Fairway Bunkers

How do you play shots from a fairway bunker?

Hi, to play a fairway bunker shot I set up the same as a full shot but when I go back I swing a little outside so when you go through you should get a bit of a thin and connect to the ball and very little of the sand

Depends on the sand and weather.

At my local course in South Germany, the ball barely sinks at all in the sand. The bunker lip is also usually quite low. I simply hit it again from the sand with a wood (I use my rescue 7 because it has a nice curved steel base and enough loft to clear any lip on the bunker). The only change to a fairway shot is a little wider stance for stability. This is especially valid if the ball rolls into the bunker rather than landing there.

When I was in South Africa last week, we played at a course where a bunker ball is usually sunk to half way even if the trajectory was flat to start with (like a driver shot of the tee). In that case, I take the wedge and turn so that the distance is not more than about 50 meters to the center of the fairway and hit a full sand shot to land (fingers crossed) somewhere nice for the next shot. I am not that good at golf and am therefore in the realms of 'rather loose one shot than two'.

Last time I was in the US, I saw some wedges like a comb which where supposed to allow you to shoot much further from the sand but I haven't ever tried one. Perhaps that would be the thing for getting out of the fairway bunker more in the direction of the hole.

Hi there. You want to know about hitting out of a fairway bunker?

Take enough club to make sure you're going to get out. If you're not sure, make sure you're out of the bunker, take the club you think will get you out. Now put the back of the club on the ground with the shaft pointing to wards the target. Step onto the face and the shaft will lift off the ground, giving you roughly what the launch angle will. If it looks as if you'll be ok, you know you have enough loft.

If the ball is resting on the surface of the sand nicely, you can:

Setup to the ball square to the target line, dig your feet in just enough to secure yourself. Don't overdoe it like in a greenside bunker.

You need a quiet lower-body swing, so it is mostly arms and shoulders generating the turn. Using your arms and shoulders will give you a more upright swing plane which will help you hit the ball cleanly. Make a 3/4 swing and focus on 'clipping' the ball off the sand, if you you were trying to hit off asphault or a cart path.

If the ball is settled down or buried a bit, play it like a greenside bunker.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

Well if you hover your club about 3/4 of the way up the ball depending on personal preference and swing normally you should always catch it nice with no sand. I didn't make this up my club pro told me and it does work just requires little practice.

set up for a normal shot. dont try hit it hard and try to hit the ball first. also keep the lower half quiet.

Liam,

I usually just take one more club and make my normal swing. Works very well in different types of sand. I normally take a 9 iron from 150 yards, so in the sand at that same distance I'll take an 8 iron and use the same swing.