Hitting from Fairway Bunkers

One shot that seems to give most golfers problems is the fairway bunker shot. Most players either take too much sand and the ball goes a very short distance or they hit the top of the ball and it doesn’t get out of the bunker. If it does get out, it does not roll very far because it probably hit the front face or wall. This shot can be executed quite easily with the proper set-up and strategy.

First of all, even if the shot requires 5 iron distance, you must be sure that you can get a 5 iron up and over the front lip of the bunker. If not, you must choose a higher lofted club to get over, but you’re faced with coming up short of your intended target. Or you can choose to play more to the left or right of your target if the front lip is less steep in those areas. As far as the set up is concerned, you must work your feet into the sand to get a good stable foundation so there is no slipping during the swing. Because of this adjustment, you must choke down on the club slightly since you are moving closer to the ball. This will make it necessary to take an extra club for the yardage. Your ball position should be pretty much in the center of your stance to insure that you make clean contact with the ball, though that can be modified slightly depending on the club.

To further insure that you do not make contact with the sand first, you should try to look at the top or front end of the golf ball to get your focus away from the area behind the ball. The swing should be more of an upper body motion than a normal shot because if you overuse your legs in the bunker, you will probably slip and make contact with the sand first. The ball should be contacted first and if any sand is taken, it is minimal and is taken after contact is made with the ball.

Give these suggestions a try the next time you’re at Golf Quest. We have a fairway bunker for you to practice these shots at the far right side of the tee line. Using these fundamentals, I’m sure you’ll find
yourself getting out of the bunker more consistently.

Today's tip was provided by Pete Stankevich.. Pete is the Head PGA Professional at Brookfield Golf Quest. He works will all different levels of players and runs private or group lessons. Call him at (203) 775-3556 to sign up for a lesson or join one of his group classes or visit: www.GolfQuestRanges.com

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