Troy,
"Most" of the time is what %?
With all due respect, as a mid-handicapper, even if you get the ball out of the bunker and onto the green, how many times are you getting the ball up and down? My guess would be less than 50%.
In your situation, I don't think they're a waste of time because you're still losing shots. Isn't that the challenge? Managing your game and not wasting shots? If you can make the guarantee that you're getting up and down all the time, then sure the challenge is gone.
I guess I don't get why you think they're a waste of time if you can't get it up and down without fail. Maybe I misinterpreted what you're saying.