Hitting out of the rough post drives

[JYB]

Okay, so the one part of my game i'm noticing is considerably weaker than the rest is when i drive the ball off the tee and land in any kind of rough, i have a tendency to hit the ball very weakly towards the green and way too often, finding myself with a 2nd shot to reach whereas i wouldn't need one if i could just get there in 2!

For example:

Today, on a long 480 yard par 4, i hit a 3 wood drive about 245 right of the fairway into some mild to average rough. So that left me 235 to the green. I take out my 3 iron and on a relatively even lie, hit the ball completely off and leave myself 130 yards to the green post shot.

What's the key? Taking the same fairway swing out of the rough never seems to work for me...especially with the longer irons or 3 wood/utility club. I just don't get the distance!

[RX Phoenix]

235 out of the rough . . . you're screwed . . . unless you're a gorilla?

Some of the hybrids with smaller heads will get the ball out strong.

The fairway swing definitely won't work, you have to have a steep angle of descent with the club face a bit open.

[ks8829]

Playing out of the rough with 235 yards from the green is a tough shot for most of us. I would take the club that will get me down the fairway and depend on good short game and putt to save a possible par and settle for a boogie.

If you are ending up with more than boogie your course management needs to kick and you need to adjust your strategy and mind set.

3 iron are tough enough to hit but from the rough it even harder, How do you hit your hybrid out of the rough?

Playing it in the back of your stance and will a more upright swing for better contact with the ball are some key set up position and of course practicing out of the rough.

good luck

[iacas]

I play a little cut swing (open the clubface and stance a wee bit) from the rough. Generally the ball won't cut because of the grass, but the open clubface/stance help you get down to the ball easier and will help prevent the clubhead from grabbing and twisting closed. I set the wrists a bit earlier in the backswing, too, to try to get down at the ball a bit more.

[sonicblue]

With a shot like that, I do a few key things:

1) Really "lock" my lower body in. Sway too much, and you'll take a lot of grass = death.

2) Take a firmer grip than usual, to help keep the club from twisting.

3) Stand up a little straighter, for no other reason than so my backswing doesn't drag the grass going back, that just makes me feel like I'm screwed

Those are all setup things, things you can forget about once you start to swing. Then:

4) I just really concentrate on my upper body feeling "strong," and turning through/past the ball, but then think of my hands as "chopping" down on the ball as hard as they can.