How to Hit a Golf Ball From the Rough
The idea of golf is to hit the ball from tee to green and then make your putts. It's an easy swing that does the job and if you try to add a little distance to your game by swinging a bit harder than normal, a wild shot is likely to result. We know this, yet we always find one or two holes every round to crank it up and go for the distance. The big swing almost always results in a shot that is just a bit off-center and somewhere in the rough. These shots can turn a good round into an average one or an average one into a poor one unless you have mastered hitting the ball from the longer grass.
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Instructions
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Strike the ball with your normal swing when you are hitting from the rough. More often than not, your thought process is altered when you see your ball in the tall grass, wondering how you are going to get the ball to the green without ruining the hole. More experienced golfers know they have to let the club do the work. Don't turn up the velocity, just add another club or two. If you are 150 yards away from the green and would normally use a 7-iron to reach the green, take a 5- or 6-iron. The longer club will give you the added power to cut through the long grass.
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Remove any loose impediments from behind the ball. No, you cannot get rid of any weeds or start to mash down the longer grass to give yourself an easier shot. However, you can remove any loose sticks, pebbles or rocks that would impede your backswing. Give yourself a clean pass at the ball.
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Make sure you hit the ball cleanly. Instead of trying to bring your club down on the ball, make your club head come down an inch or more behind the ball. Your club is likely to bounce or skip on impact when your are playing from the rough so you have to compensate for that. Coming down behind the ball with a slower swing will ensure that you make solid contact in the rough and hit a good shot that either puts you on the green or within easy reach on your next shot.
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Analyze the type of lie you have in the rough. If your previous shot just rolled into that area on its final couple of turns, the ball is likely to be sitting up high on the rough. In that case, you don't have to take any special measures before hitting your next shot. However, if you have flown into the rough, the ball could be buried. Taking a longer club may not be enough in that case. If you can only see the top quarter of the ball or less, your best plan of action is to get the ball out of the high grass and onto the fairway. Don't worry about getting the ball closer to the green. When you are completely buried, you need to blast out and put it in the fairway.
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Tighten your grip a degree or two. On a normal shot from the tee or fairway, a firm grip that is about as tight as a solid handshake will do the trick. When you are hitting from the rough, your club will meet more resistance than usual so you need to firm up that grip. You don't want to choke the club because you still want your swing to be smooth and natural, but you don't want to let the resistance of the high grass loosen the club from your grasp.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not overswing when hitting from the rough. If you can see more than half of the ball, just use a longer club with your normal swing to get the ball out of the rough.
Tighten your grip just a bit. You are going to meet more resistance because of the high grass and you need to make sure you can finish your swing.
