Hello, fellow golfers. With the U.S. Open this week, our question comes from Sandy in Lynnwood, who asks about getting out of thick rough.
As anyone who has ever watched a U.S. Open has witnessed, the rough will be long and thick and causing plenty of problems. The obvious answer is to do whatever you can to avoid the rough. Use fairway woods, hybrids or irons off the tee to help get the ball in the fairway especially if the rough is long.
The first step in getting out of the rough is the lie. This applies to rough around the fairways and greens. There is only one way to read a lie and that is experience. When you practice, give yourself some different lies in the rough. This way you can see how certain lies react.
Will this lie be a “flier” or will it come out soft? Once you have determined what shot you are going to play based on the lie, the technique of getting the ball out is the same for most shots. Take your normal stance with your feet slightly wider than normal with good knee flex for a solid base. Once set, tilt your spine forward as if you are hitting a downhill lie. This will put more weight on your front foot and promote a steeper takeaway and approach into impact.
This is critical to getting the ball out of the rough. You want the club to be in the grass as little as possible. Grip the club slightly tighter and prepare for the grass to grab the club head. When in doubt, get it out.
Watch the tour pros this weekend when they are in the rough. You will see plenty of players using sand wedges just to get the ball back into the fairway. It is pretty tough to get a 5-iron out of thick rough. The setup for greenside rough is the same.
The only difference would be to open your stance slightly and place the ball more forward in your stance. Execute the shot just like you would a bunker shot. Take a full swing, hitting an inch behind the ball. Again, be prepared for the grass to grab the club.
Just like anything else, to become proficient at this, you must practice. Remember this quote: “Don’t try any shot on the course that you have not practiced.”
Keep e-mailing your questions to tyroneh@ ballingerlakegolf.com.
Tyrone Hardy is co-owner of Hardy Golf LLC and the Director of Golf at Ballinger Lake GC and Gleneagle GC.
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