[Kim Maengnyeong's Golf English Conversation] "Fairway Bunker Know-How"

When making a fairway bunker shot, the lie of the ball and confidence are important.

To execute a good fairway bunker shot, confidence in "safely escaping and reaching the green" is crucial.

Next is the ability to estimate the situation. The lie of the ball is key. If the ball is in a good lie and the lip is not high, you can choose a long iron or fairway wood (If you have a good lie, you can use a fairway wood from the bunker). The bunker lip should be less than 15 degrees in height, and the ball should be at least 10 meters away from the lip.

There are special conditions for fairway bunker shots. Body balance is important. Weight distribution should be 50-50. At address, spread your feet wider than shoulder width to stabilize your lower body. Golf shoes should be shuffled into the sand slightly for stability.

The ball position is about one ball to the right compared to a typical fairway shot setup. When selecting an iron, take one club longer than usual but choke up on the handle by 2-3 cm. Keep the club 2-3 cm above the sand to avoid touching it, and focus on a smooth and slow takeaway rhythm. The backswing top should be a three-quarter swing rather than a full swing, and hit with about 70% power.

At impact, topping or hitting behind the ball will obviously cause mishits like thin or fat shots. There is no need to scoop the ball out; let the loft do the work. You should make perfect contact with the ball by gently brushing it. Right after impact, slightly lift the right heel, and the finish position should be symmetrical to the backswing top.

A: I drove my tee shot into the fairway bunker on the left.

B: Did you? That’s too bad.

A: How do you play a shot from a fairway bunker?

B: Spread my weight evenly. I take one more club and choke down an inch or two on the club. After I hit the ball cleanly.

Written and photographed by Kim Maengnyeong, Golf Columnist

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.