The Fairway Bunker: Take One More Club and Get Out Clean

Grabbing a long iron or fairway wood to chase distance, catching the lip or thinning it, and leaving the ball in the sand for a second try.

The first priority is getting out cleanly and moving the ball down the fairway. A shot that clears the lip and finds short grass, even 30 yards shorter, scores far better than one that stays in the bunker.

Choose a club with enough loft to clear the front lip with room to spare, take one more than the yardage to allow for a smooth swing off a clean pick, and aim at the fat part of the fairway.

≈ 0.4-0.6 strokes per hole by never hitting two shots from the same bunker.