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watching scottish open just seen darren clarke play long shot from bunker,it didnt look like he hit sand and caught the ball very clean,i was under the impression you had to take sand first as a rule,can someone clarify if i have that wrong

The longer the shot, the less sand you want to take, even from a greenside sand trap. From a fairway trap, you don't want to take any sand if you can help it. You want to take enough club for the distance, maybe one more, and pick the ball as clean as you can. There is no rule against this. Same rules apply as in any other hazard, i.e., can't ground the club, can't remove any natural objects, etc. Bottom line, you don't have to take sand first and in some instances you certainly don't want to.
Jerry

Well said, Thinkin2.

A rule of thumb on long bunker shots: take one more club than you normally would for the distance and place your grip about an inch down the shaft to compensate for your feet sinking into the sand. A little time on the practice tee (or in the practice bunker) will help also.