# Fairway Bunkers



## Zorba (Jan 5, 2007)

apart from all the inconsistency that comes with being a beginner. the one shot i can never get is fairway bunkers.

i can always get the ball out of the bunker, but can never get any distance from it. greenside bunkers are fine, i can get on to the green. but it doesnt matter what club i choose for the fairway ones, i can never hit it more than 10 metres.

any ideas?


----------



## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

I was working on this shot with my pro during my last lesson in November.

Essentially you want to be aiming left of the target (if you are right handed), keep the ball position towards the front / middle of your feet, and swing as normal.

The main factor in hitting this with some distance, is to make sure that when you swing your club, your backswing comes much more inside than normal. I mean really tight.

There are other ways which seem to be a quick fix but dont really work that great, like gripping down the shaft, or just trying to clip the ball from the top of the sand.


----------



## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I'm a bit surprised at the comment about playing the ball forward. Everything I've ever seen, and the way I do it myself, is to play the ball slightly back in my stance to help make it easier to clip the ball before hitting the sand. I keep my lower body quiet... this is mostly an arm swing, as too much leg drive will cause me to slip. I do aim a bit left to allow for a left to right (fade) shot, and I make no more than about a 3/4 swing. I have good success most of the time from fairway bunkers... unlike most of my mates, I don't become suicidal when my tee shot strays into one.

You can somewhat determine how much leg drive to use (i.e. if the sand is firm or loose) when you dig your feet in, but trying to do too much is a recipe for failure. Take 1-2 clubs more than you normally would for the distance to make up for the weaker swing. But the real key here is to hit the ball first. If you even touch the sand before the ball, you will lose distance, so hitting it a bit thin is far better than hitting it even slightly fat. 

I also recommend playing it safe while you are learning this shot. If there is a hazard down one side, play to favor the other. If there is trouble immediately in front of the green, you might be better off laying up short until you develop confidence with this shot.


----------



## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

Fourputt said:


> I'm a bit surprised at the comment about playing the ball forward.



Forward of middle I meant, thanks for pointing that out Rick. Saying that, now that you mention it, I will go over that one with him again in a week or so's time to make sure I have that right.

I was very surprised when he was asking me to make sure my take-away was to be much more inside. But believe it or not, it worked nicely.


----------



## Zorba (Jan 5, 2007)

looks like i might need to take a lesson or too. i have never taken a golf lesson before, thus i only have 3 swings, normal, chip and putt. sometimes if im in the trees ill attempt at punching the ball out, but i dont rekon im doing it right but it works most of the time.


----------



## fitz-uk (Apr 28, 2006)

Lessons really are a good way to improve your game. I'm a big believer in lessons


----------



## Aeriell (Jan 23, 2007)

Just like most ladies, I hate fairway bunkers. The last thing a woman wants to do is lose distance on the course and when you are suck in the fairway bunker, that will happen. I found a way to get the most distance when in this situation, I use one of my hybrids.  It helps a lot. 

This tip shows how to use a wood or a hybrid in a bunker based on how big of a lip the bunker has:
Golf Medic | Use Fairway Woods or Hybrids in The Bunker

I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me. 
Aeriell


----------



## zebrasinamerica (Jan 22, 2007)

Rick, I'm actually pretty amazed that you can get the ball out of a fairway bunker (assuming there is any lip at all) playing the ball back in your stance. If you think about it putting the ball back will cause you to hit down on the ball much more (this is how you create a "stinger") and in a bunker hitting down on the ball is not the best way to get the ball out because the ball will dig in a lot to the sand and should result in an extremely low ball flight and less distance than if played normal or a ball up in your stance. That is one thing I notice a lot of players don't grasp, when some one says play it up in your stance they don't get the fact that a move as small as 1 ball up is sufficent. They think for some reason that if they're hitting oh say an 8 iron played 1 1/2 to 2 balls infront of middle that playing the ball up means act like you have a driver or 3 wood in your hand. Now it does take a lot of practice to know what moving the ball up 1 ball or 2 balls up or back in your stance feels like but with enough practice you can become efficent.

Zebra


----------



## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

Gonna have to agree with you Zebra, playing the ball back in the stance, usually results in a shot coming out very low because you've delofted the club. Add a lip in there and your flirting with another shot from the same bunker. If I were shooting from that bunker I'd be trying to sweep it much like a fairway wood shot.


----------



## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

zebrasinamerica said:


> Rick, I'm actually pretty amazed that you can get the ball out of a fairway bunker (assuming there is any lip at all) playing the ball back in your stance. If you think about it putting the ball back will cause you to hit down on the ball much more (this is how you create a "stinger") and in a bunker hitting down on the ball is not the best way to get the ball out because the ball will dig in a lot to the sand and should result in an extremely low ball flight and less distance than if played normal or a ball up in your stance. That is one thing I notice a lot of players don't grasp, when some one says play it up in your stance they don't get the fact that a move as small as 1 ball up is sufficent. They think for some reason that if they're hitting oh say an 8 iron played 1 1/2 to 2 balls infront of middle that playing the ball up means act like you have a driver or 3 wood in your hand. Now it does take a lot of practice to know what moving the ball up 1 ball or 2 balls up or back in your stance feels like but with enough practice you can become efficent.
> 
> Zebra


Not talking about moving it back 6 inches.  I play it back an inch or so farther than I normally would for the club. That ensures that I don't catch any sand before I hit the ball. I am very good at getting out of FW bunkers, so what I do must work. See this:

The Golf Channel - Instruction - Online Lesson Details

There are a couple of other good tips in the instruction section there on the same subject.


----------



## dazzle (Jan 18, 2007)

I am playing the fairway bunker the way Fourputt described. Ball slight back in the stance (nearer to the right foot for right handers), aim slightly to the left. The key to the shot is not like any greenside bunker shot where you will hit behind the ball. For fairway bunker, I will typically hit at the back of the ball. Big body movement will sway the whole swing. This works well for me up to my 5 iron.


----------



## U Grooves (Feb 13, 2007)

I know it sound unorthadox, but take 1 club less that what you would hit from the same spot if it was on the fairway. Then, make a smooth, tight swing and you will naturally shallow out at the bottom and pick the ball clean.


----------

