.
Seems unbelievable. I am a high handicapper (20). But I almost never fail to get out of a bunker. My issue, at 72, is always lack of distance. I love bunkers.
Remember these are averages so people are obviously better and worse than the numbers 👍 keep improving your short game and start lifting those heavy arse weights to hit it longer 😉
Interesting stats but not exactly how it plays out. Aim short of bunker, hit it short, then chip into bunker and take two more to get out! Or aim short of bunker miss hit it 80 yards short of green, take 3 or 4 more to finish hole. It would be great if you could do this video with a 25 handicapper so you can demonstrate the results and have to deal with the issues than come from having to pitch over bunkers etc. You described the up and down as 'easy'. No such thing for a 25 handicapper.
The stats are comparison stats are great, but being misapplied. The percentage play has to look at all the possible outcomes. At 150 out, consider what is the % chance of hitting the green, % chance of missing the green with a chip on and % missing and going in the bunker. A good player might be 50% green. 15% bunker, 35% chip for a centre green aim. From there, avg 2 putts from green, 3 shots from bunker, 2.5 shots from chip. Total = 2.475 average shots. lay up might be 100% chip = 2.5 average shots. It's not avoid bunkers at ALL costs, but it is to know how costly they are when playing percentages. Don't just aim for the flag and hope!
😱I hate the term mid-hcp golfer especially since the handicap changes....in this case a 27ish hcp is breaking 80 .....must of been going in a lot of greenside bunkers 🤣
The key is knowing yardage each club flies too many people don’t have a clue what clubs carry and judge everything based on how far they think it goes.
Obviously it's a lot to do with skill but I know that the quality of bunkers has to play a part. Hitting out of a bunker in winter is like hitting off concrete 😂
I would rather be in the bunker than on any patchy tufty mud lie and from eighty out im expecting an up and down , these stats amaze me as im an 18 hcp . Basically my long game is really being shown up here and this says everyone elses must be amazing . Really not getting my head around these numbers
You see thats exactly what i am saying , i aim to lay up 80/90 because im bloody good from there . I would rather that than trying to chip on from mud from the edges , i fully agree with going short to a nicely manicured apron but theyre in short supply where i play and unusually back of greens are brutal too . Bunkers though are fantastic so i stand by what i said , glad i gave you a laugh though .
The problem here is..... I'm awful at chipping, I'd often fat one, thin one, then chip on. Walk off with a 6. I'm better out of sand, more often than not I'll make 5 from there, with a few 4s thrown in.
For anyone struggling out of bunkers, check this video out too to make sure you get out every time 🤙
ua-cam.com/video/aQQwBwMDaNA/v-deo.html
These are interesting stats indeed! Wow…. I love the learning that’s available now that we have so many stats. I can definitely use some work on the approach play. The strategies here are things I can appreciate. I’ve found that I’m more likely to get up and down if I take more club and hit a more focused easier shot than trying to whack something full tilt. Boring golf is just what I need in my life. LOL. Thanks Coach!!!
Love these insights video coach! One of the reason why swing felt better but my scores haven’t gotten better
The advice is correct. Single handicap and I use the similar strategy on course. Avoid bunkers as much as possible. I’ll take a bump and run or short wedge sot anyway.
I have watched 1000s of golf vids and this is the best explained and best delivered I've ever watched which will also have the biggest impact on my golf.
Lovely 👍 make sure your subscribed for more 😉
I guess I'm an outlier as a high hc with a decent bunker game. I'd be picking the bunker every time and be confident of getting closer to the pin than from 70 yards in the fw.
However if my 2nd shot is greenside rough vs bunker I'd be picking rough every time.. Def food for thought there coach 👍
Greenside bunkers including bunkers up to 50 yards away is a big range. For sure, 30-50 yard bunker shots are super difficult, but I'd be interested to see the breakdown for bunkers that are (truly) greenside vs longer greenside bunkers.
Interesting, the ‘experts’ I play with have been telling me for 2 years I need to get better from bunkers and now I know what I actually need to do is get better at avoiding them!!
Get better at doing both it the perfect solution 👍
They’re not wrong it’s just there is more potential for better scores from avoiding in the first place. I’ve always felt a good bunker save can help change the momentum of a bad round so there’s positives to everything 😂
What we all need to do is get better from 70-100 yards.
This has made such a difference to my scores. Of course needs to come with hitting distances more accurately (which I am) but definitely plotting a path away from trouble and accepting an easy bogey instead of a more likely double/triple is the answer for me. But also .. practice practice practice.
Watching course management videos has really helped my game....along with some great drills. My handicap is slowly going down!
Great to hear!
Really interesting stuff coach. I am a 15 and yes 1 in 5 in takes me 2 to get out. But having had a lesson on bunkers I am no longer afraid. That and putting lesson were perhaps best money spent.
GIR/Approach is my issue for sure. Though I must say, I am a pretty decent bunker player so green side bunker don’t bother me a lot. Rather not be in them for sure but if we visit them I get out pretty well.
Now I wish I could just hit my irons better 😁
Fairway up to 130m out rather than the bunker every time. There´s no shot more terrifying than out of a wet, hard packed greenside bunker! I used to just go for the green and lost so many shots along with my temper in there, now I just try to avoid them, and my handicap came down in leaps and bounds. great tips here Coach!
Sound & sensible advice coach Lockey..! It's such a pity that in the heat of battle most of us don't stop to think about our own "course management"😱🤔🤣? Thanks and keep the videos coming..👍👏
So very true, the biggest mistake most of us amateurs make is under clubbing cos we can hit it 155 yards on a warm summer day, we never factor in its cold, a safety factor and most hazards are short so hit it slightly long. Bunkers for us high handicapper’s are a nightmare, lots of clubs practice facilities don’t have practice bunkers. My club had 90 bunkers on the course on a bad day they act like
Magnets and things go from bad to worse
Green side bunker, short game is my best part of my game.
What would some exceptions to this be? There has to be some situations where you want to be in the bunker than chipping back down a slope?
I love both I'm very good out of sand N fairway
Sand doesn't worry I'm very luke Donald esc out of sand
As a scratch, I don't mind sand as my save rate is 50%. Most don't understand bounce which makes sand easier than rough.
Great video.
I will keep practising bunker shoots to keep lowering my score if I end up in them but will definitely rethink my strategi and make sure I stay clear of them. I am going sub 80 this year so need to work on my short game to get the last strokes of my cards🤙
Good stuff. Thanks for watching and good luck with your golf 👍
good to see a long hitting pro say coming up short is ok if it avoids potential trouble.
Great content 👍🏌️♂️
Fairway all day, my bunker play sucks! I don't usually hit my 58° 190 yards but could from a green side bunker.... ;)
Either as bunker play is good and really good from 80 yards in😊👍
Coach, great advice!
Glad it was helpful!
Great content as always matt,please get lester barnes on the channel to side kicks of feeding channels that are both stars on there own
Saw those Sasquatch Foot Prints on the target Zone Pick ,Posing as Bunkers!😳
It would be interesting to see an analogous survey for fairway bunkers.
Love you coach
You too bruh 😎
Great stats; it reinforces that the goal from the sand should be to get it on the green and two putts. Sand saves shouldn't be a consideration for handicaps above 10.
I’d be hitting from 70 yards into that bunker anyway so may as well start there ?
If I go in a greenside bunker, I might as well pick up. Usually at least 3 goes to get out. I already play to miss bunkers, so this is good advice.
Check out my bunker videos too bruh 👍👍👍
This makes me wonder what the percentages are for landing in a green side bunker from 70 yards away for the various handicaps. I would hate to be 70 yards away, thinking this is better than being in the bunker, only to then hit my next shot into said bunker! Yikes!
Depends greatly on the lie/position in the bunker, as well as the texture of the sand.
I have to assume the table shown is an average of easy and nearly impossible bunker shots.
They are averages 👍👍
Shot Scope shows me as being .01 better than a tour player from the bunker. That said, it's only recorded 5 shots from the bunker and I'm sure enough to bet the farm that number is not going to stand the test of time. Still, I'm comfortable from the bunkers. I have two wedges with two different amounts of bounce to help me get through wet sand or help me not dig in when it's soft and fluffy stuff. I'm prepared to tackle any bunker. Still, I'd choose the 70 yard shot. In fact, 70 is my exact preferred layup number because from that number with a 3/4 swing of my 50 degree gap wedge I've holed out more balls that I have fingers over the years. My chances of getting up and down are better from that distance than anywhere except maybe even closer. The range across the street out my back door is 80 yards long. From there in, I'm sharp. I need to get out to a real range and work on the longer stuff though. Shot Scope isn't as kind with my numbers there.
Green side bunker every time for me
How are we calling a bunker at 50yds greenside(probably a shot every player include pros struggle with)? I wonder what the numbers look like if we assume all greenside bunkers are say only 20yds away. I suspect the msg would change?
It wouldn’t change the message trust me.
Do you have the data for shots to finish from 20yds and in bunkers?
Definitely would prefer being in the green side bunker. 70yd is a weird distance for me
Finding a 7w or 9w for those 165 plus shots is a game changer..
I don't disagree with the ideas in this video, but I do wonder if the following plays a significant role when it comes to the ShotScope stats: In my experience, better player play most of the time better maintained courses than high handicappers - the premise being that the better one is the more one is willing to invest in the game and thus affords higher end courses. Where this matters for this video is the quality of the bunkers one encounters. At higher end golf clubs bunkers tend to be very well maintained, have generous amounts of sand in each bunker, and the sand is of a high consistency, whereas clubs at the lower end of the cost spectrum typically need to safe money and bunkers are one of the easiest places to do just that. Lower quality bunkers tend to offer a greater degree of challenge, even to the highly skilled player and thus tag on more shots on average. Anybody that has ever played a PGA Tour venue near the time of the tournament and compared the bunkers to the bunkers found at a local muni will likely agree with me. Thoughts?
My thoughts are higher handicaps will struggle out of any bunker. Better golfer will escape out of any bunker. Better golfers have more success and can read the situation better ie, no sand, more sand and adjust.
Par 5's unless I'm under 200 yards on my second shot. Which is pretty much never.
I'm laying upto about 100 yards...
Don't care if I have to hit a 130 yard pitch.
Twice now I've holed out from 90 something yards. With the rest of the shots normally being in nice 1-2 putt distance...
I trust that yardage more than I trust trying to hit a long iron or somthing to get it close from 200-250 out and doing some kind of random chip...
Chipping and putting is by far the worst part of my game...
Fairway my bunker game is pretty suspect right now!
Would rather be in the bunker any day!!! Great stuff coach!!!
Weirdly enough my 80 yards and in is shocking but great in bunkers ! Out every time n close. 8hc
Bunkers kill scores. Regardless how you wish to see it, It does. If your local practice facilities got bunkers on range practice from them. If not - use a course bunker when no groups are behind you drop 2 or 3 balls and have a quick practice. It helps. Better to miss them but if you do find one best to know how to get out.
Depends on the bunker. The one you showed I’d rather be in. A deep pot bunker with a 3ft wall of stacked sods, I’d rather be on the fairway.
But then, I’m not good at golf.
Devil is in the detail here though, right? First hole at my course is 260yd Par 4, guarded by two greenside bunkers and 2 more bunkers about 60yds out - so you either try and drive the green or lay back to ~70yds. Unless you're horrific out of bunkers, if you've got 260 in the tank surely the play is to go for the green? You might average the same from the bunker as from 70yds, but you then have to factor in all of those eagle putts / tap in birdies you might have as well? Maybe I'm missing something?
greenside bunker all day. the only part of my short game that's actually good
Id've said, "Bunker. 100%." This is really shocking. Now, I am willing to put my bunker game up against anyone who is +2 or worse despite struggling to get back below 8 myself, but still.... this does make me reconsider my strategy on several types of holes.
to be clear, and not that anyone is reading, but I hit a small bucket out of the practice bunker today and missed the (admittedly large) green exactly zero times.
Be good at both options 👍
@@CoachLockey I mostly learned good bunker technique from your videos years ago!
Those shot scope stats are a bit misleading. If you're classing a greenside bunker as '50 yards and in' then of course the equivalent distance for a high handicapper is 60 yards....it's almost the same distance!
Definitely 70 yards out that is a comfortable 60degree for me, probably one of my best clubs in the bag in most cases. Bunkers are the worst part of my game.
I've got a 70 yard shot....
56 degree 10 to 2 swing .. .
Green side
Fairway all day
Seems unbelievable. I am a high handicapper (20). But I almost never fail to get out of a bunker. My issue, at 72, is always lack of distance. I love bunkers.
Remember these are averages so people are obviously better and worse than the numbers 👍 keep improving your short game and start lifting those heavy arse weights to hit it longer 😉
I will take the bunker!
Depends on the bunker. If the sand is not like concrete or super fluffy, I’d rather be in it.
Your mate says stay away from bunkers at all costs! I have always taken his advice so I’d rather be on the fairway every time.
Interesting stats but not exactly how it plays out. Aim short of bunker, hit it short, then chip into bunker and take two more to get out! Or aim short of bunker miss hit it 80 yards short of green, take 3 or 4 more to finish hole.
It would be great if you could do this video with a 25 handicapper so you can demonstrate the results and have to deal with the issues than come from having to pitch over bunkers etc. You described the up and down as 'easy'. No such thing for a 25 handicapper.
The stats are comparison stats are great, but being misapplied. The percentage play has to look at all the possible outcomes. At 150 out, consider what is the % chance of hitting the green, % chance of missing the green with a chip on and % missing and going in the bunker. A good player might be 50% green. 15% bunker, 35% chip for a centre green aim. From there, avg 2 putts from green, 3 shots from bunker, 2.5 shots from chip. Total = 2.475 average shots. lay up might be 100% chip = 2.5 average shots. It's not avoid bunkers at ALL costs, but it is to know how costly they are when playing percentages. Don't just aim for the flag and hope!
😱I hate the term mid-hcp golfer especially since the handicap changes....in this case a 27ish hcp is breaking 80 .....must of been going in a lot of greenside bunkers 🤣
The key is knowing yardage each club flies too many people don’t have a clue what clubs carry and judge everything based on how far they think it goes.
If I was good enough to miss the bunkers I”d already be 10 shots lower on my handicap! 😊
70 yards
70yards out. I’m not the best getting out of bunkers
The Bunker for shor
Obviously it's a lot to do with skill but I know that the quality of bunkers has to play a part. Hitting out of a bunker in winter is like hitting off concrete 😂
Bunker all day
I would rather be in the bunker than on any patchy tufty mud lie and from eighty out im expecting an up and down , these stats amaze me as im an 18 hcp . Basically my long game is really being shown up here and this says everyone elses must be amazing .
Really not getting my head around these numbers
You expect to get up and down from 80 yards out haha. Love it.
You see thats exactly what i am saying , i aim to lay up 80/90 because im bloody good from there . I would rather that than trying to chip on from mud from the edges , i fully agree with going short to a nicely manicured apron but theyre in short supply where i play and unusually back of greens are brutal too .
Bunkers though are fantastic so i stand by what i said , glad i gave you a laugh though .
Rather be short on the fairway 👍
70 yards away, all day long
Correlation is not causation 🤣🤣🤣. But breaking 80 is an accomplishment in my book regardless.
You’re talking to people who don’t practice in a bunker…greenside bunker play is easy. (5marker)
The problem here is..... I'm awful at chipping, I'd often fat one, thin one, then chip on. Walk off with a 6.
I'm better out of sand, more often than not I'll make 5 from there, with a few 4s thrown in.
These are averages so if you excess in something, carry on doing it 👍
@@CoachLockey nah just pointing more to the fact that leaving myself a short chip terrifies me 🤣
70 yards out without even thinking twice.
70…. Any day of the week because bunkers at public golf courses are incredibly erratic.
If its that bunker that you were in with that lie I'd take the bunker
Bunker shots are the easiest shots in golf…you don’t even hit the ball. Nothing beats practice
Neither one bothers Me.
What are you doing being so negative about bunker play?
70 yds all day long
Bunker. All day long.
Bunker all day