After watching grown men snivel at Chambers Bay two weekends ago I thought it would be a good time for Richmond Country Club head pro Mark Strong to give me a few pointers on fairway bunkers should I ever choose to play at Chambers upon developing some sort of golf masochism disorder.
So we took to the club’s driving range where they have a chipping green and practice bunker in the back.
The first thing I noticed about Strong’s approach to fairway bunkers is his analysis of the lie. Most of us may just waltz into the bunker and have at it but Strong looks at details such as how much sand is covering the ball and the slope of the bunker.
Shot assessment must be done on all shots, mind you.
Strong says whatever your setup routine is, let it be consistent and not too time consuming. I like to take one to three practice swings, but once I nick the grass just slightly I step up to the ball. With bunkers you’ll have to trust your eyes a bit more.
Swing tempo in or out of bunkers is also a key; any effort made to swing harder will upset the rhythm of your movements and the results can be disastrous.
“Show me a shot where you’re swinging your hardest and let’s compare it to one where you have good tempo, maybe at 90 per cent. I guarantee you you’re ball doesn’t go further,” said Strong.
In other words, leave the machismo at home and be a smart, consistent golfer.
Unlike shots from greenside bunkers you don’t want to take much, if any, sand out from underneath the ball. This means you’re likely going to lose some distance and, perhaps, some accuracy.
For hackers like me there’s a real danger in hitting the top of the ball or getting too much sand because you cannot take a practice swing that touches the sand.
Dig your feet in a few centimetres to acquire a solid stance and if you’re on an uphill slope you’ll want to widen that stance and use an iron with more loft in order to not hit the bunker’s lip.
Other than less stable footing and not taking a divot, a fairway bunker shot should be just like any ordinary shot. All in all, while there is a price to pay for hitting the bunker, recovering from it shouldn’t be as onerous as a greenside bunker.
Golf Balls:
As promised I have a few options for golf balls to consider. Strong said as a beginner/intermediate golfer I should only really be concerned about the hardness of a ball. And, frankly, most balls are advertised as having a “soft feel.”
There are other factors to consider such as composition and layers (which also define the feel) but as long as I’m losing three or four balls a game I’m keeping my choices limited to price point.
At Costco I picked up 24 Callaway HEX Control balls for $29.99.
If you’re capable of not losing too many balls Strong suggests upgrading to Callaway Supersoft (a dozen balls for $24.99 at the country club golf shop, which is open to the public). There’s also a wide variety of balls at Golf Town, especially high end Titleist balls ranging from $30-65 per dozen.
