The U.S. Open last weekend was a spectacle to watch and displayed the importance of hitting the ball onto the fairway and avoiding the deep rough.
Time and time again, we watched the best golfers in the world try to hit the ball from the rough only to have club heads get caught by the grass, which slowed them down and barely advancing the ball from trouble.
If you noticed, when the pros were in the rough, they were forced to select a club with higher loft, such as a pitching wedge. That’s because when the club head enters high grass, the club face typically closes. That takes away all the loft off the face, making it all the more difficult to hit the ball in the air to get any kind of the distance.
How can you hit better shots out of the rough?
First, analyze how the ball is sitting in the grass. Is the ball sitting down in the rough, where the grass is above the ball, or is it sitting up on the grass, where you can see most of the ball? If it’s the latter, you have a chance. If it’s former, you’ll have to change your strategy.
Second, pick the right club for the job. Your choice should not be based on the distance you normally need to hit the ball. Rather, select the club that will get the ball in the air, or — if you hit a stinker — won’t penalize you too badly.
A common misconception I hear from golfers is that a hybrid club is supposed to be easier to hit the ball out of the rough. This may be true if the ball is sitting up, but if it’s sitting down, an iron with more loft is the better choice.
Way too often, I see folks selecting a club based on hitting the ball far. They have no chance getting the ball in the air and out of the rough in those circumstances, and the result is predictable and penalizing.
While swinging the club, try to deliver it on a steeper angle of attack. That will deliver the club to the ball with less grass getting in the way, increasing the potential for solid contact. Holding the club a little tighter in the hands and opening the face a little at the address will help reduce the amount the face closes when it gets gobbled up by the long grass, as well.
When you’re in a rough situation, you must first start by analyzing how the ball is sitting in the grass. Then it’s best to face the music and select a higher-loft club to play. After the grass has done the dirty work of closing the club face, your wise club choice will leave enough loft on the club to get the ball in the air, resulting in more distance and a less-penalized shot.
Peter Harris is the director of Golf at the Fore-U Golf Center in West Lebanon. His column appears weekly on the Recreation page during the golf season.