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golf-tips
Tips
Course strategy: In a fairway bunker

published: Jun 2, 2017

|

updated: Jul 11, 2023

Course strategy: In a fairway bunker

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Sophie Walker gives you some advice on what to do when you find yourself in a fairway bunker…

Course strategy: In a fairway bunker

Table of Contents

Jump to:

  • second hand shorts 25: thinning your shots
  • sophie walker: how i bomb it miles
  • rebecca mcginley: how to hit a draw

Sophie Walker is a professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour.

We took the Shack on tour to Forest Pines to get some tips from Sophie. In this series of videos she discusses course strategy. Today she shows us what to do when faced with a tricky lie in a fairway bunker.

Today I want to talk to you about things that us pros think about which the amateurs can too. It’s not so much technical just thinking things through a bit more.

So we are in a fairway bunker with about 165 yards to the flag. If I was in the middle of the bunker I’d have a 5 or 4 iron and quite a simple shot.

Looking at the stance though a long iron here is a high risk shot due to the lip being quite close to the ball.

The first rule here is just to get the ball out back into play to leave yourself  good number to the hole.

I’d also be looking to play this to the right hand side due to where the lip is, it means hopefully can get up a bit quicker and away from the lip.

Make sure you feel comfortable over the shot. You have to keep extremely well balanced for this type of shot.

A bit about myself…Sophie Walker

I turned professional in October 2006 and gained my Ladies European Tour card in the November. It was a very proud moment for me as before it was mostly about the team, now it was all about me. So here I am living out my dream of playing sport for a living. Most people say they dreamt of playing golf from a young age. I just dreamt of being a professional athlete. Tour life has its ups and down but I can honestly say that the places I have been and the people I have met have been amazing. Every week we are at a different venue, but it’s the same people so we are like a circus/family.

I am now taking part in my 10th season on tour. I’m settled and happy with the way things are going – it’s up to me to let my golf do the talking and see how far I can go…

Second Hand Shorts 27: Controlling the ball flight

Second Hand Shorts 25: Thinning your shots

Read full article - Second Hand Shorts 25: Thinning your shots
Sophie Walker: How I bomb it miles

Sophie Walker: How I bomb it miles

Read full article - Sophie Walker: How I bomb it miles
Rebecca McGinley: How to hit a draw

Rebecca McGinley: How to hit a draw

Read full article - Rebecca McGinley: How to hit a draw

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