| The first thing you should understand about the | | | | it out and back into play with a sand wedge or |
| fairway bunker shot is that you will need to take a | | | | wedge. |
| different approach to that of your regular greenside | | | | So how do you play fairway bunker shots? |
| sand shots! | | | | 1. Assume you normal square setup but with the ball |
| Unlike greenside bunker shots where you are trying | | | | positioned a few inches further back in your stance, |
| to strike the sand first so you can splash the ball out | | | | so it is more in the middle, this will help to ensure that |
| with a higher trajectory and land it softly on the | | | | you make contact with the ball first. |
| green, the fairway bunker shot requires you to strike | | | | 2. Nestle your feet into the sand about half an inch or |
| the ball first, so you can generate the greater | | | | so, until you have a solid base to swing from. |
| distance that is needed. | | | | 3. Choke down on the grip, about the same amount |
| It is important to remember that the priority of all | | | | as you have nestled your feet into the sand, this will |
| sand shots is to get the ball safely back into play! So | | | | help to prevent you from striking the sand first. |
| first you need to assess your situation, how is the | | | | 4. Shorten your swing for more control and take at |
| ball laying? and what is the height of the lip face? | | | | least 1 or 2 more clubs than you would normally |
| If the ball is too nestled into the sand or the lip face | | | | select for the distance required. |
| is too high then the sensible option might be to splash | | | | |