Yes, You Can Still Save Par from Fairway Bunkers…Here’s How

Playing out of fairway bunkers is especially challenging for players with mid-to-high handicaps.

Bunkers make it more difficult to maintain our stable connection with the sand/ground. As such, it’s more difficult to remain balanced during the golf swing and, in turn, have the clubhead bottom out where we want it to.

If this is you, understand that bunkers are hazards and are therefore designed to cause/wreak havoc. They’re not meant to be easy to play from.

Having said that, players who make the necessary tweaks to their setup and/or swing have every opportunity to advance their ball all the way to the green or to an intended target. Like every shot in this game, it all begins with the setup.

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1. Slightly Open Setup

As is the case on most, if not all, greenside/fairway bunker shots, our first priority is to get the ball out by any means necessary. Doing so requires hitting a shot with enough height to clear the front lip of the bunker.

In order to increase those chances, it’s wise to open our stance and our clubface a touch in order to add more height to the shot. This slightly open setup also makes it easier to get steeper at the point of attack, which better ensures a ball-first strike.

2. Quiet Lower Body

Because we’re playing from the sand and not the fairway/rough, there’s a better chance we slip during the swing. Slipping almost always leads to a poorer strike which means we need to protect or guard against it.

If we can swing with quiet knees and/or a stable lower body in fairway bunkers, we will increase our chances of remaining on balance during the swing. Like all shots in golf, staying on balance is vital in order to return the clubhead to the back of the ball the way we intended.

3. Assess the Lie

Sometimes, we will get lucky and find our ball has come to rest in between rake marks. When we aren’t as lucky, our ball can also be sitting down in one of those marks. When the lie is favorable, we can get more aggressive.

When it’s not as favorable, we must lean towards the conservative play. Don’t assume more risk than the lie allows for unless it’s absolutely necessary. Decisions of this kind make or break rounds all the time.

It’s okay to take your medicine, grab a wedge, and get your ball back on the short stuff, even if that means advancing the ball merely a few yards. Sometimes, we have to accept that making par a different way is a valuable skill.

Other times, we can advance our ball onto the green and nearer to the hole when we remember to choose the proper club with enough loft. Also, we need to remember to keep those knees quiet and feet still during the swing.

Final Thoughts

Understand that playing out of fairway bunkers often requires more patience and a more conservative approach to managing the shot and, ultimately, our game. First and foremost, we have to get the ball out and back on the short grass by whatever means possible.

Sometimes, we may have to utilize a greenside bunker-like blast, whereas other times, we may be in a position to lay up to a yardage we like for our third.

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Overseas, pot bunkers are lethal and rarely allow us to play for the green due to the severity of the front lip. In the US, fairway bunkers are less severe on average than those in the UK. Whatever the case, we must get the ball out. Failure to do so invites the big number into play, quickly.

If going for the green presents itself, understand that a slightly open setup paired with an open clubface adds loft to your club. If struck solidly, your ball may come out higher than usual and much higher than you’re otherwise used to if you’re playing from an upslope.

Unless your ball is squarely in the middle of the bunker, there’s a very good chance that your ball is closer to the front lip, which often means the ground is sloping more away from the hole. On lies of this nature, the upslope adds height to our shot which affects the distance your ball will carry.

On such shots, we also want to angle our shoulder plane with the slope by either lifting our lead shoulder or dropping the trail one.

Be mindful that upslopes can make it easier for us to lose our balance if we don’t set up properly to the golf ball. Matching our shoulder plane with the slope makes it more likely that we will strike the ball first. You can also add a touch of weight to your back foot when hitting from an upslope.

Doing this makes it easier to return the clubhead to the back of the ball in a fashion that isn’t quite as steep. Creating a slightly steeper downswing/more negative angle of attack on flatter fairway bunker shots makes it easier to ensure a solid strike.

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All in all, a well-struck fairway bunker shot with your iron/club of choice will probably fly a half-club less than a typical shot would with the same club. While this isn’t always the case, keep in mind that we have to maintain a very stable connection with the ground/sand we’re playing from on such shots. Doing so requires less knee movement throughout the swing, which negatively affects clubhead speed and/or distance.

Remember to always assess your lie, choose a club with enough loft, and stay on balance by opening your setup just a touch and keeping those knees quiet throughout the swing. If your balance is typically where it needs to be in not only fairway bunkers but all shots, it’s okay to add speed to your swing, which helps us be aggressive at the point of attack. Adding clubhead speed will also add height/distance to your shot which is ideal from the fairway sand.

If you encounter a side hill lie where the ball is above your feet, keep in mind that your clubhead is going to enter the sand sooner than you may think. Choking up on the grip makes it easier to control the entire club during the swing while also making it that much easier to have the clubhead bottom out in a spot that won’t lead to a chunkier strike.

When the ball is above our feet in the bunker, it may take off to the left a little more than we may expect.

More importantly, the clubface may shut down a hair which will bring the height of your shot down. Be sure to select a club with enough loft so that you can clear the front lip. On side hill lies where the ball is below your feet in the bunker, remember that you need to make a conscious effort to get down to the golf ball at impact. Failure to do so can lead to a thin strike that fails to clear the front lip.

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Although the downhill lie fairway bunker shot is far less common than the uphill lie on the upslope, it happens. Like the lie on an upslope, be sure to do your best to angle your shoulders with the slope. In theory, this setup should promote a steeper angle of attack and less height which isn’t ideal from the fairway bunker.

However, your ball is typically located in the back of the bunker (relative to the hole) when facing a downhill lie. As such, we’re a few-to-several precious yards further away from the front lip of the bunker relative to the middle and front of the bunker. Being further away means we have more time to get the ball up in the air than we do on fairway bunker shots in the middle and front of the bunker.

Fairway bunker shots require a heightened level of focus and attention on the quality of our lie, the first few yards of flight on our shot, our club choice, and how far we’re trying to advance the ball. If you know you can’t reach the green, never flirt with trying to get the ball “close” to the green at the expense of bringing the front lip into play.

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Amateurs often associate trying to achieve a particularly solid strike with an overactive body and less speed. Unlike the greenside sand, we have to do our very best to strike the ball first in order to maximize distance potential. We maximize distance by increasing speed. When we swing on balance, under control, and with a less active lower body (especially in fairway bunkers), we’re going to increase our chances of creating more clubhead speed, a better strike, and more distance.

After assessing the lie and deciding what shot to execute, pick a properly lofted club and address the ball with our modified open setup. Get the ball positioned in the middle of your feet or more towards your lead foot and be sure your feet are firmly set into the sand. Now swing!

If you keep your speed up by being aggressive, remaining on balance, and maintaining a quiet lower body, you’ll pound the center of the face at the moment of impact which will send your ball over the front lip and at your target with the proper distance. Proper fairway bunker technique will help you turn what used to be bogeys into birdies.