Underestimating the rough

[Psyber]

I am a new player and started playing in the beginning of the summer by signing up for a golf intro group lesson and taking the next stage before deciding for scheduling and progression reasons to switch to private lessons with the same teacher. I've learned a good amount from him and when I first started hitting a driver it was slice city and after doing a video with the guy we made some swing changes where slicing is a pretty rare thing for me. Now it only happens when I get too out of control trying to hit it as far as I can causing my swing plane to change in the process. I have made some good progress on the range but what I am finding is some lessons you need to get on the course. I played my first 18 today where I actually kept score and shot a 127. Pretty disappointing but I made myself put down any penalties and topped shots that only went 20 feet. What I am noticing is I underestimated the rough. It didn't look that long so I assumed it would be not much different than hitting on the fairway but after the round I realized I hit most of my drives just into light rough to get the most distance and my hitting from the rough was terrible. Left everything short. I was hitting it just like I would at the range and was getting so disappointed that my swing felt like it was falling apart but I don't think that was the case nearly as much as I learned that there is a big difference between the fairway and four inches of grass. I think I can easily take ten points off my score if I focus on hitting fairways. I didn't even see it as an issue because I assumed rough was much deeper and that the course hardly had any rough but a few inches of grass makes a big difference!

[DrvFrShow]

Shooting 127? Just go have fun playing. You're still learning. I really wouldn't worry about all the fine details yet. Just worry about making your swing correctly. Don't make any swing adjustments on the golf course.

And there is a big difference between hitting off fairway than 4" of grass even for Phil, especially when that 4" is wet, which is why I don't play  mornings or after it rains.

And playing 18 is hard, especially at your stage. Play 9. Find a course that has 9 hole rates. It'll be more fun.

[Psyber]

Well nice thing is out of season I can play for only $14 on a nice course if I get the saver tee times that they usually have up. You're right though, I shouldn't focus on score. I guess I just thought it was a good way to benchmark progress.

[tefunk]

The only way to get better, is to know where you stand and what you need to improve on. If that's what you want to do, I think it's a good thing you recorded a legit score, and found a couple things to improve upon. While it's nice to be in the fairway more often than not, you're going to wind up in the rough on a regular basis (everyone does, including the pros)... So might as well learn to improve your play in that area. Best of luck!

[Duff McGee]

I think the problem with focusing on score when you are still learning a basic swing is that, in order to break 100 or whatever your benchmark is, people will start leaving their drivers at home or only hit 5 iron off the tee, etc. A focus on score without improving on crucial aspects of the game can hurt people in the long run.

[tefunk]

in order to break 100 or whatever your benchmark is, people will start leaving their drivers at home or only hit 5 iron off the tee, etc.

I find this to be very, very rare... People like to hit the long ball, and typically are going to pull it out of the bag in most situations (even when they don't need it). There's nothing wrong with keeping a score, or stats, as a bench mark to help one determine where they can improve. Sounds like to me, the OP is taking lessons and working on improving his swing, he just wanted to know where he stood. As far as the subject of his post, it is about having trouble out of the rough, not about whether he should be keeping score. Rough is part of the game that every golfer will face. So the best advice to his post, is... Learn to play out of the rough, because you're going to be in it on a regular basis

[Duff McGee]

I find this to be very, very rare... People like to hit the long ball, and typically are going to pull it out of the bag in most situations (even when they don't need it). There's nothing wrong with keeping a score, or stats, as a bench mark to help one determine where they can improve. Sounds like to me, the OP is taking lessons and working on improving his swing, he just wanted to know where he stood. As far as the subject of his post, it is about having trouble out of the rough, not about whether he should be keeping score. Rough is part of the game that every golfer will face. So the best advice to his post, is... Learn to play out of the rough, because you're going to be in it on a regular basis

Well I wouldn't listen to what I said either if I was him considering I never took that advice either. It is ingrained into our psyche to want to beat a score, whether it is 120 or 70. I think it happens a lot more than you have seen though. There was a guy on here just last month asking if he should lay up from 150 out because there was water between him and the hole and he wanted to break 100 so he thought it would be smart to lay up with 150 to the green. That type of thinking brings you to the point that it really isn't even good anymore and that guy would have a very hard time improving. Instead of worrying so much about trying to break 100 to the point that you alter the very nature of the sport, it would be better to work on your swing to the point that you can almost always clear that water. I can't tell you how many times I've met people on the course that "only hit iron off the tee" because they can't hit driver. If that is what they like to do, fine I guess, but I think it's more important to just get good enough to break 100 with a better swing than to lay up on a short par 3 in order to break 100. How can you really improve with that?

[Club Rat]

@Psyber

Ruff 101.

Fairway ruff.

A. Usually the ball sits down in ruff, if the grass is above the top of the ball, use a short iron and advance the ball back to the fairway.

B. When the top half of the ball is above the grass, you should be able to make good contact.

C. Sometimes you can "chase the ball to the green" This is a low bullet shot that will run, usually a mid or long iron.

D. Flyers, they happen. Use less club to try to not airmail the green.

Greenside play.

Use a firmer grip and trust an easy swing.

Lob shots, learn them and they will be your friend.

Sometimes you only need to slid the club under the ball with a light touch.

Sometime a little bump an run will work fine.

When the ball is in the "basement" that's when it's OK to say "CRAP"

Club Rat

[WUTiger]

...It didn't look that long so I assumed it would be not much different than hitting on the fairway but after the round I realized I hit most of my drives just into light rough to get the most distance and my hitting from the rough was terrible. Left everything short. I was hitting it just like I would at the range and was getting so disappointed that my swing felt like it was falling apart but I don't think that was the case nearly as much as I learned that there is a big difference between the fairway and four inches of grass. ...

A few tips on hitting out of the rough:

• Evaluate the lie of your ball. Is the rough thin turf, or deep and shaggy. Is the turf wet?
• Decide which club to use. If your ball is in deep, you mainly want to chop back to the fairway. A 9i or pitching wedge may be best if it's shaggy. Swing smoothly and let the club do the work.
• Check where your clubhead sets in relation to the bottom of the ball. See diagram below.

[Psyber]

My main reason for keeping a score was less about beating something and setting a benchmark. So don't worry it's not ruining my enjoyment I just wanted to see what I scored if I legitimately followed the rules and counted all my bad shots and penalties that seem to be forgotten. As for the hitting a different club off the tee than my driver I am actually more confident in my ability to get off the tee then any other part of my game. My driving was probably the best thing I had going for me haha. I appreciate any of the advice on the rough. I am going to focus on trying to avoid it more for starters but I am going to take the advice on trying to take a short iron back to the fairway instead of trying to bomb a 7-5 iron through thick grass. I certainly would've scored better that way. I won't be able to make it out this weekend but next weekend I will definitely be focusing on better play in the rough. I really think I can peel ten strokes off my score by playing it a bit smarter.

[boogielicious]

@Psyber

Ruff 101.

Fairway ruff.

A. Usually the ball sits down in ruff, if the grass is above the top of the ball, use a short iron and advance the ball back to the fairway.

B. When the top half of the ball is above the grass, you should be able to make good contact.

C. Sometimes you can "chase the ball to the green" This is a low bullet shot that will run, usually a mid or long iron.

D. Flyers, they happen. Use less club to try to not airmail the green.

Greenside play.

Use a firmer grip and trust an easy swing.

Lob shots, learn them and they will be your friend.

Sometimes you only need to slid the club under the ball with a light touch.

Sometime a little bump an run will work fine.

When the ball is in the "basement" that's when it's OK to say "CRAP"

Club Rat

Nice post. I would add that in deep rough, the hosel can get slowed down by the grass and the face may close. This can cause the ball to start more left. A slightly firmer grip can help, but make sure you don't have hazards left to worry about. If so, and the ball is deep, use a wedge to get it safety out.