Playing from heavy rough

[cruzthepug]

We're playing a course this week that has not been too kind to me this year. This course has thick tall Bermuda rough and I have a hard time advancing the ball out of this stuff. My goal for Saturday is to hit more 3 woods and hybrids from the tee to stay in the short grass, but I'm sure I'll find the rough during the day. Any pointers for hitting descent shots out of the rough?

[blackxpress]

Sounds like a good strategy. The best advice I could give is take your medicine and don't try to be a hero. Hit an iron that has enough loft to advance the ball out of the rough and put it back in play. Speaking for myself, if I have a long iron approach from deep rough my chances of reaching the green are pretty slim. I'm better off to hit a short iron layup and try to pitch it close from there. At least I know a short iron will get the ball airborne and put it back in the fairway where it belongs.

[JasonFL]

Something that has worked well for me is opening my club face by about a 1/4" if its sitting low, or mid depth.  The grass will tend to pull the face shut.

If its sitting high I choke up a bit to make sure I dont go completely under the ball, and play with a square face.

Originally Posted by cruzthepug

We're playing a course this week that has not been too kind to me this year. This course has thick tall Bermuda rough and I have a hard time advancing the ball out of this stuff.

My goal for Saturday is to hit more 3 woods and hybrids from the tee to stay in the short grass, but I'm sure I'll find the rough during the day. Any pointers for hitting descent shots out of the rough?

[mdl]

I have the most success out of really tough, deep rough playing a cut shot with a steeper than normal angle of attack.  With the club face open to my stance line and a slight out-to-in swing plane, I find I'm more often able to cut down through the grass and get decent club face on the ball.

As was said above, if anything err on the side of caution.  I have trouble with this and am usually over optimistic about how long of a club I can get down to the ball with.  But your chances of par are much better trying to get up and down with a SW from 100 yards than with a second long shot out of deep rough after you were too aggressive with club selection on the first shot and clomped one 30 yards ahead back into the rough.  And the 9i instead of the 4i-5i out of the rough makes the chance of double or worse much less.

[rustyredcab]

Play within yourself. As others have said, take a club that will get you out of trouble. Sometimes sideways is a smart play. Better sideways and leaving long next shot than leaving it in the junk. I do not open the face because I choose more loft and I do not want to add bounce to the club. I try and take a hard, but controlled swing with a firm short backswing. Even if I am hitting a short wedge just to get back on the fairway, I want a firm swing -- shorter back and hard through the ball. I grip the club a little tighter but do not squeeze it so hard that my hands can't hinge.

FWIW, my Mizunos cut through rough better than my old Fusions. Sometimes it is the arrow too.

[GaijinGolfer]

I usually just take my medicine and pitch back into the fairway.  Sometimes you can get away with hitting a normal shot out of the rough if you play the ball back in your stance so that you hit the ball before the rough has much time to interfere with the club but its a risky shot.  Its very easy to flub the shot and have the ball go 20' and leave with the exact same shot again.

[cruzthepug]

Thanks for all the advice. I've played this course 3 times this year and it seems like I gave away ~8-10 shots trying to play out of the rough and sometimes it's hard to make yourself lay up. You get a half way descent lie and think you can make good contact and hit it about 10-20 yards. This stuff is thick and nasty, 4" bermuda and you better have your eye one the ball and mark about where it is or you won't be able to find it. You can't see your ball riding in a cart. Most of the time you have to be standing over the ball to be able to see it sitting down in the grass.

[soloredd]

Played in stuff like that at Torrey Pines a couple years back, it was about 2 months prior to the Buick Invitational. Fing brutal. One of our playing partners tried hitting 3 wood out of it several times. I never did try to talk him out of it; always figured him to be a bit smarter than that. Dribble after dribble they came though

For me, I usually take a much steeper angle and get down deep with the club head. Tame expectations accordingly.

I'll never forget that swing Tiger took out of crap at Firestone.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by soloredd

Played in stuff like that at Torrey Pines a couple years back, it was about 2 months prior to the Buick Invitational. Fing brutal. One of our playing partners tried hitting 3 wood out of it several times. I never did try to talk him out of it; always figured him to be a bit smarter than that. Dribble after dribble they came though

For me, I usually take a much steeper angle and get down deep with the club head. Tame expectations accordingly.

I'll never forget that swing Tiger took out of crap at Firestone.

Hah, amazing video; thanks fo sharing

All the courses I play have "We can't be bothered to trim this rough" rough where it can be up to a foot long. In those situations I grab my sand wedge as it has the highest bounce and is well lofted and I'll play the ball in the middle of my stance but try to hit it as if it was a sand shot, e.g. contact behind the ball and use the bounce to get it up in the air.

For "normal" rough if I think the club will cut through it well enough I often opt for my 4H instead to get a longer punch out of the rough although if it's really deep and nasty it's back to wedge play for me.

[RJ32S]

All are great pieces of advice!  4" is very deep rough, almost to the point you'll want to take a sand wedge or gap wedge out.   If it is slightly less, I've found a slightly opened 9-7 can get you out with a steep angle and an aggressive wrist move.

But, all in all, as others have said, take your medicine, pull a wedge and just get out.  Course managment is paramount on courses meant to be penal.

[saevel25]

Rough is all about wrist and forearm strength. For the future what you can do is work out those muscles. But what i like to do is grip the club tighter in my left hand only. this helps me hold off a bit and keep the club from turning down. I then play the ball more back in my stance, probably 1 or 2 ball lengths, at least always in the center of my stance. I try as much as possible to stay down on the shot, not to try to lift it up. Just beat the living crap out of the ball.

[Kieran123]

Choke up an inch, ball back in stance and hit down on it.

Don;t try and hit a 4 iron 200 yards to the green, just grab your PW and get it back in play

[cruzthepug]

Having my morning coffee thinking abut all the great advise you guys posted. We have the first 2 tee times this morning and I think I have a plan of attack. The course will play ~6600 yds from the tees we're playing today, and my plan includes not one shot with a driver . I think I've decided that even on the 6 par 4's that are over 400 yds the smart play is to hit fairway metal or hybrid from the tee. I believe I stand a better chance of GIR's from ~200yd second shots from the fairway than having to lay up from the rough. Even play the longest par 4's as 3 shot hole if I need to and take a boogie as a good score.

That's my plan.....I guess we'll see how it goes. I'll give you guys a full report later today. Everyone enjoy your rounds today.

[cruzthepug]

Well, my plan didn't really work as planned. Did not pull the driver out of the bag today and only managed 7 of 14 fairways. Which I guess isn't horrible but the added distance on my second shots didn't help. When I missed the green, of course, I ended up in the thick rough which made chipping more difficult, that made scrambling harder that turned into some doubles. I think the plan should have been to hit driver, take the distance and when you miss the fairway, lay up and use a wedge approach. That would probably eliminate some of the scrambling/chipping problems also.

On a good note, the times I needed to get out of the rough, I took a 7-8 iron and advanced it down the fairway and back into play.

Thanks again for the tips