How To: Short Game Shots from Deep Rough
The greenside bunker shot has quickly become one of the most overly-complicated "simple" shots in golf. This is mostly due to a lack of knowledge about how the club should interact with the ground combined with amateurs trying to emulate professionals on TV.
It's important to understand that when you see a tour player set up with the face wide open, and his/her stance aimed very far left, they're playing a shot that's suited for the conditions they're playing in. Typically, a tour event is played on a course with very soft sand and bunkers that are filled to the brim with plenty of sand. As such, expert players benefit from exposing more bounce on the sole of their wedge by opening the face dramatically, helping to keep the club from entering the fluffy sand too much. Around here, however, this typically isn't necessary, as most of the bunkers you'll play out of have much less sand than those on tour and they tend to be firmer as well. This actually helps make the shot much easier than the shots you see the tour players playing.
Simply put, if you follow three easy rules, you should have no problem getting out of greenside bunkers with ease going forward.