Challenging Sand Hazards

Sand Hazards are not all built alike. They often vary in depth, sand quality and type, edging, and placement. The shot out of a sand trap may require additional loft in order to make it out safely due to the depth. A sand wedge gives that loft, but if the hazard isn't all that deep, a different iron or driver can be used. It requires the judgment of the golfer to decide which club to use based on that initial depth but also the distance the golfer would like to go.

The picture above taken at the former Walkabout Golf Club, now the Indian River Preserve Golf Club in Mims, Florida, shows one of the nastier type of sand hazards, one dug into a hill situated in the middle of the course. The golfer must hit over the hill on their fairway shot with enough loft and distance to avoid landing in the sand hazard.

If a golfer is unlucky enough to fall within the sand hazard, they must hit without knowing where to place the ball. A walk to the top of the hill will often be enough to site the flag on the green, but they must choose a tree or other feature of the course to act as the target. This sand hazard is deep enough that club with more loft is needed. The penalty for the golfer that finds their ball is this hazard is that the loft needed may make it impossible to reach the green on the next shot, so their penalty is extra shots.

I've always managed to miss this particular golf hazard known as the church pews at Royal St Cloud Golf Club in St. Cloud, Florida but I've seen others fight it. The green grass pews sit within a relatively flat sand hazard but they are curved and the grass is hard to mow so it is often deep grass. If the ball lands near the sand-grass edge, the golfer faces interference from that edge. If it lands in the deep grass, it may have an uphill or downhill lie due to the curvature. Downhill lies often result in a flat hit without loft so the ball might end up in the sand. If the golfer doesn't hit out of the sand with enough distance, they are likely to hit out of the sand again, and maybe again. This one has more pews than are shown, with the green grass sections perpendicular to the direction of the flag.

Some sand hazards are more decorative, like these at Washington National Golf Course in Auburn, Washington. Here the purpose is to show off the UW Husky "W" while also guarding the green. Shots directly to the green that fall short will fall in the first sand hazard, while the ones to the side will pick up any shots that veer left.  They are somewhat deep and the distance from the trap to the green is not as short as a player might wish. 

Phil Mickelson's book "Secrets of the Short Game" on how to get out of a golf bunker or sand hazard made the most sense to me when I read about how to do it. His video below offers some helpful tips: