A Sandie is one of those golf terms you'll hear thrown around in a foursome, and if you're not in the know, it can leave you scratching your head. But understanding what it is, and more importantly, how to make one, can transform your short game and add a fun competitive layer to your regular rounds. This guide breaks down exactly what a sandie is, how it fits into popular golf games, and gives you actionable coaching advice to start chalking up more sandies of your own.
In its simplest form, a Sandie (also spelled Sandy) is when a player gets "up and down" from a greenside bunker to save par. It's a two-shot sequence that turns a potentially score-wrecking situation into a hard-earned par.
Let's break that down into the two required components:
If you accomplish both of those things in succession - getting out of the sand in one shot and then making the subsequent putt for a score of par on the hole - you have just made a Sandie. It's considered a sign of a great short game because it requires two distinct, pressure-filled skills: a deft touch from the sand and a confident stroke on the green. It's the ultimate recovery, a way to erase a poor approach shot and walk to the next tee with your head held high.
Imagine this common scenario. You're playing a 400-yard par-4. You hit a decent drive down the middle, leaving you about 140 yards to the green. You pull your 8-iron, feeling good, but you push the shot just a little bit. It sails right of the flagstick and lands with a soft thump in the deep bunker guarding the right side of the green.
Your heart sinks a little. This is an easy way to make a bogey or, worse, a dreaded double-bogey. Here's where the Sandie opportunity is born.
You step into the bunker, get set up, and execute a perfect sand shot. The club splashes through the sand a couple of inches behind the ball, which pops up softly, lands on the fringe, and rolls out to a tidy six feet from the hole. The hard part is over... almost.
Now you step up to the six-footer. You go through your putting routine, block out the pressure, and roll it right into the center of the cup for your par. Your playing partners might say, "Nice Sandie!" or "Great up-and-down." You successfully navigated the "beach," got out in one, holed the putt, and saved your par. That's a Sandie in its purest form.
While making a Sandie is personally satisfying, the term is most popular in the context of on-course betting games, often called "junk" or "dots." In these games, players agree on a small monetary value or point system for a list of special achievements that can happen during a round. A Sandie is almost always on that list.
For example, in a foursome, you might be playing for $1 per "dot." Any time a player makes a Sandie, they win a dot worth $1 from each of the other three players. These small wins and losses add an extra layer of excitement and focus to every shot of the round.
Here are a few common ways Sandies are incorporated into games:
Often, Sandies are tracked alongside other popular "junk" bets, such as:
Like any informal golf rule, the definition of a Sandie can change slightly depending on who you're playing with, but a few clarifications are helpful.
A "Super Sandy" or "Sandy Birdie" is even more impressive and often worth double the points or money in a betting game. A Super Sandy is getting up and down from a greenside bunker for a birdie. This means you'd be in a bunker in two shots on a par-4, splash out, and make the putt for a 3. It's a rare feat that combines an excellent sand shot with a fantastic putt.
This is a common point of confusion. The universally accepted definition of a Sandie applies only to greenside bunkers. If you hit your ball into a fairway bunker 150 yards from the green, hit your next shot onto the green, and one-putt for par, that is simply a great par. It is not a Sandie. The term is reserved for the delicate art of the greenside recovery.
Traditionally, no. The classic Sandie must result in a score of par. Getting out of a bunker and one-putting for a bogey is a nice way to minimize damage, but it doesn't get you a Sandie dot. Of course, "house rules" always apply. If your group decides to create a new bet called a "Bogey-Sandie," that's the beauty of these informal games!
Achieving a Sandie is a two-part mission. You need to master both the sand shot and the subsequent putt. As a coach, this is where I see golfers gain the most strokes and confidence. Let's break down the technique for both phases.
Most amateur golfers fear bunker shots because they think they need to make perfect contact with the ball. The opposite is true. You're not hitting the ball, you're hitting the sand.
The single biggest mistake golfers make is slowing down through the sand. You must accelerate through impact.
You've done the hard work and splashed your ball out of the bunker to within a reasonable distance. Amazing! Now, don’t let the opportunity slip away. The putt is just as important as the sand shot.
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