While you may not think golf and baseball have much in common, you might be surprised by this tactic for fairway bunkers. It pulls from the sport of baseball, and the similarities in your swing and aiming tactics. While it can be hard to draw comparisons between the two sports, the swing is perhaps the strongest link. It’s definitely not the score, trust us.

When it’s similar

If you have a ball that’s at the top lip of a fairway bunker, you’ll have to stand in the hazard to attempt to hit the ball. If you stand there, the ball will be roughly waist height. Which reminds us of where the ball would be playing baseball or t-ball. So if you can put yourself in a similar mindset, you might just be able to knock this one out of the park. Take a moment with your remote controlled golf cart and breathe, before you take the shot.

Where to hold your iron

Trust us, this is a hard one to hit, and if you don’t get it, you’re in the majority. So here are some tips for the next time it happens to you. Try to stand in a semi-normal position, even though it will feel off because of the golf balls location. We’d suggest using your 7-iron for this shot, because all you’re trying to do is hit the ball far enough so that you can finish the job with a wedge.

Focus on your aim

If your ball is at waist height for this bunker, your swing should be really flat. Most likely you’ll wind up pulling more left. So try to aim your focus a little to the right. Aim for right field if you will, and try to hit your ball about 20 yards to the right of where you really want the ball to go.

The swing

If you imagine that you’re hitting a waist high fastball, chances are you’re going to crush this. So pretend you’re hitting a fast one, and attempt to knock it out of the park, all while aiming for right field. A great tip here; pretend that you’re swinging across your dining room table. Don’t hit it, but try to swing your iron just across the top of the table. If you keep your club right below shoulder level, you should be golden.

The Outcome

For most, this is a difficult shot at best, but it can be fun to pull in your knowledge of another sport and try your best at an otherwise difficult swing. Whether you’re a slugger or a golfer, we wish you the best with this swing.
November 08, 2017 — Natalie Montoya

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