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I need mental help


TheWahoo

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Went I say I need mental help it relates to my golf game :-).   Regarding any other mental difficulties, when asked how do I handle them, I just say I don't handle them, I rather enjoy them.   But such is not the case, with my golf game.

 

In another thread, I noted my inability to get out of green side sand bunkers.   Having taken lessons from multiple instructors, watched multiple videos and read quite a number of articles, the general consensus is that my difficulty is mental.  I seems that when I land in a bunker, I have some sort of panic.  

 

Accordingly, permit me to ask if any of my fellow spies have experienced a similar mental block and overcame it.  If so, it would be really helpful to know how it was done.  

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First thing first, have any of the lessons helped? I'm going to assume no. That being said the best advice I have is to practice sand play and practice it correctly. I know that bunkers scare a lot of people. It does not have to be this way.

 

When I was in college I worked at a golf camp outside of Pittsburgh. I taught bunker play all summer. We taught everyone that you needed to practice in the sand and that it can actually become fun.

 

We would have the kids draw lines in the sand one open to the target for your feet. And one on your line to the target. They would place the ball on that target line and then draw a circle around the ball at least 1.5” away from the ball. And then we told them to swing. And I mean swing. We didn't want them to leave a shot in the bunker. We found it was easier to dial the swing back then to get someone to learn to swing through. Yes it lead to many laughs as balls sailed over the green but by the end of the week everyone could get out.

 

Bunkers are a hazard but with practice and a positive, yes positive attitude you can become a good bunker player and surprise your partners in your next match.

 

 

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 Hey cuz I need mental help all the time however that's why they use to call me Wild Bill. Anyways get yourself one of them big butt wedges like the Cleveland S.  Take that puppy, lign up square and whack the hell out of it.  Done be shy.  You got to go on through the sand like ya spanking that bully's arse in the 5th grade.  Good luck bro. 

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Can't say I've had that issue. Until this past year I considered myself a pretty decent bunker player. I struggled in 2017 for some reason.

Wahoo.... why don't you try one of those sand irons advertised on TV? I mean... who gives a flip? It they are easy to play and it helps your game you're a winner. It's not what you write on a card. It's how many.

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Wahoo, I agree with Plaid and Ole Gray, but I would recommend the C3i wedge you see advertised on TV. in that MyGolfSpy test it performed the best at getting the ball up and out of the sand, leaving only 6% in the bunker of 96 shots. 

 

However, if you are willing to put in the work, I'm reminded of the mantra that Vijay Singh said help him overcoming his putting woes. Before every putt he would say to himself, "I am the best putter in the world" and it calmed him and gave him confidence. Maybe a mantra of "I'm the best bunker player in the world" could help. Other than that it's practice, practice, practice.

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Lots of people here can give mental help; we ooze it.

 

I spent 20+ years playing a local course that had no bunkers, so I had no idea how to hit out of them.  Like you I was dejected whenever I found myself in one when we played other courses.  I didn't do well.  When I joined my current course two years ago, I was in the sand a lot because this course has a lot of sand.  Some rounds, being in the bunkers meant the difference between a sub-80 round and a 90 round.  

 

Like you I took lessons and watched videos, and my big miss in the bunkers was Shankster's shot.  I spent a lot of time in our practice bunker.  I bought my SCOR wedges two years before I came to the course and my sand wedge was still nearly new when I got here.  You should see it now!!  Needs replacing.  Can't be steep with the swing, and the bounce is your friend.  Drawing the lines in the sand as mentioned above is essential to know where to enter and exit the sand.  You can practice in the bunker without using a ball.  If you can throw sand out of the bunker without a ball, then the ball will come out.

 

I am by no means great out of bunkers, but they don't scare me like they used to.  Now fairway bunkers are my nemesis.

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"...seems that when I land in a bunker, I have some sort of panic"

 

Oh boy do I share your pain and anguish ;-) there...! I seem to go deaf, dumb(-er) and blind and get tense and freeze up......

 

I'll be following this thread looking for pointers; sorry I cannot offer up any good ones myself.

 

But I will be spending more time practicing with the "Pocket Bunker" .. that spidery-looking doodad in the photo is supposed to simulate a ball lying in a bunker; ie. you don't need access to an actual sand bunker to practice.

 

Certainly, there are specific and specialized sand shot techniques to be learned .. so I'll be working on that also!IMG_20170814_181447529.jpg

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Wahoo, I know you're probably sick of tips, but here's one for your practice sessions. I don't like getting sandy or beating up my grooves so I do this:

 

Hit short flop shots out of the rough. Lots of them. The feel, swing path, impact, and reaction are almost identical. I hardly ever practice bunker shots but I practice these a bunch and play well out of the bunkers.

 

Then when you're ready to start getting aggressive out of the bunkers, practice flop shots off tight lies to take shallower skims and get more spin.

 

I think if you spend some time with these and zero time in the bunker, you'll get better on the course visualizing the right shot if you pretend you're in grass.

____________________________________

 

Getting to your question on my own mental block. I was atrocious between 50-100y so I got a shag bag and devoted no less than 90% of my practice time to that distance range.

 

I'm in tune with my body so I can usually feel out swing mechanic fixes. I read articles for general concepts and worked on 5 different clubs so I can handle it in all types of wind and shot types required.

 

I'm still not perfect at these shots but I'm leaps and bounds ahead of where I was. You gotta put that hard time in to fix your mental blocks.

 

 

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To those that have responded to my post and to those that may respond, please accept my sincere thank you.   I am not going to give up and hopefully someday I can report that while I don't like sand bunkers they no longer scare the heck out of me.  

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I sure have I am normally a very good bunker player but after blading a couple to start a season I lost all my confidence out of the trap. I swear after I lost confidence in the shot I ended up hitting into more bunkers then I ever had before. Let's just say it was a long year. The following season I went to the range and hit some bunker shots and was back to normal. I guess getting away from it for a bit settled me back down.

 

I'm having a similar struggle right now with the big stick, I can't help to either hit a big block or pull hook it.

 

I think the only thing I have figured out from these two events is I need to learn to shut that voice in my head off and just swing the club.

 

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I'd rather hit a fairway bunker than greenside I was 5/5 with greens in reg out of the fairway. My bunker save % this year sucked but in my defense lots of bunkers were hard as a rock or wet as hell.

 

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Wahoo...some good advise in hear.  Also remember my course has a practice bunker, you're welcome up here anytime and just dig yourself in for a whole day of work if you'd like!!

 

Can't say I've had that issue. Until this past year I considered myself a pretty decent bunker player. I struggled in 2017 for some reason.

Wahoo.... why don't you try one of those sand irons advertised on TV? I mean... who gives a flip? It they are easy to play and it helps your game you're a winner. It's not what you write on a card. It's how many.

I was going to suggest the same thing.  It can't hurt it right?

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I'd rather hit a fairway bunker than greenside I was 5/5 with greens in reg out of the fairway. My bunker save % this year sucked but in my defense lots of bunkers were hard as a rock or wet as hell.

 

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I'm impressed!!  I'm a fairly straight hitter so I don't usually get in fairway bunkers.  However, after spending the last couple of years learning how to extract myself from greenside bunkers, I find myself hitting the same shot out of fairway bunkers.  Again, it's all mental.  When in sand... must hit behind the ball.   :(

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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I'm impressed!! I'm a fairly straight hitter so I don't usually get in fairway bunkers. However, after spending the last couple of years learning how to extract myself from greenside bunkers, I find myself hitting the same shot out of fairway bunkers. Again, it's all mental. When in sand... must hit behind the ball. :(

The one local course I play has a 600 yard par 5 and the fairway bunker is right in the area of where I land my second shot and I hit a 9 iron out of it so 130 twice leaving myself birdie putts. Other times it was just a bad line I picked on courses I don't play often.

 

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Light bulb

 

Could it be the fact that you can't ground your club in the bunker? I could see that being a mental block without you even knowing.

 

Maybe you just need a little practice without grounding so you can consistently deliver the club to a "new" spot?

 

 

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Light bulb

 

Could it be the fact that you can't ground your club in the bunker? I could see that being a mental block without you even knowing.

 

Maybe you just need a little practice without grounding so you can consistently deliver the club to a "new" spot?

 

 

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Definitely was for me. That's why I hated my driver. If I hover the dang thing it's like I forget what I'm doing. Hence the better results with it on the deck and/or 3 wood. That and I was timid so I'd leave the face too open and there's the S word.

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Shameless self promotion:

 

 

Wahoo, you could try the Pseudo Sand Shot drill I posted in the practice thread here:

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/17157-whathow-did-you-practice-today/?p=356613

 

 

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Green-side bunkers, the easiest way to get out. For practice, place the ball in the bunker, then touch the club in the sand about one and a half to two inches behind the ball, open the face of the club, this will increase the bounce, dig your feet into the sand so you have a good steady base, the ball position should be near your front foot, maybe a little in front of your driver ball position, then swing, your entry point to the sand is the mark that you drew in the sand, it's important that you swing the club with speed you cannot short arm your swing or half swing, you need club head speed to get out, so you need to accelerate through the ball. I wouldn't worry about going after the flag to start, the object is to get out, so aim for the fat area of the green. I consider myself a pretty good bunker player, and I dont always hit it exactly how I want, don't get discouraged if it doesn't work how you want, keep practicing and once you get it, it becomes no big deal.

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I feel your pain, I've been playing golf on and off for 20 years and for some reason when I get in a greenside bunker I just tighten up and lose all control and concentration. If I really concentrate and make sure to keep my head down and eye on the ball throughout the swing, I usually do okay, but that's easier said than done. Not sure I can help you with the green side anxiety, I've tried alcohol and Pharmaceuticals, nothing seems to work.

 

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"...seems that when I land in a bunker, I have some sort of panic"

 

Oh boy do I share your pain and anguish ;-) there...! I seem to go deaf, dumb(-er) and blind and get tense and freeze up......

 

I'll be following this thread looking for pointers; sorry I cannot offer up any good ones myself.

 

But I will be spending more time practicing with the "Pocket Bunker" .. that spidery-looking doodad in the photo is supposed to simulate a ball lying in a bunker; ie. you don't need access to an actual sand bunker to practice.

 

Certainly, there are specific and specialized sand shot techniques to be learned .. so I'll be working on that also!attachicon.gifIMG_20170814_181447529.jpg

I did a little review on these; they're a good tool, IMO.

Pocket Bunker - Pocket Review

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/index.php?/topic/18263-Pocket-Bunker---Pocket-Review

 

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Went I say I need mental help it relates to my golf game :-). Regarding any other mental difficulties, when asked how do I handle them, I just say I don't handle them, I rather enjoy them. But such is not the case, with my golf game.

 

In another thread, I noted my inability to get out of green side sand bunkers. Having taken lessons from multiple instructors, watched multiple videos and read quite a number of articles, the general consensus is that my difficulty is mental. I seems that when I land in a bunker, I have some sort of panic.

 

Accordingly, permit me to ask if any of my fellow spies have experienced a similar mental block and overcame it. If so, it would be really helpful to know how it was done.

Yes - and then I won those SCOR wedges in the MGS tour staff contest. I took the 60, went into a bunker, just swung normal with the face slightly open and hit behind the ball - the ball came out, landed on the green and rolled to around 10 feet.

 

I've never looked back. I use the 56 when the pin is farther away and sometimes the 52. It comes out and goes on the green nearly every time. Sometimes it gets close. I no longer fear bunkers.

 

I'm on pause with the Hogan testing because of the cold weather but from what little I've tried the TK wedges will produce similar results.

 

Try them - you'll like them and their versatility can't be beat.

 

They are no brainers out of the sand.

 

 

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To those that have responded to my post and to those that may respond, please accept my sincere thank you.   I am not going to give up and hopefully someday I can report that while I don't like sand bunkers they no longer scare the heck out of me.  

I'm going to throw out another "suggestion".  See what I'm doing here?  You could try a hypnotist.  Get rid of the mental thing altogether.  Make you think you are Seve, but make sure that you don't get a suggestion that every time you get out of the bunker, you do the chicken dance.   :D

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Check out this app - Golf Fix Finder. Maybe some help?

 

I've also found when I muff a bunker or chip shot, it's often because I'm choking the grip - probably from nerves. Loosen up the grip and swing easy - boom!

 

GOLF Fix Finder by Time Inc.

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/golf-fix-finder/id1094756535?mt=8

Also found "30 Second Swing" helpful (book not an app)

 

 

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I also saw the video where Nancy Lopez describes teaching students how to hit out of bunkers.  She had them use a marshmallow as the ball, and if it didn't come out, they had to eat it.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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I had this for a while actually, the course I learned on didn't have bunkers or anything of the sort. I know this isn't a popular answer but for me It eventually came down to committing A LOT of time hitting sand shots, I'm talking hours at a time. After a while I got a little less jittery and then I started to get more and more comfortable until eventually and reservations I had about the shot went away.

 

 

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