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When you are in a fairway bunker, you can use any club to play the desired shot to escape the sand. If you elect to use a fairway wood, there are a few factors you need to consider in order to see if a fairway wood is the right play.
1. How is the ball lying in the sand? Is the ball lying cleanly in the sand or has the ball nestled down?
To be able to play a successful fairway wood shot from the sand you need the ball to be lying nice and cleanly on top of the sand. This clean lie enables a clean club to ball contact.
2. Is there a lip to the bunker between you and your target?
If the fairway bunker you have found yourself in has a lip or face to it then it will be difficult to get the initial launch height using a fairway wood to elevate the golf ball over the lip of the bunker face.
If you have a clean lie and there is no face to the bunker to lift the ball over, you can by all means give the fairway wood a hit. When playing any shot from a fairway wood, a ball before sand contact is essential. To assist in a ball first contact, set up with a little more of your weight on your lead leg and grip down a touch on the golf club.
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Fairway woods have been designed to be versatile from numerous lies. There is no rule which stipulates you can only use a fairway wood from off the fairway. Although you will be most likely to get the optimal ball flight when playing from off the fairway, when it comes to using a fairway wood from out of a fairway bunker you can by all means do this.
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There are no rules of golf which stipulate the prevention of the use of any club to play any shot from any lie on the golf course. So if you want to use a fairway wood from a fairway bunker or hit a putter from off the tee, then you are free to do so.
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When it comes to using a fairway woods to play a shot from out of a fairway bunker, it is advised that the lie needs to be as near to perfect as possible. This is to ensure a clean contact can be achieved, which is essential to play an effective fairway wood shot from a fairway bunker.
