Tip of the week

This weeks tip will explain how to escape fairway bunkers, ensuuring that you get out of the bunker and get the distance required. In some of our bunkers, you have to take your medicine and play the shot the same way as a greenside bunker shot and ensure that your next shot is played from the fairway. However, there will be situations where you have a good lie and are far enough back from the lip of the bunker to try and hit a shot onto the green.

Club Selection - First things first, it is impotant to use a club that you are confident will get you out of the bunker. This takes a bit of practice and judgement depending on the situation. A good tip for this is if you think you can get a 6 iron out of the bunker, then take a 7 iron to ensure the ball comes out. When playing a shot from a fairway bunker, you require a smooth and balanced swing to ensure that you strike the ball well, therefore if you have shot that requires a 9 iron for distance, take an 8 iron and swing smooth.

Set Up - When playing a fairway bunker shot, you need to strike the golf ball first. If you hit the sand first you loose all power and distance. To help you achieve this, play the ball in the middle of your stance. A common problem when playing a fairway bunker shot is that players loose their footing. To make sure this doesn’t happen, ensure you have a firm base at address. Do not wiggle feet into the sand the same way as you do a greenside bunker. This lowers you inot the ground and makes it harder to ensure you hit golf ball first. The last thing to do in the set up is to grip down the club by ½ inch.

Swing Thoughts - As previously mentioned, a ¾ smooth swing is important to help guarntee that you are hitting the golf ball first. The other thought that I have found to work very well is to try and keep your lower half very quiet during the swing. Try to make the swing with just your top half turning back and through. You are more likely to keep your balance and strike the ball well.

I hope this tip helps to lower your scores and reduce your handicap. For further information on this tip or any aspect of the game, please see one of the 3 fully qualified PGA Professionals at Hayling Golf Club.