Don't give up on trying to hit the green or hit a long golf shot from here.
You can play a long explosion shot.
How many times have you played a bunker shot and skulled the ball a long way over the green?
Well this is the type of shot you will try to play from here.
To allow for the shorter distance your ball will travel, take two clubs more than you would use for the distance from the fairway. This means instead of a 9 iron, you will use a 7 etc. Set up as for a normal bunker shot, planting your feet firmly in the sand.
Open you club face, take a normal swing and hit hard into the sand as close to the ball as you can. This is what you do when you skull your bunker shot. You hit too close to the ball.
Aim a little left of your target to allow for the effect of opening the club face. The ball will fade. Practice this shot so that you have it in our armoury.
Some bunkers have a very fluffy sand base. If you are in a fairway bunker with such a base, you can get out and obtain good distance using a four or five wood.
These woods have a rounded sole and blast through any sand that gets between the club and the ball much better than an iron which has a lighter head.
Play your shot by hitting slightly from out to in and so cutting across your shot. This will cause your club to descend on a steeper plane and so diminish the amount of sand you will encounter during the swing.
What about hitting from the edge of the green where there has been a sand spill? A bit rare but it happens sometimes.
Play this shot in exactly the same way you play a bunker shot. The difference here is that there is solid ground beneath the sand, say about one inch down. This means that your club will not dig too deeply beneath the ball and the shot is easier than a normal bunker shot.
So, you set up and swing as though you are in a bunker hitting the sand about two inches behind the ball.
The firm ground beneath the ball will ensure a perfect bunker type shot and you will be surprised at how easy this golf shot is.
Do you know how to play a pitch and run shot? Percentages are higher when approaching a green than a pitch shot. Sure the pitch shot looks great when it goes up into the air and stops near the pin. But how many times do you pull this off? There are also situations when the pitch is not possible, such as when there are branches in the way.
Play your pitch and run with the ball level with your right foot (right handers), you hands well in front of the ball and your weight on your front (left) foot.
Don't try to put or sweep the ball, but hit down crisply into the back of the ball with a short firm swing.
How far will the ball travel? Well, for example, your seven iron will travel as far again after it bounces. So try to land your 7 iron half way to the flag. Land your 6 iron a bit shorter as it will run further, and so on.