Poor Lies in the Rough
As with anything you must learn through experience when hitting out of rough, and it is humbling to say the least. In fact, when people attend a PGA Tour event for the first time they are amazed at the length of the rough around the fairways and greens. The rough can be a true hazard if you don’t know your limitations and as we’ve stated before, you must experiment.
There are three type of lies you will find: sitting down, half and half, and sitting up; each lie will give you a different ball-flight reaction. On top of that, you will also find that different clubs will fight you out of different heights of rough.
I would suggest remembering one thing when it comes to rough—take your licks and be conservative.
Sitting down: Grab a 7-iron or less and chop it back in play.
Half and half: You can experiment here with clubs, because sometimes you can get to the hybrids.
Sitting up: fire away with the woods if you’d like, but remember the ball might “squirt” on you if you aren’t careful.
Throw a few balls in the rough and get started practicing.
Tom Stickney is Director of Instruction at Punta Mita Resort, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. Visit him at www.tomstickneygolf.com
