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How to Get more Distance from the Fairway Bunker
Lots of teachers might tell you to hit it with a descending blow from a fairway bunker. When I was in college, I was doing the same thing.
But I wasn't getting enough distance that I wanted. I often had to take more than 2 clubs to hit the green.
From a fairway bunker, you can't turn fully. So you will lose some distance. That's why you need to take 1 or 2 more clubs.
But if you feel like you are losing more distance that that, you might be doing something wrong.
I was surprised to hear what Jack Nicklaus said about hitting fairway bunker shots. He said he never wanted to hit it with a descending blow for this type of shots. This was opposite of what most teachers said back then.
But Jack Nicklaus was easily hitting shots that went high and far from fairway bunker.
I finally understood what he wanted to say.
Sweep the Ball off the Sand
If you hit it with a descending blow or steep angle of approach into the ball, the ball will hit the sand before it takes off.
When this happens, the sand will absorb some of the power you put into the sand.
So you lose distance.
Tiger Woods said the key to getting more distance from a fairway bunker is to try to limit the contact with the sand as little as possible.
So if you need to get more distance, don't try to hit down on the ball.
You should sweep the ball off the sand instead. But if you have a bad lie in sand, forget about sweeping it. See related articles below for the tips to hitting this type of shots.