The density of the sand is paramount in deciding how much sand you want to take with your shot. The more moist the sand is, the more it will slow your club head through the ball. Keep that in mind when approaching the shot. Very dry, sugar-like sand provides much less resistance, so your swing can be shorter and you can strike the sand further behind the ball then a shot with moist or coarse sand.

The type of lie has a lot to do with the aggressiveness of the shot as well. If the ball is on top of the sand, simply open the club face and slice the sand under the ball. If the ball is buried or a "fried egg," close the club face and use a more vertical up and down method, still slicing from outside in. Hinge your wrists and take the club up very abruptly and then pull the club down and through.

There are no shortcuts to good sand play. So if you want to play well out of the bunkers, practice!