CHARPTER THREE 第三章

HOW TO ESCAPE FROM SAND 沙坑脱困（2）

*** Why the Sand Wedge Works 独特的沙坑杆

The sand wedge has the most distinctive deign of any club in the bag. It is very well suited for sand, because the design prevents the club-head from digging too deeply, which would cause me to flub the shot. Note the side-by-side comparison between a typical sand wedge and its closet relative, the pitching wedge.

=== The flange along the sole of the club-head extends lower than the leading edge. That causes the club to behave like a rudder when it strikes the sand, skidding through it easily instead of penetrating too deeply.

=== The flange also is wider from back to front than the soles of the other irons. That’s another reason it glides through the sand rather than digging deeply into it.

=== The sand wedge is the shortest club in the bag (except for your putter), and is also the heaviest. That extra mass helps the club-head penetrate the sand just far enough to slide under the ball.

=== The sand wedge has more loft than any other club, anywhere form 52 degrees to more than 60. When I’m playing from a greenside bunker to a pin cut near the edge of the green, I need as much height on the shot as possible.

为了适合沙坑的击球，防止杆头入沙太深而出现各种失误，沙坑杆的设计很独特，仔细比较一下典型的沙坑杆和它的近邻劈起杆的设计，可以看出端倪。

1、  杆头底部的凸缘低于杆面的底沿，这个设计犹如给杆头按了转舵，击沙的时候杆头比较容易从沙面下滑出，而不会向下深掘。

2、  沙坑杆底部的凸缘要比其他铁杆更宽一些，这也是为了保证从沙面下滑过而不是深击入沙。

3、  除了推杆外，沙坑杆是球包中最短的杆，但却是最重的，这份额外的重量也是为了保证杆头既能砍入沙又能顺利从球下的沙面滑出。

4、  沙坑杆的角度比其他杆更大，从52度到大于60度。在果岭边的沙坑球，如果洞杯离得很近，就需要大角度来切出一个高高的沙坑球。

*** I Always Accelerate 挥杆加速

If there is one mistake common among poor bunker players, it’s decelerating through impact. It probably stems from hitting at the ball instead of through it. To be consistent from sand, the club-head must be gaining speed when it enters the sand instead of slowing down. This is true even on short bunker shots. I try to imagine that the club is traveling its fastest at a point six inches beyond the ball.

在击球时收力减速是打沙坑球的一个常见错误，这往往是因为击到了球，而不是球下的沙。为了保证恒速穿过球下的沙，需要确保杆头是以加速度而不是减速入沙，即使是短距离的沙坑击球也必须如此。我认为我的杆头在击球后的六英寸达到最高速。

*** A Primer on the Buried Lie 荷包蛋的处理

A ball buried in sand can work on you mind. Remember that shot I pulled off from a buried lie at the Grand Slam of Golf in Hawaii? When I first saw that the ball was buried, I didn’t exactly look forward to playing it. I won’t lie; I was discouraged. Not only did I have an awkward stance, but the fact that the ball was buried meant I would have limited control over how the ball behaved when I hit it. I realize I would need a lot of luck just to get up and down and that a birdie was almost out of the question. It was all I could do to pull myself together and apply everything I had into playing that shot.

At first blush, buried lies bum all of us out.

Truth is, buried lies aren’t all that difficult to play—if you don’t count that lucky shot I pulled off in Hawaii. Sure you won’t hit the ball as close to the hole consistently as you would from a perfect lie, but you can still hit the ball close enough to have a reasonable chance at an up-and-down.

沙坑中“荷包蛋”总让人很无奈。还记得我在夏威夷坡伊普湾PGA锦标赛中的那个沙坑球吗？那是一个“荷包蛋”。当我看到球的时候，说真的，真希望这球不是我的。没法站位，无法预知击打后的球会出现什么情况，运气是我的指望，至于小鸟，已无踪影。我只能打起精神，尽力而为。

“荷包蛋”让人不爽！但是并不都是那么难以处理，运气也不是唯一的指望。虽然，不能像击打一个好球位的球一样，让球尽可能近洞，但是至少我们也能期待一切一推。

=== I hit the spot

To get the ball out of the plugged lie, I have to find a way to make the club penetrate the sand as deeply as possibly. I want to take a divot that is deep enough to bury a small animal in. I like to aim for a spot about two inches behind the ball—that’s where the divot starts.

=== I open up and lean to the left

I’m going to need a very vertical swing, the club entering the sand on as steep an angle as possible. I adjust my setup accordingly: (1) I address the ball with an open stance to encourage a steep, out-to-in swing path; (2) I lean to my left so my spine is more vertical as opposed to being slanted to my right; (3) I open the club-face and position my hands ahead of the ball.

=== forget finesse!

This is no time to make a soft, cozy swing. I put a lot of effort into the shot, applying extra force with my right hand. Remember, I swing down as opposed to through the shot. I’ll have almost no follow-through because the sand will stop the club-head less than a foot after impact. The ball will come out with almost no spin, so I allow for extra run.

1、  入沙点。要把陷入沙中的球击出来，我必须让杆头尽可能入沙深些，掏出沙后形成的小沙坑能放入一只小动物，我的入沙点是在球后2英寸，这个是我掏出的小沙坑沿的起点。

2、  站位打开，人倾向左侧。我需要一个几乎垂直的下杆，我的站姿做以下的调整：（1）、站位打开，我的挥杆路径陡直地由外向内。（2）、人倾向左侧，垂直的脊柱保证了我人不会倚右。（3）、杆面打开，双手置于球前。

3、  击球猛力。我用力击球，尤其是我的右手，这样情况的球不可能再有一个舒缓的挥杆了，我几乎是垂直下杆，而且没有送杆，因为入沙较深的杆头被沙子阻挡了，送出沙坑的球几乎没有倒旋，因而要考虑到球滚动的距离。

*** The Hardest Shot in Golf 最难的沙坑球

No doubt about it, the toughest shot to play well consistently is the long explosion. By long, I mean a shot of about 30 yards—too long to play with your greenside bunker technique, too short to play like you would a full shot from a fairway bunker. There is an effective way to play it, but even after I show you how, you’re going to need lots of practice. I experiment with different clubs, too. For a 30-yard shot I’ll use anything from sand wedge to 8-iron depending on the lie.

最难的沙坑球是30码距离左右的沙坑击球，果岭边的短距离沙坑击球技巧用不上，球道沙坑的全挥击球也不适合。我有一个办法，但是这个办法同样需要无数的练习，我可以在这样的距离上用不同的杆，根据球位的不同沙坑杆到8号铁都是我的选择。

=== I modify my setup

    Because this shot requires as much body action as a full-swing shot from the fairway, I set up with my feet and shoulders open very slightly to the target line. I don’t want to be so open that I can’t turn freely, but I am open enough to make the club-head approach the ball on a head-on path instead of from inside the target line.

=== Club-face is square, ball slightly forward.

    Opening the club-face increases loft, and I don’t want to hit the ball so high that it can’t travel far enough forward to reach the green. So I set the club-face square to the target line. I also will want to take just a little sand on this shot, so I aim about an inch behind the ball. Precision is everything. Take more sand than that, and I’ll come up short. Hit the ball thin, I’ll airmail the green.

=== I swing with controlled fury

    I’ll need as much club-head speed as I can muster, so I’ll want to make as big a backswing as I comfortably can. But remember what I said about precision—I make sure I keep my head still, and maintain a smooth tempo. I swing through the ball with lots of acceleration, arriving at a full, complete finish.

1、  调整站姿。这种距离的击球就如从球道上击球一样，需要身体动作。我脚位和肩膀向瞄准线打开，这样有助于杆头垂直下杆击球而不是从瞄准线的内侧下杆，但不能过度打开，以免限制身体转动。

2、  杆面方正，球位靠前。打开杆面，增加杆面角，但是我不希望击球太高，影响落点距离，所以我的杆面是正对瞄准线，我的入沙点在球后一英寸，因此，击球时带起的沙不多，如果带起的沙过多，会影响距离，然而也不能带的太少，这样会打薄，球就会飞远了，精准是第一位。

3、  我的力度是有控制的。我尽力提升杆头速度，所以，我的上杆尽可能大，但是精准是我的目标，我的头保持不动，节奏顺畅，下杆加速，送杆完整。

*** Dialing in My Distance 距离的控制

    Making the transition from a short sand shot to a longer one is pretty tricky. A lot of players regulate their distance by opening or closing the club-face, or else varying how much sand they take. I prefer to regulate how far the ball flies by adjusting the length of my follow-through. The longer the shot, the harder I try to achieve a full complete finish. This little tricky is very effective, because in order to lengthen my follow-through, I have to accelerate pretty fiercely through impact. On the other hand, a short follow-through means I haven’t swung all out through impact and the ball won’t travel as far.

    沙坑杆距离的控制是一门技巧，许多球手通过杆面打开的程度来控制距离，或者通过击打后的沙量来控制距离，我是通过送杆来控制距离的。如果距离长，我的送杆就越完整，这个小技法对我很管用，因为，为了有一个完整的送杆，我的击球加速度就大；如果收杆不是那么完整，那么就意味着我击球时不是全力加速，球的飞行距离由此得到控制。