The Fairway Bunker Shot

[kfowler]

A shot I've been having trouble with is the fairway bunker shot. I guess it is the hardest shot in golf. From what I've found on the net, there's some common techniques and then some variations. Here's what I've found.

All have said :
- Choke down on your club
- Settle your feet in the sand

Variations :
- Keep weight on your left side
- Open your stance slightly
- Use more club

So lets say you hit your 7i normally 140 yds. You're in a fairway bunker about 142 yds out. You have a good lie and the lip of the bunker will not be an issue.

How would you hit this and what club would you use?

[mcfc_nick]

all ive been taught is to try and take as little sand as possible and go 1 club more than normal

[cody west]

one more than a 7 so i six and i would swing flater than normal and swing a little harder than normal, your not looking to put the ball in the hole, unless your tiger, your jsut looking to advance it to the green or fringe. aim a little right because the ball tends to slice out of bunkers and when you swing hard, and try not to take sand. a thin shot is alot better than fat shot from a fairway bunker

[Dub]

I get a lot of practice with these shots...my home course has some very well placed fairway bunkers....and I've been spraying drives this past year.

I actually prefer the longer shots out 165-180 yds. I use 4 hybrid and don't sweat it very much....just try to hit ball first.


One the shorter shots that I'm using irons:

Assuming that I can clear the lip with the club, I will:
take an extra stick
grip down the same amount of distance that my feet settle into the sand (1/2"-1")
open my stance slightly
keep my lower body more quiet during the swing
think about keeping head steady

[pweenie]

Set feet firmly in the sand. That means you need to choke down on the shaft the same amount that your feet are in the sand to compensate. Otherwise your club will dig into the sand.
Less lower body movement than a normal shot - I in fact concentrate on using only my arms - and make sure you hit the ball first.
Always take more club than you normally would for the distance.
With a bit of practice it becomes a real easy shot and a lot of fun as well as being pretty impressive.

[cody west]

  pweenie said:

Set feet firmly in the sand. That means you need to choke down on the shaft the same amount that your feet are in the sand to compensate. Otherwise your club will dig into the sand.

if you use all arms you wont be able to get the ball up in the air quick enough. you have to move your lower body. i dont recommend gripping down on the club mainly because you already are losing distance from hitting off the sand. and dont dig in as much as a greenside bunker

[RC]

I would not call fairway bunker shots the hardest -- those 40-60 yard bunker shots are much harder for me.

As has been pointed out, hit the ball first on the long shots -- that fixes the major problem in the fairway bunkers. I also take one more club unless the lie looks inviting. Most of the time, with an extra club, I open the face just a tad -- not much. I like a very slight fade just because that is easier to get up and the extra club makes up for loss of length.

The 40 to 60 yard shot is more daunting. I use a PW or sometimes even a 9 iron, and open them up and play a normal long sand shot. The only thought is to make sure to keep going through the shot -- finish it off. We have just that challenge on a driveable par four (308 to 327 yard hole.) The problem is a wicked two tiered greeen, with nothing behind it but a cliff down into the rough. Going long is the end of the world. Had the shot today... about 50 yards. Used a PW and hit it hard and high and stuck it on the top tier (the pin can never be set on the lower tier because of slope.) Had to be my best shot of the day.

[mc0388]

  kfowler said:

A shot I've been having trouble with is the fairway bunker shot. I guess it is the hardest shot in golf. From what I've found on the net, there's some common techniques and then some variations. Here's what I've found.

Why does everyone make these shots so difficult! I think more people psych themselves out of the shot before they even step foot in the bunker...

Club down (6i not 7i), set your feet, take a normal swing, just keep your feet quiet throughout. This doesn't mean they cant move, just helps with keeping your balance.

[Where's the Cart Girl?]

I agree that these shots are stigmatized as being really tough, but in practice really aren't. But nonetheless, all the mechanical tips posted so far are spot on IMO, but something I always consider is my target line. You have to be conscious of the potential for a mishit and what the result will be.

Chose the line that gives you the best up/down look if you don't get it there. Alot of times this means aiming away from the flag, but thats a consequence you have to be willing to accept. Learning to plan for your misses is a characteristic of alot of good golfers I'm noticing.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Yeah i dont think fairway bunker shots are particular difficult either. Its not that much different than a typical full swing shot. The only real difference is setup. The club can kick-up some sand as long as the ball is in the air first. That is the most important part. If the ball is plugged, then your blasting out anyway.

[TN94z]

Take a club more
Don't dig your feet into the sand
Move the ball back a little in your stance to promote ball first contact
Don't swing any harder than a normal shot

[Fourputt]

  kfowler said:

A shot I've been having trouble with is the fairway bunker shot. I guess it is the hardest shot in golf. From what I've found on the net, there's some common techniques and then some variations. Here's what I've found.

I don't open my stance. I move the ball back in my stance an inch or so frrm normal to help me hit the ball first. I try to swing easy with very little lower body so that I don't slip. I use at least one club more than I would for a lie in the fairway. For the shot you describe, my club might depend on where the hole is cut on the green. I'm basically shooting for the middle of the green here, so for a back pin I might still use the 7I, but for a front or middle pin I'm using a 6I or maybe even my 5 hybrid, choked down.

Whatever you do, stay down on the ball... don't even let your eyes move away before contact. There is a strong tendency to either scoop or lift up to "help" the ball out of the sand. All that will do is skull the shot into whatever lip there might be, or dig under the ball and blast out about 10 feet. Set up right then swing easy with minimal lower body movement... the ball won't go as far as normal, but it WILL go farther than either a skulled or a dipped shot.

[CalBoomer]

I used to dread this shot, but now I have it down. I am assuming the ball is sitting mostly on top of the sand. I play the ball distinctly back in my stance and go up one club. I try to quiet my lower body slightly. Then I just swing normally. Just for the record, this is all somewhat similar to hitting a knock-down shot on the fairway. The idea is to hit the ball before the sand. If the ball is sitting perfectly on top, I don't even club up because you have already de-lofted whatever club you are using.