How do you get the ball out of the thick rough and onto the green in one shot?First,take a deep breath and assess the situation. …Second,take a few practice swings to get a feel for the shot.Third,try to envision where you want the ball to go. …Fourth,when you’re ready to hit the ball,focus on making contact with the sweet spot. …Finally,follow through with your swing and finish high. …

How to hit a golf ball out of the rough?

The key to hitting out of the rough is assessing how deep your ball is, selecting the correct club, and making a few necessary adjustments during the address, backswing, and downswing. Unfortunately, grabbing a club and swinging harder is not the solution when your ball is buried in the rough. This is a good way to achieve some big numbers in golf.

What is the best club for hitting out of the rough?

However, the three most popular choices for hitting out of the rough are the hybrid golf club, a short iron, or a wedge. When you hit a golf shot out of the rough, you need to ensure that you have enough loft to be able to launch the ball in the air.

How do you hold a golf club in the rough?

Hold the club firm – The long grass does a great job of grabbing your clubface when you are in deep rough. To prevent the club from slipping or turning in your hands it is recommended that you grip it with just a bit more pressure and hold on firm through impact.

Can you play golf without hitting an iron from the rough?

However, most players are not able to get through a round of golf without having to hit an iron shot from the rough. The rough sneaks up into play even when we are just a few yards from the fairway. For the average golfer, it is essential to have a plan in place to be able to play from the rough.

Why does my golf club hit so hard from the rough?

The problem with hitting from deep rough. Deep rough will cause two main issues: 1. The grass can snag your golf club and cause it to close (draws, hooks, and pulls) 2. The snagging will also slow down your club, causing you to lose speed and power (weak hits, not “getting out”)

How to hit out of thick rough?

The grass is going to slow down your club. So this is the time to go all Happy Gilmore on the ball. Swing down on the golf ball with authority.

How to weaken grip?

To weaken your grip, place your left hand a little counter clockwise to your standard position. You want to see less knuckles on your left hand at address (the more knuckles you see, the stronger your grip).

What grip pressure should I use for thick rough?

I’m not talking death grip. But if your usual grip pressure is a 5 (out of 10), then you’ll probably want to up that to a 7. 2.

Is thick rough closing?

Despite the measures we’re taking to stop the clubface from closing, thick rough is still going to close it a little. So I’d recommend aiming right of your intended target, allowing for a draw, hook, or worst case scenario a bit of a pull.

Does rough golf slow down your swing?

Again, even though you’re swinging harder, unless you’ve been hitting the gym like Bryson, the rough is going to slow down your swing. So you might want to take an extra club to allow for that.

Who is David from Golfer Logic?

David is one of the founders of Golfer Logic, and on a mission to improve his swing, while sharing advice, tips and "eureka!" moments with the GL community.

What to do if you find a ball being pulled?

If you find the ball is being pulled, you need to maintain an open clubface. The tall grass grabs the hosel and closes the clubface, so you need to exaggerate the open clubface.

How to make better contact with the ball?

If the ball is sitting in light or moderate rough and with most of the ball showing, you can make better contact with the ball. The ball is likely to come out faster, fly lower, bounce, and run longer. For a shot like this, you will want to take one less club. For example, if you normally hit a 7-iron 130 yards, take out an 8-iron for the same distance.

How to increase difficulty of a golf course?

The rough can be grown in a couple of different ways. First, they can mow less of the fairway, making the fairway narrower, which then will increase the amount of rough on the sides.

How to catch grass on a downswing?

On the downswing pull down on the handle to keep a more up and down descent into the ball. Also, make sure your weight is forward on the target side when you make contact.

How to practice golf on a green?

On a practice green place a board or an object about a yard behind your ball. Using a 9-iron or wedge, address the ball as you normally would, with the ball in the middle of your stance. Work on breaking your wrist and lifting the club so that you can practice coming down at a steeper angle. Obviously, try to avoid hitting the board with your club to help you practice the steeper angle. Be sure to pull the handle down and use the loft of the club to pop the ball up.

How to hit out of the rough?

The key to hitting out of the rough is assessing how deep your ball is, selecting the correct club, and making a few necessary adjustments during the address, backswing, and downswing.

What is the rough in golf?

The rough is part of the game on a golf course, and to be a successful golfer you must learn how to hit out of the rough.

How to adjust a golf club in the rough?

Opening the clubface is another adjustment you should make when in the rough. The grass will grab the ball and shut down the face during impact, so open it up a bit to compensate for that. 1. Evaluate your lie 2. Evaluate the grass 3. Club up 4. Steeper swing 5. Open clubface.

How to get more club contact on the ball?

Steeper swing. Wirth more grass around the ball, you’ll need to take a steeper swing path to get as much club on the ball as possible. Focus on getting steep on the takeaway and then as you come into impact so you can make better contact. 5. Open clubface.

How often does a golfer find the rough?

That means that once in every four tee shots, he finds the rough. All of which is to say: It’s important to learn how to play from the hay. It’s not always easy, but if you employ the correct strategy, you should be able to get your ball back in play, and sometimes even on the green.

What to take note of when playing golf?

When you get to your ball, the first thing to take note of is your lie. If the ball is sitting up, then you should be able to get solid contact on the ball. But if it’s sitting down a bit, it might limit your options on the type of shot you can play. It all depends on the lie.

Who is Zephyr Melton?

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF.com, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour.

How to play a lie in the rough?

If your only option is to punch the ball back out into play with a wedge and sacrifice distance than so be it. Decide first if you want to use an iron or a fairway wood after you assess the lie. Once you make that decision play the ball middle to back in your stance, set the face slightly open and lean left (target side). As you swing make sure to hold firm so the club won’t twist in your hands and make a bit of a steeper and more armsy golf swing to create a steep angle of attack.

How to close a golf club face?

Open the clubface slightly – The long grass will grab the hosel and force the clubface to close over through impact. To offset this many players have success by opening the face ever so slightly at address.

How do you know if a golf ball is in sand?

When the ball is in sand it is usually sitting up (as long as the players before you rake) and you can see most of the ball. You also know what the texture is like simply by looking at it or maybe because you hit a few practice shots out of the practice bunker before you teed off.

How to decide which club is best from the rough?

How do you decide which club is best from the rough? The first thing to do is look at how much grass is above the ball. If part of the ball is showing above the grass then typically you will only need one extra club. If however the ball is really sitting down and heavily covered then you will need to club up a lot more. If it’s buried then your only course of action is to take a wedge and punch it out. It’s all about damage control when you get in that kind of trouble. Take your medicine, sacrifice the distance and get the ball safely back into play.

What to do if your golf ball is buried?

If it’s buried then your only course of action is to take a wedge and punch it out. It’s all about damage control when you get in that kind of trouble.

Why are woods more comfortable to cut?

For this reason, a lot of people are more comfortable with woods. They have a lower center of gravity and a more shallow face allowing them to cut through the grass more easily.

How to hit down with a steep decent position?

Lean your weight left – To help hit down with a steep decent position your weight a bit towards your target side foot and try to remain there throughout the swing. Leaning on your back foot will force you to hit too far behind the ball and catch too much grass.

Instructions

Play the ball in the middle of your stance. You want the ball to be midway between your front and back foot. Take an athletic position as you stand over the ball. Your knees need to be bent or flexed if you are going to transfer your weight properly in order to get your club head through the ball.

Tips & Warnings

Practice your swing from the rough when you get the chance. This is difficult to do when you are at most practice ranges, but if you get to your golf course early you can hit from the tall grass surrounding the holes. This is vital in order to get used to the feeling of your club getting through the rough.

About the Author

Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who’s Better, Who’s Best in Football — The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times.

What is worse than wandering up the fairway?

There’s nothing worse than wandering up the fairway after you think you’ve hit a good drive and finding your ball has drifted into the rough. As if the game isn’t hard enough. And such frustration can lead to rash decisions, like reaching for a long iron in a desperate attempt to negate any lost ground.

How far can you advance a hybrid golf ball?

Really catch one and you could even advance it as much as 200 yards depending on your swing speed. You will, however, need to make a couple of adjustments.

How to avoid getting grass stuck between the club and the ball?

Secondly, move the ball slightly further back in your stance and place a little more weight on your left side than usual . This will help you find a steeper angle of attack to avoid getting too much grass stuck between the club and ball.

When the lie is good, can you just take your normal approach?

When the lie is good, you can just take your normal approach and the ball should travel more or less the same distance as it would from the fairway – you might get a little less carry and a little more run.

Can hybrid clubs be used in golf?

However, with the emergence of the hybrid club many years ago, golfers have the best of both worlds. Not only can they escape the long grass easily, but they can advance the ball a great deal further than if they were forced to take their medicine and hack out with a we dge.

Can a hybrid golf club be used as a weapon?

Armed with these changes, and a little bit of practice, a club as versatile as the hybrid can become a real weapon out the rough.

What Golf Club To Hit Out of the Rough

The right golf club to use in the rough will depend on your distance to the green. However, the three most popular choices for hitting out of the rough are the hybrid, a short iron, or a wedge.

Tips For Getting The Golf Ball Out Of The Rough

Even though swing mechanics and swing basics are essential, probably the most important tip for hitting out of the rough is to evaluate your lie and choose the club carefully. Sometimes it is not your swing speed, club face angle, or golf swing that causes the problem; it can simply be that you chose the wrong club.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now feel as though you know what golf club to use in the rough. Luckily you have some choices from the long grass, but for the most part, the wedge and the hybrids are the most popular.

How to escape spinach?

Instead, make a three-quarter-length backswing (as if you were hitting a pitch shot) and focus on keeping your hands ahead of the clubhead at impact. Throttling down on the swing, along with the forward-leaning shaft, will help you make more solid, ball-first contact, making it much easier to escape the spinach.

How to advance a golf ball 100 yards?

That mighty lash you like to take could be the issue. An up-tempo swing, coupled with the choice of a longer club, makes it easier to catch the grass behind the ball, which kills your speed and distance from the thick stuff. Instead, take one less club (say , a 7-iron vs. a 6-iron), lean your body toward the target, and swing with less effort. Here’s the blueprint.

Where should the butt end of a golf club point?

The butt end of the club should point toward your left hip pocket.