3 Keys to Playing Fairway Bunker Shots

There are plenty of shots around the course that scare the average golfer, but few are as intimidating as the fairway bunker shot.  When you see your tee shot duck down into a sand trap off of the side of the fairway, it is easy to get discouraged about your prospects for the rest of the hole.  Making birdie suddenly seems like it is out of the question, and it might be a struggle to even make a par.  Of course you know better than to give up on a hole after just one shot, but it is hard to be optimistic when you know what kind of challenge waits ahead.

To succeed from a fairway bunker, you need to have the right combination of strategy and technique.  First, you need to have a technique that allows you to strike the ball cleanly, and second, you must to have a strategy that lets you get the ball out of the trap and back in play as quickly as possible.  After all, the only thing worse than seeing your tee shot land in a fairway bunker is seeing your next shot remain in that very same trap.

That said, here are three tips to help you master those dreaded fairway bunker shots.

Tip #1 – Take Your Medicine

Right off the bat, you need to lower your expectations for the hole once you are in the sand.  That doesn’t mean that you are giving up on the hole – not at all – what it means is that you need to be realistic about what kind of shots you can hit from the fairway bunker.  If you bite off more than you can chew with the next shot, you will really be setting yourself up for a big number.

As you step down into the bunker to evaluate the shot, your first job is to check out the lie of the ball.  Is it on top of the sand, or is it sitting down?  If the ball is down in the sand, you will have no other smart option but to play an explosion shot back into the fairway and go from there.  However, if you have a good lie on top of the sand, you should be able to take a more aggressive approach.

With a clean lie and a long club in your hand, the other point of concern from a game plan perspective is making sure you can clear the lip of the bunker.  Remember, low lofted clubs do not get the ball up in the air quickly and hitting the lip in front of you would lead to big problems, so you have to always err on the side of caution in this case.  When in doubt, take the club with extra loft to be sure that you get out of the trap, even if that means coming up a bit short of the target.

At this point, your decision making should be founded on doing everything you can to limit the damage and get on to the next hole safely.  Don’t compound the issue by trying to make a hero shot if the conditions aren’t there to make it happen.

Tip #2 – Make a Stable Swing

It is harder to hit good shots from a fairway bunker – that is simply a fact.  You don’t have the same kind of footing as you do on grass, and your lie likely isn’t as good either.  With that in mind, you should be trying to make a stable swing which allows you to keep your balance and make clean contact.  That means not trying to swing too hard, and not trying to do too much with the shot.

Many golfers make the mistake of thinking that they need to swing even harder to get the ball out of a fairway bunker, but that is the exact opposite of what you want to do.  Instead, take the swing down a notch and focus only of the quality of the strike between the club face and the ball.  If possible, you can take extra club in order to reach the green with a softer swing, but only if that longer club will still clear the lip of the bunker safely.

Tip #3 – Set Up Your Third Shot

As soon as your ball settles in a fairway bunker, your thoughts should immediately go to your third shot.  Where do you want to play from?  How are you going to get there?  On an approach shot from the fairway, you are probably going to be thinking only about hitting a shot directly at the flag.  However, it is hard to be so aggressive from a fairway bunker, so more strategy needs to come into play.

For example, if you can’t hit the green but you can get close, remember to practice good course management and pick out an area that you think will be best to chip from given the location of the pin.  This way, even if you aren’t able to set up a two-putt par, you can give yourself a great chance at an up and down to walk away with par anyway.

Most amateur golfers struggle with this kind of thinking, as they lack the patience to set up the next shot instead of just going for it with the current shot.  If you can teach yourself how to be patient and pick your spots – especially when dealing with a fairway bunker – you will score better in the end.

Photo via Flickr

Quite obviously, the best way to deal with a fairway bunker is to never allow your ball to go in one in the first place.  Using good strategy from the tee can allow you to avoid many of the hazards on your favorite course, including the fairway bunkers.

Remember, you don’t always have to hit driver on a par four or par five – using less club might keep you out of the hazards and give you a good chance to score.  However, when you do find yourself in a fairway bunker, remember to make a stable and steady swing while picking out a safe target and a club with plenty of loft to clear the lip.

Fairway bunkers are never going to be any fun, but they don’t have to be the end of your good score for the day.

Cover Photo via Flickr