Help with fairway bunker shots

[shortstop20]

I moved about 3 weeks ago after taking a new job(which I love BTW) and my new home course has plenty of bunkers, fairway and greenside.

My old home course never had any bunkers(short, 9 hole muni). I've only hit a couple shots out of a fairway bunker in my life, including yesterday at my new home course.

It was about a 100 yard shot, no obstructions in the way, no elevation change, etc, just your standard fairway bunker shot, sitting up nicely.

My thoughts were to make a nice, short, smooth swing with an 8 iron and pick it clean. I put the ball back in my stance a bit, dug my feet in slightly, choked up a little bit on the grip, not much though.

I proceeded to hit it fat and the shot only made it 1/2 way to the green.

Should I be choking up more in order to pick it clean? Is there any components I'm missing or don't need in order to execute this shot?

I guess, more or less I need a "Fairway Bunker 101" class.

[Tifosinumerouno]

Don't try to pick it clean. It's okay to take a divot, but it HAS to be after the ball. Most people who try to pick it clean are hanging back on their back foot a bit and flipping their hands at the ball. Get your weight moving forward, and hit the ball first, then the ground, just like any other shot out of the fairway. If you hit it fat, it's not going to far as the sand DRASTICALLY slows the clubhead.

[Tifosinumerouno]

In fact, when I dig my feet in, I tend to dig the inside of my right foot in deeper, so my knee is kicked in slightly, to make sure I don't shift my weight backwards, only centered or forwards.

[bkoguy07]

Yep he's right, Just hit it normal and make sure you hit the ball first.  Other than that it will behave normally

[awmgolfer]

What I do and teach kids is take one club more, choke down on it a little, and move the ball back in your stance. It forces a steeper swing and to hit the ball first as mentioned above. It's almost like hitting out of really heavy rough.

[ggolokin]

agree with the poster above ^

what helps me is to have a bit more upright posture and feel like im keeping my chin up through impact.

this is probably one of the hardest shots in the game imo.

[Robato]

I wouldnt dig my feet in at all. If your feet are lower than the ball, you'll hit it fat often, which is why you definitely want to dig in the feet on a greenside bunker for a super fat blast shot. I walk very gentle on the sand for a pick-it-clean shot. Another fairway bunker shot I learned from a pro is a shot that will give you about -10 yards from a full shot on all clubs. Ball is one ball back from regular position, regular swing, and dig in just the left foot, which causes a slight forward lean. With a regular swing, this type of shot works pretty well for me too.

[johnthejoiner]

You don't want a steep angle of attack because that hits the ball down into the sand, you need to shallow out your angle of attack and take as little sand as possible. You don't want hold onto your wrist angles on this shot you want to release your angles early so the leading edge has a better chance to get to the bottom portion of the ball, almost like picking the ball off the surface

[QuazerSKITS]

I like to put the ball back in my stance, take an extra club and practically punch it out making sure to keep my hands in front of the ball at impact. Works for me.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by johnthejoiner

You don't want a steep angle of attack because that hits the ball down into the sand, you need to shallow out your angle of attack and take as little sand as possible. You don't want hold onto your wrist angles on this shot you want to release your angles early so the leading edge has a better chance to get to the bottom portion of the ball, almost like picking the ball off the surface

That's incorrect, john. Unless you top the ball it's not going "down into the sand." Pros will take a regular sized divot in fairway bunkers. So long as your "divot" is after the ball it's irrelevant, and for many, the easiest way to ensure that their divot is after the ball is to move the ball back... which leads to a steeper angle of attack.

Hitting out of a fairway bunker is exactly the same - it's simply less forgiving - as hitting out of a tight fairway. Divot after the ball (even if it's a small divot).

Telling people to "shallow the angle of attack" - people who already flip at impact - is a recipe for disaster.

[CuppedTin]

I hit fairway bunker shots exactly how I hit fairway shots, I don't change anything...

[johnthejoiner]

Originally Posted by iacas

That's incorrect, john. Unless you top the ball it's not going "down into the sand." Pros will take a regular sized divot in fairway bunkers. So long as your "divot" is after the ball it's irrelevant, and for many, the easiest way to ensure that their divot is after the ball is to move the ball back... which leads to a steeper angle of attack.

Hitting out of a fairway bunker is exactly the same - it's simply less forgiving - as hitting out of a tight fairway. Divot after the ball (even if it's a small divot).

Telling people to "shallow the angle of attack" - people who already flip at impact - is a recipe for disaster.

[iacas]

Typical lame non-response response from johnthejoiner. Go figure.

When you're at least 99% as good as Phil Mickelson, go ahead and take his advice. Telling someone who flips to shallow their angle of attack remains a stupid thing to do. And you still don't seem to understand basic ball flight if you think hitting "down" makes the ball go into the sand.

Oh, and watch the video. Phil takes a divot. And he has every time I've seen him hit out of a fairway bunker in competition, too.

[CuppedTin]

Ok, notice the ball once it hits the green. He may have a more shallow swing but he still hits down on the ball, hence the enormous amount of backspin. He is still taking a divot, just a shallower divot.

[Zeph]

I hit it pretty much the same way as I do on the fairway, perhaps with the ball a bit more back in my stance. If you hit the ball first, the ball doesn't care what surface it sits on. Like Erik said, only difference is the forgiveness, and of course that the ground under your feet is a bit more unstable.

[johnthejoiner]

When your ball sits on the fairway and your hitting down, the ball is trapped between the the solid turf and the club face. You don't have this luxury in a bunker, the surface gives way and the ball drops or in other words it goes down. There's 101 ways of getting your ball out of a bunker but its about getting it close and being consistent. There's too many variables in sand conditions so if you take that out of the equation you can start attacking  the pin instead of just being happy getting it out

[Zeph]

When your ball sits on the fairway and your hitting down, the ball is trapped between the the solid turf and the club face. You don't have this luxury in a bunker, the surface gives way and the ball drops or in other words it goes down. There's 101 ways of getting your ball out of a bunker but its about getting it close and being consistent. There's too many variables in sand conditions so if you take that out of the equation you can start attacking  the pin instead of just being happy getting it out

You are absolutely wrong, the ball is never pinched, unless you top it. I won't get into this discussion here, as it's already been laid out in this thread: [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/forum/thread/15607/ball-actually-pinched-against-ground-or-not]Ball Actually "Pinched" Against Ground or Not[/URL] You won't find a single evidence in the internet that suggest the ball gets pinched or trapped.

[allin]

Because of the footing I tend to get over active with my upper body. I find it helpful to remind myself to keep my posture correct and normal arm extension. I feel newer or less skilled golfers, OK probably just myself, tense up and form faults like these creep in, even though we know better.