Tiger tips: how to get the ball up quickly from a fairway banker

Golf Digest, March, 2004 by Tiger Woods, Pete McDaniel

Loft

Got a high lip to clear? Set up for my little cutter

A fairway bunker can be imposing enough for the average player in ordinary circumstances. Factor in having to control the trajectory of the shot, and even the most experienced player can get butterflies.

I've faced that situation quite a few times during my career, none more challenging than the 6-iron I hit over water in Canada in 2000 and the 3-iron over trees in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine a couple years later. Both involved controlling the height of the shot and a commitment to making the proper swing.

Indecision and fear can be paralyzing. There's only one way to overcome both, and that's through practice, practice and more practice. I hope my technique for getting the ball up quickly from a fairway bunker, plus a lot of practice, will yield similar results for you.

Keep the club moving through impact

With a fairway bunker shot, you must contact the ball before you contact the sand. I select slightly more club than normal for the yardage and grip down the exact amount that I dig my shoes into the sand. That way I can swing easier and maintain my balance. I set up in a slightly open stance and position the ball near the center of my stance. I add a little loft to the club by opening the face a hair, which means I must aim slightly left of the target to allow for a little cutter. It's really difficult to draw the ball from a fairway bunker. The average player either beats down on the ball or scoops it in an attempt to get it up quickly. In both instances you've altered your spine angle and either hit the ball fat or skinny, driving it into the lip of the bunker. It's critical to establish the proper spine angle for the shot and maintain it to the finish. If there's a secret to the fairway bunker swing, it's this: I speed up my arms on the downswing to get the ball up quicker. The result is a shot that soars high and lands softly.

TigerTalk

Speed dialing

I called David Toms during the Sugar Bowl to give him grief about LSU and bet him $100 they would lose to Oklahoma. It didn't work, and I lost the bet. David was on the LSU sideline when I called his cell phone. He got a big kick out of it. I called just to give him a bad time and see how he was doing after the surgery. Late last year David had bone spurs shaved from his left hand, and he's missing the first events of the year. He's been nice about the bet so far. His first tournament back, I'll have the money in his locker. I hope he'll let me try to get it back in a little head-to-head match. I have four or five PGA Tour guys on my cell phone speed dial. Let's see, there's Mark O'Meara, Notah Begay, John Cook, Charles Howell, and Toms. Notah and David are the only guys who don't live around Orlando.We check in and give each other a hard time.

Let it snow

After the Mercedes Championships, I might get away and find some snow. I've never seen a snowflake, let alone skied, and would like to see what a snowflake looks like coming down. My fiancee, Elin, coming from Sweden, obviously is a good skier. Maybe some day I'll try it. The only problem is, I hate being cold.

How I spent the holidays

I stayed home and simply relaxed, worked out and practiced. And no, I didn't stay up till midnight on New Year's. It's just another day. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. Besides, I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is. I got some nice sweaters and shirts for Christmas. I got a lot of neat little things, like video games, stuff like that. I took only a week off during the holidays. I played golf on my birthday--I turned 28 on Dec. 30, and just hung out at home.