Fairway Sand Bunkers

A fairway bunker is the opposite of a greenside one: here you want clean, ball-first contact. The first decision is whether your club has enough loft to clear the lip.

Iron shot from a shallow fairway bunker with a low lip — A fairway bunker is a shallow sand trap out in the fairway. The lip is low, so you want clean, ball-first contact to advance it toward the green.

Step by step

Check the lip first and pick a club with enough loft to clear it comfortably — if in doubt, take more loft.
Dig your feet in only slightly for stability and grip down on the club to match.
Play the ball center or slightly back and keep your lower body quiet.
Make a controlled, upper-body swing and pick the ball cleanly — ball first, then minimal sand.

Check yourself

You confirmed your club clears the lip before anything else.
You catch the ball first with little or no sand before it.
Your lower body stays stable so you don't sink and hit it fat.

Common mistakes

Taking too little loft and burying the shot in the face of the bunker.
Hitting behind the ball as you would in a greenside bunker.
Over-swinging and losing footing in the soft sand.

Go deeper: Fairway Bunker Shot form

A beginner refresher only — not professional instruction. See a PGA pro for swing changes.