Long iron fairway bunker practice?

[golfdu]

Hey guys, so I was playing today and I found myself in a fairway bunker from 230 yards away, all grass between the green and fairway bunker with no lip so I took 2 iron and... did not do that well. The course was empty for me at this point so I just took all the balls I had in my bag and practiced that shot without thinking about mechanics and I managed to hit the green twice on my last two shots, just focusing on contact and having the ball go and curve to my target.

The strangest thing happened after I picked up all the balls and played the next few last holes, I was absolutely striping it with everything off the grass, not thinking about P's/A's and all that! I carried over this specific feeling from the sand that made me hit the last two shots with my 2 iron well and I was hitting a lot of awesome shots with that feeling, which was Key #2 weight forward. I played a 210 yard par 3 in worst ball format with 3 balls and parred it, the worst tee shot being less than 20 feet on the green as a result from 3 fantastic 4 iron shots, 2 of which weren't even played off a tee! 

Is practicing from a fairway bunker with the longest iron and fairway wood an effective form of practice? I think that it is a good drill, what do you guys think?

[Patch]

Anytime a golfer can add a shot to their arsenal, that's a good thing.  

I have a practice routine, usually with a 6i, where I pick the ball clean off a dry lake bed. My idea being if I can hit the ball off that tight of a lie, anything I find on the course will be easier. 

 

[iacas]

For a better player, it can be, but it's really just about the lie you create for yourself and how sensitive sand can be to pure contact over even grass/dirt.

As you probably know, Frankie, we don't list fairway bunker shots with a high Separation Value®, so practicing out of fairway bunkers for those shots is almost a waste of time.

Practicing smooth bunker shots from a relatively flat, good lie… that's just enhancing the feedback on the strikes. Like I said, good for a higher level player. Very frustrating if you're not. Be wary that it can train you to pick the ball, too.

[saevel25]

I don't practice this at all. First, most driving ranges do not offer a bunker to even long iron fairway shots. Second, I don't end up in fairway bunkers that often. Probably less than 5 times a year. Finally, I just play them like a normal shot. Maybe I might try to fee more pressure under my left foot at set up to promote hitting the ball first. Also, you probably want to swing easier to make sure you don't lose balance.

I don't think fairway bunker practice is a good substitute for normal practice.