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approaches from fairway bunkers

rollin

rollin

"Just playin golf pally"
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We have (now and then) discuss bunker play in some from or another for different reasons. or they pop up in conversations indirectly related to other things. But usually its most always about greenside bunkers. getting out, getting up/down, etc....But what about fairway bunkers? How good are you at playing approaches from them? assuming (for sake of discussion) you have a nice lie and a place to stand at address otherwise you sometimes just have to get out and take your lumps. And I don't mean a bunker 30yrds out but fairway bunkers perhaps 8,7,6 iron away.

One of my home courses has about 150 bunkers and is primarily doglegs and all holes have fw bunkers (a few to several) along the in and outter sides of the dogleg. Point is a lot of people can be in them quite often. As long as I have a favorable lie and can stand well enough I have become pretty good (only relatively speaking) at hitting my approach shots from them. Of course I fail too but just that its not something that scares me because I do get out well on enough occasions. Just have to hope I get the lie and stance and swing room.

Its kind of strange but I think the reason is because I tend to stay more relaxed due to the fact that Iam concerned with maintaining balance and footing. This causes me to swing a bit more carefully (or a bit easier) by default and the result is often enough a good one. of course other factors like how close the lip is and its elevation will determin which longest club you can use so sometimes you have to play a club short. And I've never (I don't think) hit longer than 6iron but I have greened 6irons from them and certainly had my share of close to the green shots too. But I can also take a 9i and chunk one 20 feet into the rough lol.

I often see many people who have good lies and stance but don't even ever consider attempting an approach and just pitch it out. And I think to myself -"but its a good lie and you have all required room and place to stand, just swing easy and normal and you'll hit it well"

So with that....just throwing it out there. whats your thoughts, opinons, whatever about approaching from fw bunkers. Whats your approach to this "approach"?....lol
 
I try to be pretty simple. choke down a little, play an extra club, set my feet in the sand and take a smooth swing. I have been able to play everything from fairway wood down but like you, get the occasional heavy shot that makes you feel like an idiot.
 
I try and pick it clean and I'll use whatever lofted club I need to make sure I can clear the bunker, that usually dictates if I go for it or take my medicine
 
I grew up on a course that had 170 bunkers and my home course now has 115. A full shot out of a good lie in a fairway bunker is no different than a shot from the fairway, just don't hit it fat and the shot will come out perfectly. I normally take one more club because I'm choking down to allow for my feet being sunken in the sand a bit and swing 80% with a still lower body. I think the battle that most golfers have out of the sand is they never practice it so they have zero confidence. On a slow day drop 20 balls in a fairway bunker, a little practice and it will become easy.
 
OITW said:
I try and pick it clean and I'll use whatever lofted club I need to make sure I can clear the bunker, that usually dictates if I go for it or take my medicine
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yes the lip needs to be low enough for club of choice but that doesn't always have to be taking too much of a lump. Sometimes just a club worth will do it.
 
tahoebum said:
I grew up on a course that had 170 bunkers and my home course now has 115. A full shot out of a good lie in a fairway bunker is no different than a shot from the fairway, just don't hit it fat and the shot will come out perfectly. I normally take one more club because I'm choking down to allow for my feet being sunken in the sand a bit and swing 80% with a still lower body. I think the battle that most golfers have out of the sand is they never practice it so they have zero confidence. On a slow day drop 20 balls in a fairway bunker, a little practice and it will become easy.
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The "still" lower body is what I was trying to get at by stating I am concerned with footing and is what helps pull the shot off. Of course at your handicap one must understand the term "easy" is only relative. But I do get it regardless. Its not the hardest thing and in fact (with a good lie and stance) can often be easier than a greenside sandy because this is just a normal swing for the most part where as that is something different.
 
I play them as a nice lie on a fairway. There is no rough in the way.
 
I'm very comfortable with these shots. Ball back, feet dug in, choke down, club up, controlled 3/4 type swing with quite lower body. Be sure to hit ball first.
 
My approach is useless, so I usually just wedge it out to safety and hit a 3rd from a safer area, because 9 out of ten times, my shot ends up short and out of the way.
 
tahoebum said:
I grew up on a course that had 170 bunkers and my home course now has 115. A full shot out of a good lie in a fairway bunker is no different than a shot from the fairway, just don't hit it fat and the shot will come out perfectly. I normally take one more club because I'm choking down to allow for my feet being sunken in the sand a bit and swing 80% with a still lower body. I think the battle that most golfers have out of the sand is they never practice it so they have zero confidence. On a slow day drop 20 balls in a fairway bunker, a little practice and it will become easy.
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This is exactly what I strive for. I think the key is the "swing 80% with a still lower body".

If you are having issues hitting it fat focus your eyes on the front edge of the ball or a spot an inch in front of the ball.
 
I just try to have a fairly flat AOA, thin is your friend compared to fat in fw bunker
 
ntanygd760 said:
I just try to have a fairly flat AOA, thin is your friend compared to fat in fw bunker
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Changing angle of attack is imo very hard to do for most mid and certainly higher cappers. Most of us have enough trouble trying to maintain a repeatable good swing as it is. Changing things like speed, amount of backswing, and even swingpath may all be something we can do without much change to our normal swings but changing AOA imo for a lot of us is very hard to do without screwing things up.

But that aside I would think swinging flatter (sweeping) can also have its disadvantages too. Like dealing with the sand unevenness that might be behind the ball and actually might lead to a fat shot. Plus hitting thin (or too thin) may not get up quick enough to make the bunker lip. for me (of course not the player you are) I just take a normal swing other than being more still with the legs/feet. But with that I find sometimes not enough hip turn requires aiming a bit right as that tends to mean a ball drawing left.
 
There's nothing to fear from a fairway bunker. I've always been comfortable with this shot. I plant my feet firmly, but I don't twist them in (I don't "dig in" because you can be penalized for doing that too aggressively).

I take one club longer than normal, then swing easy, making sure that I hit ball first. Most of my misses are on the thin side, and a thin miss will usually leave me in better position than a fat one.

I take a short enough club to clear any lip, even if that club won't get me to the green (I dislike courses designed with high lips on fairway bunkers, because I don't feel that a FW bunker should automatically be a one shot penalty).

I don't drive hard with my legs. Too much push can make your feet slip. It's mostly an arm swing with just enough leg drive to feel "right". I need some leg involvement to be in a good impact position. I'm lucky in a way in that I have never been one who is aggressive with my legs.

I keep my head down. I focus harder on this than any other aspect of the shot. I have a tendency to want to see where the ball is headed too soon in all shots, and this one is particularly punishing if I look up.
 
Main thing for me is make 1000% sure I hit ball first. Take an extra club. Dont move to much with your feet and deliver a nice blow to the ball. The thing I actually like about these shots is you can aim pretty close to the flag if your path is unobstructed because you will get a good amount of spin on the ball.
 
Fairway bunkers don't scare me much unless there's a really high lip. As others have said, one extra club, don't dig the feet in like a greenside shot, choke up a 1/2", take the ball slightly forward in my stance to encourage a "pick" rather than a "dig", and swing easy. If I miss with this setup, it's typically thin, which is better than fat - it usually at least gets me out.

If it has a really high lip, then yes I'm pitching out and taking my medicine.
 
The biggest issue I see with my playing partners is they don't take enough loft to clear the lip. My first goal is to get it out and if that means taking a loft that won't reach the green that is what it is.
 
rollin said:
Changing angle of attack is imo very hard to do for most mid and certainly higher cappers. Most of us have enough trouble trying to maintain a repeatable good swing as it is. Changing things like speed, amount of backswing, and even swingpath may all be something we can do without much change to our normal swings but changing AOA imo for a lot of us is very hard to do without screwing things up.

But that aside I would think swinging flatter (sweeping) can also have its disadvantages too. Like dealing with the sand unevenness that might be behind the ball and actually might lead to a fat shot. Plus hitting thin (or too thin) may not get up quick enough to make the bunker lip. for me (of course not the player you are) I just take a normal swing other than being more still with the legs/feet. But with that I find sometimes not enough hip turn requires aiming a bit right as that tends to mean a ball drawing left.
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Same way you do it with the driver, a touch of spine tilt. If slightly thin is going to not get up high enough you aren't using enough club. If flushing it means coming up 10 yards short but you always get out of the bunker that is the play. Bad things happen slamming the ball into the lip at full speed.
 
ntanygd760 said:
Same way you do it with the driver, a touch of spine tilt. If slightly thin is going to not get up high enough you aren't using enough club. If flushing it means coming up 10 yards short but you always get out of the bunker that is the play. Bad things happen slamming the ball into the lip at full speed.
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Spine tilt.....hmmm...I have questions on spine tilt and AOA...too many for this thread without changing its course. Think i'll discus this in a separate thread for some more info and opinions.
 
Keep in mind I could be totally wrong about all this, just the way I do it. Plenty of way better golfers than me.
 
More club, ball position slight forward. All arm swing and keep a steady base. That seems to work out most of the time.
 
Back in the stance, quiet legs, extra club.
 
ntanygd760 said:
Keep in mind I could be totally wrong about all this, just the way I do it. Plenty of way better golfers than me.
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Now worries, I started a thread in the "swing tips" section because I think it would be helpful to myself and hopefully others. basically to discuss AOA obtainability.

For this topic it seems the biggest common thing here has been is about a quiet bottom half of the body as being a key....and I would agree. None the less, many people simply opt out with a sandy type shot regardless of lie and stance and possibly are taking an unnecessary lump they may not have to.
 
I usually don't have a problem in a fairway bunker except if I'm really tired on the 18th fairway, like we did on the Home Course. It all depends upon the lie inside the bunker and the texture of the sand. Up here the sand is usually pretty firm so you can hit them like a normal fairway shot if the lip isn't too high. What feels weird is your footing. You feel like you're standing on your driveway in your golf shoes. I've hit a hybrid out of them if my ball is back in them. If my ball is near the front lip I've had to take my medicine.

One fairway bunker I'm particularly irritated with is on my home course (small letters) where some idiot went and planted a tree blocking the front side escape toward the green about 10 years ago. Three years ago you could still hit over the tree and advance the ball. Now you can't. It's a sand shot out sideways out onto the fairway. You go into that thing, it's an automatic bogey or worse on the hole. No chance to recover unless you're a professional or can hit an accurate 260 yd 3W. I'd like to go in some night with a chainsaw.
 
I don't have extensive experience in fairway bunkers but unless it's a great lie I'll take my medicine and get out, then focus on the next shot.


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Definitely putting others approaches in the back of my mind and maybe I'll get some use out of the tactics


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