One of the most dreaded shots in all of golf is hitting out of a fairway bunker. But it need not inspire such fear. Following just a few simple tips will have you playing this shot with confidence in no time.

There are two reasons why this shot scares so many amateur golfers. First, how often do you practice it? Rarely, if ever, right? Second, it’s very easy to duff it and advance the ball only a few yards. Worse, you might leave it in the bunker! To practice this shot, you may simply have to play on a day and at a time when the course is not busy, and purposefully aim for the fairway bunkers. Sounds nuts, but if you do it for just 2-3 rounds, you’ll get in some very helpful practice swings.

Ok, here’s how to play fairway bunker shots correctly. First, take more club. If you are a 7-iron away from the green with your ball on the fairway from the same distance, use a 6 or even a 5 in the bunker. Second, move the ball up in your stance to the same position you’d play your 3-wood (nearer to your front heel). Third (and this is the tricky part that requires lots of practice), adjust your spine angle at address so that you’re slightly more upright. And I do mean slightly.

Here’s why you want to do each of those things. Taking more club helps you achieve roughly the same amount of loft in the clubface that you’d have if you were playing the more lofted club off the fairway and farther back in your stance. Since you’re playing the ball in the bunker farther up in your stance, the loft will essentially be increased on the longer iron you’re using.

Moving the ball up in your stance in a fairway bunker will help you lift the ball out instead of pinching it into the turf, as you would from the fairway. Driving the ball into the ground when the ground is made of sand is a sure way to leave it in the bunker!

Standing a bit more upright helps you as the clubface reaches the bottom of the downswing. The idea is to pick the ball cleanly so you do not catch any sand - or at least greatly minimize the amount of sand your club picks up. On the fairway, you want to take a divot shortly after hitting the ball. In a fairway bunker, you do not.

Oh, one final tip: make sure to ground your feet firmly in the sand in order to maintain your balance on this full shot.

There you have it. Give it a shot and see if your fairway bunker play doesn’t improve after a bit of practice.