If you get caught in the heavy rough then everything is not lost as we offer 2 golf shots that will get you clear of that knee-high grass and back onto the fairway
It might be lovely, but some people might say a bit boring, if you were able to keep your ball on the fairway and out of the rough and bunkers all the way to the green but in the real world that does not happen even for the best of professional golfers.
We all hit the odd shot, or in a few instances a lot of shots, off the fairway and into the rough or into a bunker but the true problem arises when your ball ends up in the heavy rough with grass clear up to your knees. When this happens many golfers take several 'hacks' to get their ball out and the hole becomes a total disaster.
However, anyone who has ever followed the professionals in action will know that this does not have to be a disaster. So, what is their secret?
There are 2 secrets and the first applies when your ball is in the deep rough but is still some way from the green and the second applies when your ball is buried but is reasonably close to the green.
When you are still some considerable distance from the green then your aim should not be to increase distance from your shot but should just be to get your ball out of the rough and on the fairway so that you are then in a good position to get yourself onto the green.
To achieve this you are going to have to make use of a a nine iron or wedge, both of which have plenty of weight to tackle the long grass and sufficient loft to get your ball up into the air and clear of the grass fast.
Also, you must ensure that the club blade is open when you are addressing the ball because the grass is going to take hold of the club head when you make your shot. You must then minimize the quantity of grass you are swinging through which means making an upright back swing and a strong down swing which is controlled with a very firm left hand. This shot will not get you much distance however it will pop your ball into the air swiftly and carry it forward sufficiently to get you back onto the fairway.
If you are close to the green then this shot will also work very well but you have to take care to ensure that your ball does not then roll right through the green. In this case therefore you must aim to hit 2 to 3 inches behind your ball and make sure that your shot includes a complete follow through. This will produce a shot very similar to that used to get your ball out of a bunker and will not only fire the ball up into the air to clear the deep rough but will also create a soft landing on the green and therefore minimize any forward roll.
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Heavy Rough
