question about rules and sandtrap

Question
QUESTION: First on the rules:

If my ball is next to or in some sticker bushes (the pointy ones that can make you bleed), isn't it a free penalty? Because i read somewhere if something is hazardous to your health you get a free relief..?

And about sandtraps:

Over here in washington, we have really really firm sandtraps (very little sand in it). I usually hit it out really clean and it ends up going way past the hole into the rough. On sandtraps that actually have sand I'm hitting it a lot better. Any tips?

ANSWER: Hello Jeff:

First question about the sticker bush.  Answer:  No relief.  A sticker bush is not considerd hazardous to your health.  If you cannot play the shot, you would need to take an unplayable lie and proceed under that rule.  You would not get free relief.  

Second question about bunkers:

Hardpacked sand is a tough shot.  Because it's hardpacked, the bounce or the trailing edge of the sand wedge will tend to bounce off the sand instead of cut underneathe it.  When your in good sand, it's much easier to slip the clubhead under the ball and let the sand propel it out.  I suggest you take a pitching wedge, keep the clubface square and use the leading edge of the clubface to dig a little bit.  You have to tone down the size of your swing, and the ball will tend to come out hotter and run.  But with practice, you can learn to judge it.  Don't get cute and try to open the blade and blast it out, the sand won't give that to you.  Take what the sand gives you and take a pitching wedge, keep it pretty straight faced, and then alter the size of your swing.  Objective is just to get it out on the putting green.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks. I realized what I was doing wrong..

Now I'm starting to look at the SAND before the ball and hit downwards, it's working really good.

Another question:

How high do you suggest I tee up my irons on par 3s? I used to tee it up too high, but I'm lowering my tee now so that it's just above the ground by like a millimeter (barely anything). This is because I kept hitting thin shots when I teed it up high. Is this a good idea?

ANSWER: Hi Jeff:

Teeing height for an iron on a par 3 should be just off the ground a little bit.  If you tee it up too high, you'll catch it high on the clubface and not hit it solid.  I don't put an exact amount on that as to how high, just about a half inch or so off the turf.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It helped, thanks! Lot more solid shots now.

One more question:

Can you give me some tips on how to not fade/slice the ball on my drives. My shot goes very high and fades a bit (which I don't like because it ends up somewhere I don't want it to and I lose distance). Also, it gets absolutely no roll (or a little if I'm lucky). Before, I used to have lots of roll but lately I've been hitting it really high resulting in no roll.

What can I do to fix this? thanks!

Answer
Jeff:

Check your grip.  Make it strong enough.  If you don't know what that is, go get a lesson from a PGA Professional and get some help.  To answer your question, use the logo on your glove and the knuckles on your left hand.  When you slice a ball, the clubface is left open and an open clubface produces loft.  So, you must learn how to close, or square up, the clubface.  Basically, with an open clubface, when you get to the impact area, your logo on the back of your glove (or your knuckles) are pointing somewhere out towards right field.  AT IMPACT, your logo of your glove should be pointing at the target, so in other words, you need to know how to use your hands correctly to produce a square clubface.  Just like hitting a top spin forehand in tennis, if you were to slap something, I will guarantee you you would square up the palm of your hand against whatever it was you were slapping.  So if you do that in slow motion, notice how you rotate your hand closed or square so you can hit something with your hand flat against it.  When you slice something, you hit it with the heel of your hand.  So you need to learn how to rotate the left hand down and over, thus turning the clubface over or closed as it goes through the hitting area.  Again, for help with this, please see a PGA Professional.  You need guidence with this, and it's so simple Jeff.  Good luck to you.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member