9 iron in a bunker...thoughts?

I was at a par 3 course and went over to my ball with a 9 iron and putter to make what I thought was going to be a chip, but found the ball in a bunker.  It was a longish bunker shot (15 yards) so I thought that I'd take it with the 9i.  I opened up the face and took a nice thump type of swing and the ball popped up and out as pretty as could be.

There wasn't anyone behind me so I went and got some more balls and hit 9i bunker shots for a little while, it was quite a revelation. Lifting them high and soft worked, so did knocking them lower and running them at the hole.  I did not get them to check up like I can sometimes with a 53 degree wedge (I don't have a traditional 56 degree sand wedge).

I don't think that bunker shots with a 9i is a "go to" play, but for that sand and my swing that day it felt really good.  Thoughts?

If theres no lip, that can be a great play because you can make a shorter swing and still get the ball there.  The shorter the swing, the less things that can go wrong.

Absolutely valid. I saw a tips piece during some tournament on tv in which the guy advises exactly that - for longer bunker shots, use other irons exactly as you would your sand wedge. He then used an opened 9i to hit a 30 yd shot. I tried it a short while thereafter on a similar shot and it worked like a charm. Only thing I noticed was it came out a little more right than a corresponding wedge shot, and with less spin. But definitely easier than trying to jack up a sand wedge that far.

Seve could hit a bunker shot with a 3 iron. I was watching Gary Player hit 7 iron bunker shots about 30 yards and getting them to run out to 6 feet. It is a totally valid play but not really seen to often from the modern players.

For a long time, the way to get a fried egg (ball embedded in sand) out of a bunker was to take a 9i, toe it in, and hit down on the ball. The 9i dug through the sand (less flange than SW) and usually popped the ball out.

This season, a frequent bunker tip seems to be to take a PW or a 9i for longer bunker shots around the green. If you're 40 yards from the pin, a lower lofted club will get you more distance and still allow you to swing smoothly.

This of course borrows from Dave Pelz in Short Game Bible . He has a whole table in Chap. 9 giving the 9 O'Clock Swing explosion distances you can expect using different clubs from the bunker.

You're in good company, oldblue3 . Let us know when you open your golf school!

you get very little spin but sometimes its better that way, it's a good shot to have.

On most bunker shots you dont get much spin anyways.