There may be times in your round when you find you ball resting in a sand bunker. The strategy from bunkers is different from the strategy from the fairway or the rough. If you try to chip the ball out of the bunker, you will probably hit the ball fat, and the ball will, most likely, remain in the bunker. Choose your sand wedge from your bag. This club is good from bunkers because it has a lot of loft, which helps you raise the bal out of the sand, and land it softly on the green, and it has "bounce", which means that edge of the club that hits the gound first is not the leading edge, it is actually the back edge of the club. The bounce prevents the club from digging into the sand. The club should skip along the surface of the sand, under the ball.
Open up the face of your sand wedge as much as you can. This creates even more bounce on top of the bounce that the club already has, and it makes the shot easier to hit. Open up your stance, so that your shoulders, hips and feet are all parallel, and aimed well left of your intended target. Keep your clubface open, and make sure that the bottom groove of your clubface remains perpendicular to your intended target. This will ensure that the ball does not go where your feet are aiming. It will go wherever the leading groove is aimed. Make sure that your grip is not too strong. Keep your normal grip on the club, as if you were going to hit a normal shot. An easy way to ensure that your grip remains neutral is by opening up ypur clubface FIRST, and then grip it like normal. When you swing, swing along the plane or your shoulders, hips, and feet, but keep the clubface aimed at the target. Hit about 2 inches behind the ball, make a full finish, and watch your ball pop out of the sand, and land softly on the green. The only way to master the sand shot is through practice!
Long bunker shots can be very scary to the average golfer, and if misshit, the ball usually only goes a few yards. There are several tricks to the long bunker shot which help you hit hit well. Make sure you take enough club. Do not underclub and try to swing hard, as this ulually ends up in a shot which is hit fat. Choke down about an inch on the club. This will also help to prevent a fat shot. Make a few practice swings outside the bunker. With these practice swings, your club should lightly brush the ground. Focus on a good tempo with your practice swings. When you approach the ball, think about making a short, compact swing. Do not swing too hard!!! Finally, make sure you take your divot after the ball.
To hit a bunker shot which is under 50 yards, take your pitching wedge, or 9 iron. Open up your clubface as if you were hitting a greenside bunker shot. Make the same swing aswell. By opening up the clubfave, you add bounce to the club, aswell as loft. The ball wil travel farther because the club has less loft than a sanf wedge. This shot must be practiced a great deal to be perfected.