Address the ball so the bottom or leading edge of the club is at the equator or middle of the ball.
There are basically two ways to play irons out of fairway bunkers. One is to pick the ball cleanly, almost as if you are going to pick it out of the bunker by hand, and the other one is more like a normal shot in which you hit the ball first and then take some sand afterwards.
The one that really seems to be the easiest is the former (picking the ball clean). When doing this, I’m not trying to hit a great shot; I’m just looking to advance the ball and get out of trouble and back in the fairway. It’s almost like I’m going to half-blade the ball out of the bunker.
What I don’t want to do is hit the sand behind the ball because all the energy and force can come out of the club when I do, and I’m going to lose tremendous distance or might not even get out of the bunker.
So here is my suggestion to pick the ball cleanly out of the bunker. Address the ball so the bottom or leading edge of the club is at the equator or middle of the ball. Next, make sure you stay tall during the backswing and through the shot. In my mind I’m going to try to blade the ball and I’m going to swing fast enough that the momentum and weight of the club will stretch my arms out just enough to get underneath the equator of the ball but not hit the sand.
Mark Moffatt is director of instruction at Shadow Wood Country Club. He can be reached at moffatt@swspotlight.com
So, I will basically pick the ball out of the bunker without even touching the sand. Keep in mind it will be more of an arm swing rather than a body swing. A slight body turn is involved back and through, but it will be mostly an arm swing.
Remember to execute this shot, stay tall throughout the motion back and through and swing aggressively enough so the arms extend and barely touch the sand.