CHARPTER THREE 第三章

HOW TO ESCAPE FROM SAND 沙坑脱困（3）

*** For Quick Height Maintain Loft  保持杆面角击出高球

One of the things I love playing in the British Open is the unique course design features you see in Scotland and England. The most dramatic may be the steep, sod-faced bunker that are easy to get into and brutal trying to escape from. I try to avoid these monstrosities at almost any cost, because you sometimes are forced to play side-ways to get out of one, and I don’t like throwing away strokes. I’m getting good at avoiding them, too—when I won the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews, I don’t land in one all week.

That wasn’t the case at Carnoustie, where the British Open was played in 1999 and where the photo below was taken. The picture shows how I pulled the shot off. See how the face of my sand wedge is still facing skyward? That shows I maintained the loft of the club-face, never allowing the club-head to turn over through impact. And look at how much sand I took. That shows the importance of penetrating the sand deeply enough for the club head to slide under the ball and get it up in the air.

不管是在英格兰还是苏格兰，英国公开赛独特的球场设计总是吸引我，最最独特的是陡峭的坑壁布满草的沙坑，一不留神球就进去了，要想出来，就没那么容易了。为了避免多一杆，我竭力避开这些张口的怪兽，因为一旦进去了，就有可能要迂回才能打出来，多一杆是难免的。2000年我在圣安德鲁斯赢得英国公开赛时，一周中，我一次也没进入沙坑，我成功地避开了它们。

卡斯蒂诺球场的情况就不一样了，1999年的英国公开赛在那里举行，我下面的图就是那时候拍的。大家可以看到我是如何击球的，我的杆面在击球后依然朝天，在触球后我尽力保持了杆面角；在图中，我击球扬起的沙很是壮观，下杆劈沙深入，杆头穿过球底，球高高飞起。

*** Some Explosive Thoughts  个人感受

I believe the principles of good sand play are pretty much the same for everyone. If you want to hit the ball higher, there’s no arguing that you must either open the club-face or position the ball forward in your stance to increase your launch angle. I mean, there’s no other sound way to obtain more height on the shot.

There are other principles that have more to do with strategy and club selection than with physics and swing mechanics. Every amateur (high handicappers especially) should obey the following rules at all times.

=== Form fairway bunkers, forget about using any club longer than 4-iron unless the    

        sand is moist and packed with the ball perched in perfect lie.

=== Take at least one club more than you would from grass at the same distance.

=== The longer the shot, the lighter you should hold the club. That increases your ability 

        to generate speed, and speed is necessary on every shot from sand.

=== If your lie is even a little dicey, position the ball at least an inch farther back in your

        stance than you would from a perfect lie. If the lie is bad, play it back even further.

=== from greenside bunkers, aim for the top of the flagstick—most misses from sand

         come up short rather than long, so give yourself the benefit of the doubt.

沙坑球的击打原则应该是适合所有人的，如果想击高球，毫无疑问得打开杆面，球位置前，以增加杆面击打角度。也许，就这两个方法最好了。

沙坑球的另外一些原则是关于击球策略和选杆的，对于业余球手，我的建议如下：

1、  除非沙子是湿而且紧实，而球位又很好的情况下，不要使用4号铁杆以上的杆。

2、  比在草上同样的距离加大一号杆。

3、  距离愈长，握杆愈轻，轻握的杆头才能实现加速，速度是击打沙坑的必要条件。

4、  如果打位不是那么让人看着放心，球位的置放就要靠后一些，如果是一个很不理想的打位，那就更要置放靠后。

5、  果岭边的沙坑球容易打短，要瞄着旗杆打，相信自己的判断。

*** Tiger Tale: How to Play from Fairway Bunkers 球道沙坑

     Some people say the best shot they’ve ever seen me hit was a 6-iron from a fairway bunker on the 72^nd hole of the 2000 Canadian Open. I don’t know about it being my best shot ever, but it definitely was one of the best shot I hit all year and it has to rank up there among my most memorable sand shots. Explaining how I played it really is four lessons in one—it includes strategy, trusting your swing, proper club selection and reading the elements.

      At the time I was holding on to a one-stroke lead over Grant Wait, who I just couldn’t shake all day even though I was playing very well. My drive on the last hole had drifted into the fairway bunker, and I had exactly 218 yards to the pin. Grant’s shot had found the fairway but he was away and would hit first. The outcomes of his shot would determine whether I played safely or aggressively. When he knocked his ball on the green only 20 feet form the hole, it really forced my hand. Instead of taking a short club and aiming for the middle of the green, I had to take one more club and try to hit it close.

     There are easier shots in golf. In addition to the distance—218 yards is a long way to hit a 6-iron even from a perfect lie in the fairway—it was raining and the wind was blowing from the left, directly toward the water that was set hard by the right side of the green. I decided on the 6-iron and aimed for the middle of the green, hoping the wind would blow the ball a little to the right.

      观众们认为我打的最好的球是2000年加拿大公开赛第72洞在球道沙坑的6铁击球，我不知道我还会不会打出更好的球，但是这个球确实是我这些年来打得最好的球之一，在我记忆中的沙坑球中排在前列。回想这个球时，我想到了四个方面：击球策略，挥杆自信，选杆和情况判断。

      这一天，我一直领先格兰特维特一杆，虽然我打得很好，但是总也拉不开与他的距离。最后一洞，我的球开到了沙坑，距离旗杆218码。格兰特的球在球道，但比我距离短，所以他先打，我等着他的击球效果，以此来决定安全还是激进的击球。他的球落到果岭距离旗杆20英尺，这逼着我必须出手，所以，我打消了用小一号的铁杆，瞄准果岭中心的想法，我必须用大一号杆。

      这一杆不容易，218码，对于球道上的好球位用6铁来打也并不容易，更何况天还下着雨，风从左侧吹来，果岭的右边是水，我拿起6铁，瞄着果岭的中间，希望风能把球吹到右边一点。

      As for how I played the shot, I had been working on a new fairway bunker technique I had discovered back home in Orlando. It consisted of my flattening my swing plane a little bit in order to shallow out my angle of approach into the ball and provide a little more margin for error. I also had weakened my left hand grip to make sure the club-face wouldn’t turn over through impact. It had worked well in practice, but practice and competition are two different things.

      I decided to give that new technique a try. If not now, when? Eventually you have to put techniques to the fire to see if they hold up. And I had a long going for me. I had a great lie, my confidence was high and I was feeling strong.

      I set up slightly open to promote a tiny fade. Then I just ripped it. I knew it would be pretty good the moment the ball left the club-face, and sure enough, the wind carry the ball a little to the right, just past hole-high. A chip and a putt from there, and I took home the trophy. The most satisfy thing about that shot—the fun thing, really—was pulling it off under pressure.

     在奥兰多我学习了一种新的球道沙坑打法，我的挥杆平面稍稍扁平一些，这样的击球入沙角能浅一些，因而容错率高一些。我左手轻握，来保证在击球时的杆面不至于翻转，这个击球方法在练习时的效果很好，但是，现在是比赛，练习和比赛是两码事。

      我还是想试一试这个新的打法，这是个机会，我已经练了很长时间，真金不怕淬火。更何况球位不错，我信心饱足，感到力量。

      站位微微打开，我想打一个小fade，球撕开雨幕而去。当球离开杆面的时候，我知道，我成了。风会带着球向右，向着洞杯。一切一推，我赢了。在压力之下的这一杆实在让人高兴。

=== Play the Ball Back For Crisp Contact. 球位置后，清脆击球

      Hitting the ball solidly, without touching a grain of sand if possible, is the only way to get a lot of distance on this shot. I play the ball further back in my stance then I would on a shot of similar length from the fairway. Next I take at least one more club than for a normal shot. When I grip the club, I choke down on the handle for extra control of club-head. Finally, I make sure I have solid footing—I’m about to make a big swing and I can’t afford to slip.

=== I stand tall and lift my chin 站位挺，抬下巴。

      Just before I start the backswing, I raise my chin well away from my chest. That raises my center of gravity and helps me stand tall throughout the swing, which in turn promotes a solid hit. When I swing, I only apply about 70 percent of my total effort—the extra club I chosen will produce the distance I need. I swing smoothly into a high finish, keeping my head down until well after the ball is gone.

要击球扎实，如果可能，最好不要击沙，这是保证距离的唯一方法。比起球道上的击球，我的球位更靠后，比正常球位选杆大一号，握杆向下，以获得更大的控制力。双脚站稳，因为要完整挥杆，人不能滑动。

上杆前，我抬起下巴，这样也让我的重心不会后座，后背挺拔，是扎实击球的需要。挥杆时，我只用70%的力量，因为大一号的杆能补齐我的距离。流畅挥杆，高高收杆，记住留头，直到球已经被击出。