Treetops Bunker Basics: The Trouble with Beach Time

The Trouble with Beach Time

At Treetops, our bunkers aren’t just accessories—they’re plot twists. One minute you’re striping drives down the Masterpiece’s cathedral fairways; the next you’re ankle-deep in a Signature green-side “beach,” debating whether to laugh, cry, or channel your inner Seve. Fear not. Three tidy lessons stand between you and a silky up-and-down.

Read the Sand like a Green

Every bunker on property has a personality. The fluffy, flashed-face traps guarding Fazio Premier’s par-5 6th beg for a full-throated “splash.” The tighter, top-dressed lies beside the Jones Masterpiece’s 14th green reward a shallower strike. Before you waggle:

  1. Texture test: Shuffle your feet—soft equals aggressive, firm equals finesse.

  2. Lip audit: Threetops’ steep faces need loft first; Tradition’s lower fronts allow a safer running shot.

  3. Grain glance: Moist morning sand plays heavy; afternoon powder floats the ball.

Practice, practice, practice

Get your tee time today.

Open, Commit, Splash

Setup is 80 percent of sand salvation:

  • Stance: Feet shoulder-wide, weight 60/40 on lead side. Dig in as if the bunker were your home tee mat.

  • Clubface: Lay your 56° or 58° open before you grip. This adds bounce—the sole’s built-in insurance policy.

  • Swing: Think “Y to Y.” Hinge early (forming a “Y”) then unhinge through the sand, finishing high to recreate that “Y” facing the sky. Acceleration—never deceleration—throws the sand (and the ball) onto the green.

Quick mental cue: “Brush the dollar bill.” Imagine one under the ball; enter at the leading edge, exit at the trailing.

Finish for the Grandstand

At Treetops a bunker save is never private. Check out the Jones Pro Shop deck for the view of Masterpiece 18. Make it a show:

  • Follow-through to the sky—clubhead beats your belt buckle.

  • Hold the pose—confidence breeds consistency.

  • Expect spin—our greens bite, so plan a one-hop-stop.

Sandcastles Made Simple

Master these three habits and the next time your ball suns itself in our Sugar-Sand, you’ll grin, ruffle your shoes into the grains, and hear the gallery (or at least your foursome) gasp when that white rooster-tail lands pin-high. Book your summer loop. The bunkers are waiting.

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