CHARPTER THREE 第三章

HOW TO ESCAPE FROM SAND 沙坑脱困（1）

*** Making the Hard Easy （沙坑球不可怕）

There are tough shots, and then there was the one I had on the 16^th hole at Poipu Bay Restort in Hawaii during the 1997 Grand Slam of Golf. With three holes to play, I was trailing Ernie Els by three shots and desperately needed a birdie to have even an outside chance of catching him. When I saw my approach to 16 drop into the right greenside bunker, I knew a birdie would be unlikely, but not impossible. I’d holed sand shots before.

But when I got close enough to observe my lie, I saw a shot that was close to impossible. The ball had buried into the thick, wet sand. Worse, it was on a severe down-slope. To get the ball out of the bunker would be very difficult, and if I did there was no way it was going to hold the green. A thick clump of bushes beyond the green was beckoning to my ball. I was a dead man.

我记得一些很难的击球，1997年夏威夷坡伊普湾PGA锦标赛，还剩三洞时，厄尼艾尔斯领先我三杆，我极度渴望能入账小鸟来获得追平的机会，虽然追平的希望几乎等于零。16号洞，我on果岭一杆落入果岭右边沙坑，我知道，鸟的机会很渺茫了，但不是没有，因为我有过从沙坑击球入洞的经历。

但是，当我走近我的球的时候，我知道，鸟是没有希望了，球陷在又厚又湿的沙中，而且是坡度很大的下坡球位，就算我能把球击出沙坑上到果岭，球也是停不住的，而果岭的那一头是厚密的灌木丛，正等着吞没我的球。完了！

Or was I? A steep, grassy embankment was just beyond the bunker. If I could somehow make the ball fly directly into the embankment, the ball might release forward and get on the green. It was a 100-1 shot, but I had to try.

I addressed the ball as though I were ready to chop wood. I didn’t swing the club back so much as lift it straight in the air, then brought it down into the sand as though I were swinging an ax. I swung as hard as I could, closing my eyes tight, and hoped for the best.

When I found the courage to peek at the outcome, I saw an amazing sight. The ball had shot straight forward like a bullet and slammed into the embankment. The ball jumped into the air a good three feet and continued forward, stopping two feet from the hole. I knocked the putt in for one of the best pars of my life. And very proudly tipped my cap to the gallery even Ernie congratulated me. Ernie parred the hole and held on to win by three. But that sand shot, which ranks as one of the best I’ve played in my life, made my day and eased the pain of losing.

一段陡直的爬满草的堤墙就在沙坑后面，我想到了一个不是办法的办法：如果我把球击向堤墙，或许球能被墙撞回到果岭上，我必须试一试，即使只有百分之一的机会！

我的瞄准看起来有点像砍柴的架势，我直接把杆提了上去，然后像挥动一把斧子一样，砍向球，我紧紧地闭上眼睛，用力一挥，期待奇迹。

当我终于有勇气睁开眼睛看结果的时候，我看到令人惊讶的一幕，球像子弹一样撞到堤墙后，往回弹了三英尺，然后继续向前，停在距洞口2英尺的地方。我把球推入了洞杯，这是我打球生涯中的好PAR之一。我举了举帽沿向观众致意，厄尼也祝贺了我，他这个洞打PAR，然后以三杆的优势赢了比赛。这个我一生中的最好的救球之一，极大地安慰了我，让我忘记了这一天的输球。

*** The No-Fail Setup （站位很重要）

More than for any other shot in golf, the setup for the standard bunker shot determines the type of swing I make and the way the club behaves when it enters the sand. It’s a four-part process.

=== I open my stance

I align everything—my feet, hips and shoulders—to the left of the target. That preprograms an out-to-in swing, the club head cutting across the sand and the ball through impact.

=== I open the clubface

I aim the clubface to the right of the target the amount you see here. That does two things: it increases the loft of clubface so I can hit the ball high and soft, and it also increases the amount of “bounce” on the sole of the club-head.

=== I weaken my grip

The last thing I want on a sand shot is for the clubface to rotate to a closed position through impact. To discourage that rotation, I weaken my left hand grip at address, so the back of my left hand faces the target.  

=== I position the ball forward

I like it just opposite my left heel. Playing the ball forward promotes a higher trajectory, and also encourages me to slide the club-head through the sand.

沙坑击球的站位很关键，决定了我挥杆的方式和杆头触及沙时的表现，四个方面要注意：

1、  站位开放。脚，臀部，肩膀对着目标线的左侧，预设了一个out-to-in的挥杆路径，击球时杆头穿过沙和和沙上的球。

2、  杆面打开。我的杆面瞄着目标的右侧，你可以从图中看到杆面打开的程度。这样做的好处有两个，一是增加了杆面角，便于实现高而柔和击球，同时也增加了杆头底部的反弹角。

3、  弱势握杆。杆面在击球时，会旋转而成为闭合状态，为了避免这种情况，我左手弱势握杆，手背朝着目标。

4、  球位正对左脚后跟。球位在前能保证高弹道，而且杆头也容易滑过球下的沙。

*** Easy Does It （轻松挥杆）

Remember one thing: the standard bunker shot is about technique, not about strength. I don’t apply any more effort than I would on a 40-yard shot from the fairway.

=== I downsize my swing

I don’t need a long swing with lots of body action, as there is no need for extra distance. I keep my grip pressure light, maintain an easy rhythm and swing my hands to about shoulder height.

=== I cock my wrist fully

    The club-head speed I generate comes mainly from my hands and arms. I break my wrists early on the back-swing and cock them all the way. This is a very “handsy” shot, with very little movement in my hips and legs.

=== I’m a right-hand man

    The swing on the greenside bunker shot is dominated by the right hand. Through impact, the action is very similar to throwing a ball.

=== I go ahead and release

    Even though I’ve really slung the club through the sand with my right hand, you’ll notice that the toe of the club-head hasn’t turned over fully after impact. That’s due to my weak left hand grip. I know the ball will come out high and soft.

=== I slide, I don’t chop

    See how the sand is being thrown forward on a fairly low angle? That’s because I haven’t hit too steeply on the ball. I simply try to swing through impact into the follow-through, the ball coming out on a small cushion of sand.

    沙坑杆需要技巧而不是力量，我所用的力量不会大于球道上40码的击球。

1、  挥杆弧度变窄。因为所需的落点距离不长，因而不需要完整的挥杆弧度和过多身体动作，握杆松，挥杆节奏清晰，上杆时手大概到肩膀的高度。

2、  手腕屈腕充分。杆头的速度主要来自于手和手臂，上杆起始，我就屈腕并保持，这是一个充分使用手的挥杆，我的胯部和腿部移动很少。

3、  右手为主导手（惯用右手）。果岭边的沙坑球，右手起着主要作用，击球的动作就好像用右手扔一块石头。

4、  送杆充分释放。右手把杆“扔”向球，击球后，杆的趾部并不完全翻转，这是因为左手的弱势握杆，这样击出的球又高又能着地。

5、  滑过而不是砍。击球后低低扬起的沙子，表明我没有砍向球而是从球底下的沙子滑过并送杆，球是垫在小小的沙枕上被杆头送出沙坑的。

*** How Much Sand Do I Take?

The amount of sand I take depends on how much spin I want to put on the ball. I’ve drawn lies to indicate where the club-head should enter the sand, which determines how much backspin I will apply. When I want the ball to run after it hits the green, I aim for a spot about three inches behind the ball. The ball then comes out on a thick cushion of sand with hardly any backspin.

When I want to hit the ball high and make a stop quickly, I’ll hit maybe an inch behind the ball, sometimes less. I very rarely try to pick the ball cleanly without taking any sand at all, as the ball can very easily get away from me and fly too far.

击球后扬起的沙子数量会由于倒旋的要求不同而有差异。我在球后画线表明杆头入沙的距离，不同的距离代表不同的倒旋程度。如果我希望球在落到果岭后继续往前滚动，我的入沙点是在球后三英寸，球被厚厚的沙托着出沙坑，倒旋很少。

如果我想让球高高飞起，即落即停，我的入沙点会在球后一英寸，甚至更少。我很少会击球不带沙，因为这样很容易让球飞得太远。