Great topic for me. I can actually contribute. How about those Monsters of The Midway, Chicago guy?
I agree with David Ober on both points. Let's take short par 5s first. Often you'll have 200-220 yards to carry a bunker to the green in these situations. That's a 5-7 wood, a shot I can hit and is worth it. It's when I've got 180-190 yards, especially uphill, where it's a choice between the long iron and the "changeup" fairway wood. If it's longer than 220 and we're looking at big 3- or 4-wood, then I'll go for it less than 50%, thereby giving myself confidence to play the wedge game.
Speaking of wedge game, I believe sand play is difficult enough as it is, with fine maintenance practices. I'd say my sand save average over the last 10 years is about 15-20%, compared to about 40-45% for the PGA (right?). But many of our favorite courses offer us great bunker play, even with fine conditions. Great bunkers are unpredictable and nice and fair. I though the bunkers at Sand Hills were amazing in their windswept perfection, and the penalty you paid for hitting into them. The big bunkers at Pasatiempo are different to be sure, but well maintained, challenging and exciting. Great bunkers are very important, and a lack of uniformity is essential.
OK...so Tommy and I are playing Stone Eagle on Friday afternoon, and we come to #8 and I'm feeling like doodoo, doubling the difficult drop shot #7 to go 6 over. Tommy steps up first after adequate counseling and slices his ball into the Canyon Bunker. I step up with no concept of a golf swing and slice it even further right. Tommy acknowledged my fine effort.
Tom is centered in the 22 foot depression and deftly wedges out, saving bogey. I am right of the sand in the wash. I pick an aggressive line and skull a bullet just over the skyline, out towards par. We zip out there and nothing is to be found. That was weird, huh Tommy? Was it the guys on the tractors? Weird.
There's this year's Tommy knocks it into a bunker story. Tommy and I had major fun.