6 Tips for Fairway Bunker Shots

Most average players hate hitting fairway bunker shots. They either hit it far or top it. It seems hard to get good distance from fairway bunker. But if you understand the basics, it doesn't have to be this hard. The key is in your set up.

Here is how you should set up for the shot.

1. Use 1 or two more club

From fairway bunker, you can't make bigger turn so expect the ball to travel less distance. Use at least 1 more club. But you don't want to use long irons. If you have to use anything more than 4 iron, use irons with more loft and lay up.

2. Dig your feet into the sand

Dig your feet slightly into the sand to ensure balance.

3. Grip down a little

Grip down to compensate for digging your feet into the sand.

4. Position your ball a bit to the right

By positioning your ball a bit more right than normal will help hitting it clean off the sand.

5. Chin up

With a rounded back, it will be more difficult to turn. So make sure your back is nice and straight. Bent from the hips not from the waist. When you have rounded back, your chin tends to drop. So pay attention to chin.

6. Enough loft to clear the lip

When you are hitting fairway bunker shots, you need to make sure that the shot will clear the lip of the bunker. To choose which club to use, lay your club on the ground and step on your clubface. The angle of the shaft is roughly equal to the angle of the shot that will come out of the sand. Annika Sorenstam recommends this tip in her book, Golf Annika's Way.

 

Of course, you can't do this in a fairway bunker. So step the bunker and try it.

 

Reference: http://www.golfsamurai.net/fault-fix/tips-fairway-bunker-shot.htm