Bermuda Rough

**opie** · June 30, 2009

The course I play has the bermuda rough around the greens and along the fairways. It's grown up pretty good these days. It's thick and lush and the ball always sits down. Out of the fairways I handle it ok (little more club, little steeper angle and I manage). Around the greens though it's making me look like a duffer sometimes. Always considered my short game pretty ok but I can't figure out this stuff. It's hard to practice because the practice green does not have any grown up bermuda around it.

Is my best option to go out late at almost dusk and find an open green?
What are the best options for ball position etc? I know I won't be able to get any spin on it but trying to get it in the air when I don't have a lot of room to run out is not easy

**sp33d** · June 30, 2009

If I'm in thick rough by the green I always hit a flop, it lifts the ball out of the grass faster and the club lays down the grass better and doesnt get snagged as easy. My flop is my go to shot in any kinda of sticky problem around the green.

**KwSipp** · June 30, 2009

One thing I learned with short shots in thick rough is you have to try to leave the club in the grass almost like an extreme uphill plugged bunker shot. Take your swing and dont follow through the ball will pop out much easier and you can better judge distance this way over the flop.

**Marinemike** · June 30, 2009

Coming from Georgia/Florida bermuda is a way of life. It grows thick, and has a broad blade. I see you have Cleveland wedges so a little anecdote... I have a SW that is a monster and it'll felt like a car crash every time I used it in the sand so I got my CG12 which has a much thinner sole. It slices through sand like butter, but guess what...running it through bermuda is like trying to throw a baseball underwater.

I got used to it though...in may back yard. You have two options. 1) Get a wedge with a wider sole. It'll clear the bermuda with hardly any effort. 2) Make your swing thoughts all about acceleration and a rugged front wrist . This will let your thin wedge hawg its way through the grass and get the ball.

Spin...without some awesome grooves you're gonna have to play a pitch and run because that thick grass won't let the grooves do their work.

**sp33d** · June 30, 2009

One thing I learned with short shots in thick rough is you have to try to leave the club in the grass almost like an extreme uphill plugged bunker shot. Take your swing and dont follow through the ball will pop out much easier and you can better judge distance this way over the flop.

thats where practice comes in handy, I can tell you exactly where my ball is going to land with in 3-4' with a flop.

I dont like hitting balls with a chop shot the ball typically comes out to fast compaired to a shot with a follow through. Could be me but it seems less controlled. But what works for one may not for another.

**KwSipp** · June 30, 2009

thats where practice comes in handy, I can tell you exactly where my ball is going to land with in 3-4' with a flop.

Ditto lol

**msd3075** · July 2, 2009

No matter if you hit a flop shot or whether you follow through or not, the key to hitting shots around the green in thick Bermuda grass is to accelerate through the ball. The main problem for people who aren't used to Bermuda grass is that they are normally able to get away with hitting chip/pitch shots without putting any muscle into it and accelerating the clubhead. They're used to playing "touch" shots around the green where they really don't swing the club all that hard. If you try those type of shots in Bermuda grass, you'll never get the ball out of it.

**Scottydoint** · July 2, 2009

Lee Trevino gave a lesson about this. Hinge your wrist a lot and very early and then just accelerate through the ball.

FL Golf · July 2, 2009

No matter if you hit a flop shot or whether you follow through or not, the key to hitting shots around the green in thick Bermuda grass is to accelerate through the ball.

Agreed... Even if the swing thought is just to finish higher then normal it should keep you going through the ball...

**PingGKEN** · July 2, 2009

Its been said, but I will reinforce it...lob wedge, set wrists early, steep swing, accelerate through with some good force.

Recently, I was 10 feet away from the pin, but buried in some really deep stuff. (Couldn't even see the ball.) I think I swung that club like I was trying to drive 300 yds. Lol

**chilly** · July 20, 2009

I'm glad this topic came up, my home course has Bermuda rough as well. I'm just starting to play so I'm just trying to get the basics, but a few times a round the club gets "hung up" on short chips in the Bermuda. I play Vokeys, is there any preferred brand or bounce angle that works better? I play a 52.08 most times, would more bounce work better?

**imtomtomim** · July 20, 2009

all I think is I gotta go all the way down into the ground to get it. If I don't, the grass will make me skull it or the grass won't let me through to it. Whatever I'm doing, I try to come in steep, and get through that grass hard and then picture the outcome to control it.

**Chief Broom** · July 20, 2009

Thick bermuda rough is unlike any other, and it really doesn't have to be that deep to still cause you significant trouble. I played a course yesterday where the bermuda fairways were thick in a lot of places (1" deep) and playing out of it was a challenge. It has a way of swallowing your ball, even if half of it is sticking above the grass! Around the greens were where it was giving me the most trouble because you couldn't rely on shear muscle to get it going. I realized after a few lost strokes to stick with my go to safe shot, which is a bump and run chip shot with my PW, for around the greens. I couldn't use it in places where I had to carry a bunker (obviously) but I did find myself going back to that shot even when I was 20-30yards off the green. Normally with that much fringe/fairway to carry I'd use my SW and hit a restricted backswing full shot, but that bermuda kept choking that shot down. Going back to a shot I can hit in my sleep seemed to provide the best overall results.

**chilly** · July 20, 2009

I found a very nice Cleveland Diadic 588 53* today at Golf Galaxy for $16. The sole looks to be a bit more rounded then the Vokey. It doesn't list the bounce, but it looks to be at least 8*. I'm going to practice with both and see if there's anything significant with the rounded sole and more rounded leading edge on the Cleveland. I know technique will probably be the key, but figured I'd try an equipment change to see if it's a simple fix.

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