Tour players make bunker play look very simple. For amateur players, however, finding the sand often ends in disaster. It's time to put that right.
In this particular article, we ask PGA professional Keith Williams to guide us through how to play long bunker shots - a shot that a lot of weekend golfers struggle with.
When you know how to hit a bunker shot, it's amazing how many shots you can save, particularly around the greens - and your confidence can receive a huge boost when you master the correct technique.
So, although bunkers are a hazard, finding one needn't lead to a big number - as Keith will now demonstrate.
FAIRWAY BUNKER TIPS
Assess the situation
Fairway bunker shots present quite a challenge for the handicap golfer. The first thing to do is step into the bunker to assess the depth of sand, the height of the face and how far away from you it is, all of which should influence your strategy.
If you have a decent lie, you must assess how you can get the ball out safely, and should always favor more loft rather than less. It’s better to be on the fairway even if you can’t make the green, rather than staring at another shot from the sand when you leave it in there through over-ambition.
'Clean' strike
There are two ways of playing these shots – you can either take the ball fairly cleanly off the top of the sand or squeeze it out with more of a ‘ball-divot’ method.
For the clean strike, have the ball about halfway between your lead heel and the center of your stance with a mid-iron. Weight distribution should be fairly even but favoring the lead side a fraction.
Stability is key, so stay relaxed in the hands and arms as they will dominate the swing. Sense that you need to be gliding the club over the sand and collecting the ball cleanly off the top, then focus on a smooth, fluid action and accept that your footwork will be a little more restricted than on the fairway.
This offers you scope to retain more dynamic loft on the club at impact, which may be crucial depending on the bunker face.
'Squeeze' strike
If you prefer to squeeze the ball out a bit more, set it a little further back in your stance with a mid-iron, fairly central to the sternum. Weight should be central at address, before moving smoothly into the left side on the downswing as you drive the club into the sand and out with a descending blow. Expect a lower ball flight.
Don’t try to hit it too hard, but allow the club to travel downward as in a normal iron shot. For more control, you could grip down the handle a little, but you will lose distance as you won’t be optimizing the arc, so may have to club up.
Hybrid option
Hybrids are a realistic option, assuming a decent lie far enough from the bunker face, as their forgiving soles and low centers of gravity help get the ball airborne more easily.
Hybrids work better with the clean-strike technique, but don’t have the ball too far forward in your stance. It may be worth gripping down a little to add a degree of control too. Make a smooth, relaxed swing rather than hitting at it, as that can cause problems when your feet are on an unstable surface.
FAQS
Should you dig your feet into the sand for a fairway bunker shot?
With a fairway bunker shot, you don't really want to dig/shuffle into the sand too much. Think about this shot as a normal 'off the fairway' type of shot; the aim is to nip the ball off the surface and let the club go into the sand after impact.
Should you grip down the club on a fairway bunker shot?
A lot of teaching pros recommend going a little further down the grip, something which helps to promote a clean strike.
