Change your thinking to improve fairway bunker efficiency
There are two predominant myths among amateur golfers when it comes to playing out of fairway bunkers. One is that you automatically select the club that will get you closest to the green. The second is to ‘pick’ the ball off the sand for best contact.
These two thoughts are the cause behind almost all poor shots from fairway traps, but a simple change in thinking can solve both.
When you enter the bunker, evaluate the lie, your stance and the height of the lip. Then pick the club that gives you the best chance of making good contact. Your sole aim is to make the best contact possible, whatever club that requires.
To make clean contact, think about playing the shot as you would from the fairway but with slightly more pressure in your lead side. This will create a steeper takeaway and generate a descending blow through the sand after the ball. Don’t think of it as a ‘pick’, rather creating a divot in the sand as you would in the fairway.
These simple shifts in thinking will eliminate fat and thin shots and get you back in play in the best shape possible.
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[Getty images: Innocenti]
