Playing a shot from a fairway bunker can be an intimidating proposition for many golfers, but with good planning and proper technique the shot is usually not that difficult. In fact, Tour professionals would much prefer playing out of a fairway bunker than deep rough.

First you must analyze the situation … how far is it to the hole? What kind of lie do you have and how high is the front lip of the bunker?

In establishing your base dig your feet slightly into the sand but make sure you choke down slightly on the club to compensate for this. Play the ball in the normal position for the club you are using. Focus your eyes on the front of the ball not behind it. This will help you strike the ball before the sand, which you must do with this shot. And on your take away don’t make too big of a weight shift … have a relatively quiet lower body. Then just sweep the ball off the sand as if it were a sheet of glass. Fairway bunker shots are ones that I rarely see amateurs practice. If you take the time to learn these shots and practice them they are not that difficult.