Mastering the 40-Yard Sand Shot: A Golfing Guide

You are in the sand with a decent lie, but are faced with a shot of about 40 yards to carry either over the lip of the bunker or to make it to the pin, and running the ball up is not a good option.

What do you do?

Instead of trying to hit a hard sand wedge an inch or so behind the ball, use an 8 iron and enter the sand a safer two inches behind using a full swing, but without trying to hit it as hard as you can.

In using this approach, if a mistake is made you won't be as likely to hit the ball too far, which may put you over the green where most of the trouble tends to lurk on any given hole.