Tips To Play From a Fairway Bunker

4 corners – Very often, when a ball travels into a fairway bunker at speed, the ball will not finish in the middle of the bunker.  You will need to know how to adjust your address and swing for the 4 corners of the bunker.

Corner 1 – Face of the bunker

• Very often, this is a situation where hitting the green is impossible, so your first thought should be to position the ball back on the fairway, in the best position for your next shot.  Do not take any risk and make sure you select a club that is 100% sure to get out of the bunker.
• In taking your address, do not fight the slope.  Position your weight on your right foot so your body is perpendicular to the slope.
• Move the ball back to a normal position, or slightly left, so you can swing with the slope, not against the slope.
• From this address position, which is designed to allow you to swing with the slope, not into it, do just that, and swing up the slope.
• The ball will fly higher and shorter than normal; you should take this into consideration when selecting the club.

Corner 2 – Back of the bunker

• This is the opposite of the face.  The ball will fly lower, again, increasing the risk of not getting out.  If in doubt, take a club that insures you get safely back on the fairway.
• Place more weight on your left foot; once again, positioning your body perpendicular to the slope.
• Position the ball in the centre of your stance.
• Again, you must swing with the slope. The common mistake is to swing up, trying to make the ball get out of the bunker.
• The ball will fly lower and run more; you should take this into consideration when selecting the club.

Corner 3 – Right side of bunker

• Probably the 2^nd most difficult corner because it can be very difficult to make clean solid impact when the ball is above your feet.
• The key is, again, to try and swing up the slope slightly, which in this case means creating an in–to–out swing.
• Place the ball in the centre of your stance, gripping much shorter on the club than normal.
• During the swing, feel like you swing back more on the inside, swinging up the slope in the downswing and follow through.  This will ensure you do not hit the sand first and make solid contact.
• Just like a hook lie on the fairway, the ball will tend to move right to left in the air, so adjust your alignment accordingly.

Corner 4 – Left side of the bunker

• The most difficult corner because sometime it can be nearly impossible to make a stance in deeper bunkers.
• Because you are standing well above the ball, you need to lower yourself as many ways as possible.  Start by making your stance wider and flexing your knees as much as possible.  Do not grip short like every other fairway bunker shot.  Grip as full length as you can.
• During the swing, do not focus on distance.  Focus on making solid contact by keeping your body as stable as possible.  Swing only your hands and arms.  Your feet should not move during the swing.

Tip

My GOLDEN RULE of fairway bunkers is very simple “always select one less club than what you think will get out” For example, if you think it is a 7 iron, take 8!

Lastly, I want to say that if you ever have a chance to practice long shots from a bunker, it can really help your long game.  It helps to keep your body stable and promotes ball first contact.  As a junior, I used to drive 1hr from my home to practice on a beach.  It was some of the best practice I did and ingrained that solid impact that we all look for.  I believe that it is one of the reasons why even though I practice very little these days, I never find it difficult to create a solid impact position.