Gefunden in Golf Digest , Nov, 2005
© by Jim Flick

I don’t hit down: Nicklaus taught me to ’sweep‘ the ball in fairway bunkers
 
I was walking with Jack Nicklaus during a practice round at the 1996 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, and on one hole he drove into a fairway bunker some 170 yards from the green. There was a fairly steep lip, so I figured Jack might have to play short of the putting surface. But he took a 6-iron, kept his weight back, made perfectly clean contact, and put it on the green.
 
Later I asked Jack how he could hit the ball on such a high trajectory, and he said that with a middle iron to a fairway wood in a bunker, you do not want to hit down on the shot because the sand provides little resistance against which to trap the ball. Instead, you want the club swinging level at impact. Jack plays the ball slightly forward in his stance. He feels as if he keeps his weight on his right side longer through impact, similar to his driver swing. There should be little to no sand displaced.

Photo: J.D. Cuban

 
Try it. You might be afraid of topping the shot, but I’ve yet to see any student top it with this technique.

Jim Flick is ranked in the top 10 by his peers in Golf Digest’s 50 Greatest Teachers. He is based at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale.