Best club out of rough?

[clg82]

Hey everyone yesterday while golfing I attempted to use my hybrid out of rough a couple of times and the ball popped straight up and went about 15 yards in front of me......Is it best to use irons out of rough, because I hit my hybrid off of the deck in the fairway no problem, what exactly is the hybrid supposed to be used for?

[srjorion]

Hybrids typically perform better out of the rough. The head shape allows the club to slide through the grass better than irons.

Having said that, if you are in some very thick rough a hybrid isn't going to help the situation. It may be best to pull out a high lofted iron and simply try to get the ball back into the fairway.

SRJ

[Zeph]

The hybrid is most often an alternative to longer irons, it is also considered a club that is easy to hit out of the rough with. That constitutes of course that it is hit properly. If you hit it fat or thin, it doesn't matter if you use an iron or hybrid.

I used hybrids instead of 5 and 4 iron until I got under 20 in handicap, not until then did I have the ability to confidently hit them well. Today I got one in the bag that go higher and a bit farther than my 4i, a club between the 4i and 7w. It is also a club I might use in rough.

The problem with rough is the club gets tangled up in the grass. The hybrid is designed in a way that makes it easier to glide through the grass. Also, a more lofted iron will be easier to use in the rough. The angle of attack is steeper, which bring less grass into play and make it easier to make somewhat good contact. Sometimes you just have to take your penalty and hit the ball out with a short iron instead of going for the green with a mid or low iron.

[golfro]

what everyone else said...

hybrids will typically push through the grass better than a long iron, but that is if it is hit properly as Zeph stated.

I personally don't use a hybrid as I've gotten by quite well with my FW and irons but in any situation, if the rough is super thick, I'll punch it out with a mid or short iron and get it back on the fairway. If the rough isn't too bad, a good contact with a 4 iron works well for me.

[clg82]

The hybrid is most often an alternative to longer irons, it is also considered a club that is easy to hit out of the rough with. That constitutes of course that it is hit properly. If you hit it fat or thin, it doesn't matter if you use an iron or hybrid.

Wouldn't the flatter face of an iron be better to get the ball out of rough as opposed to the round head of a hybrid? What was the reason for the golf ball going straight up in the air then, my swing? stance? or coming underneath the ball?

[golfro]

Wouldn't the flatter face of an iron be better to get the ball out of rough as opposed to the round head of a hybrid? What was the reason for the golf ball going straight up in the air then, my swing? stance? or coming underneath the ball?

You most likely hit the ball fat with you rhyrbid, thus the club went underneath the ball and popped it up.

when hitting in the thick stuff, an iron can twist in odd ways to cause for not so good ball contact. Hybrid however has a bit more mass to the head so it can push through some of the rough grass. If you popped up your ball, it means you chunked it int he rough and got the club under the ball. That would happen regardless of if you're using a hyrbid or iron.

[Zeph]

Wouldn't the flatter face of an iron be better to get the ball out of rough as opposed to the round head of a hybrid? What was the reason for the golf ball going straight up in the air then, my swing? stance? or coming underneath the ball?

The face and leading edge of the iron will catch the grass easier than the rounded hybrid, which will glide through.

If your ball just popped up, I'd say you topped it, or maybe hit it fat. There are good chances it was your swing that caused it, except perhaps if it was really thick or high to the point where good contact is like russian roulette.

[clg82]

The face and leading edge of the iron will catch the grass easier than the rounded hybrid, which will glide through.

I think this may have been it ^ so if it's in the situation where the ball is "propped up" on the rough grass then would it be better to use an iron in that situation or an iron?

[Zeph]

If the ball sits very bad, I'll just try to get it out with a wedge or something. If it's really bad, I'll drop it out. It's all about being able to judge the lie and what options you have, really a result of experience. That doesn't mean it'll always work, but it gets more comprehensible the more you do it. Having the ability to hit the ball with the hands in front of the ball at impact is very useful. Flipping in the rough is usually a recipe for disaster.

[golfro]

I think this may have been it ^ so if it's in the situation where the ball is "propped up" on the rough grass then would it be better to use an iron in that situation or an iron?

you could also take a driver, choke up on it and try to get it out that way. I've done this before...but since the driver has a much deeper club face, even if the ball is propped up a bit, you can get good contact. You just have to be careful with the loft of the driver. Have to make sure you don't just push the ball into thick rough again...have to swing up a bit to get the ball in the air.

[Zeph]

If the ball sits up and I can get clean contact, I'll hit whatever club I need to get the ball where I want it to go. Granted the stance allow for it. I won't pull out my 3 wood to hit a ball sitting up in the rough on a bad sidehill lie.

[WUTiger]

Depends a lot on the healthiness of the rough. For longer shots in moderate rough, a 5W or hybrid is good.

If the grass is thick and deep, a short iron (maybe 7i) may be the best way to go. In thick grass, lower lofted irons make you hit the ball through the grass before it starts to rise. Short irons pop ball up and out quicker. Stronger players have an advantage here: the more clubhead speed you generate, the lower lofted club you could take on a given shot.

Bottom line: pick a club which minimizes the chance of you having to hit a second shot out of rough.

[meenman]

My best club for getting out of the rough is my niblick - unfortunately, I generally cant justify putting it in the bag since that is all I find it useful for.

[themightytimmah]

I like to hit a 4H out of rough - the key for me is to treat it like a sand trap and swing without grounding my club. If you address the ball and try to drag it backwards through the rough, it'll wreck your swing.

[ohiolefty]

A lot of heebiejeebie talk in this thread...

The hybrid because of it's bulk and design, doesn't twist as much from the extra grass in the rough. Therefore, if you put a good swing on it you're going to get a reasonable result that's closer to your original target line more often than you would with a bladed club of the same loft. The other benefit for a hybrid is that you're going to get a higher, spinnier launch than you would with a comparable iron, which when you're hitting a 200 + shot from the rough is obviously an advantage.

Hybrids are also excellent for 'punch'/trouble shots because of the way they interract with the grass and turf. If you're shooting a ball between a hole in the trees, a hybrid is much more reliable because it's not going to react to the thickness of the lie as much as an iron will.

All that being said, when you hit it in the spinach, a hybrid won't perform miracles. Any golf club works best from a good lie.

[Tugglife2]

The TaylorMade Raylor can really cut through some thick rough.

[SouthernILGolfer]

Hybrids are supposed to be easier to hit out of the rough because the design of the head isnt affected as much as a regular iron. Also its going to take more club generally to hit the same distance out of the rough as you're not going to get clean contact like you would from the teebox or the fairway, at least one club maybe 2 more depending on how thick the rough is. And sometimes it can get so thick that you can barely advance the ball no matter what club you use so just pick whatever club you feel most confident with and try to hit it as far as you can and just accept the fact that you're not going to make it to the green. But also remember that hybrids are designed to get the ball in the air, so if youre trying to hit a low punch shot under a tree or 2, they're not the best choice, i usually use my 6 iron for that as its the longest regular iron i have and just take a short swing to hit a low punch shot.

[Shorty]

Hey everyone yesterday while golfing I attempted to use my hybrid out of rough a couple of times and the ball popped straight up and went about 15 yards in front of me......Is it best to use irons out of rough, because I hit my hybrid off of the deck in the fairway no problem, what exactly is the hybrid supposed to be used for?

Hybrids are great out of the rough.

Your swings on those shots were the problem, not the clubs.