2 Secrets For Getting A Golf Ball Clear Of The Heavy Rough
by Don Saunders
It would be lovely, although some people might say a
little bit
boring, if you were able to keep your ball out of the rough and
bunkers and on the fairway all the way to the green however in the
real world that does not happen even for the best of veteran golfers.
We all hit the odd shot, or in some instances many
shots, wide of
the fairway and into a bunker or the rough but the true problem
arises when your ball ends up in heavy rough with grass clear up to
your knees. When this happens many golfers take several ’hacks’
at getting their ball out and the hole turns into a complete
catastrophe.
But, anybody who has ever seen the professionals in
action will
know only too well that this does not necessarily have to be a
disaster. So, what is the secret?
Well, there are 2 secrets the first of which applies
when your ball
is in the deep rough but is still some way from the green and the
second applies if your ball is reasonably close to the putting green.
When you are a fair distance from the flag then your
objective should not be to gain distance from your shot but should just be
to get your ball out of the rough and on the fairway so that you are
positioned to then get yourself onto the green.
To achieve this you are going to have to make use of
a a nine iron or wedge, both of which have enough weight to tackle the long
grass and adequate loft to get your ball into the air and clear of the
grass rapidly.
You will also have to ensure that the club blade is
open when you are addressing the ball because the grass is going to grab
the club head as you take your shot. You must then minimize the amount of
grass that you are swinging through which requires you to make a very
upright back swing and a hard down swing that is controlled with a very
firm left hand. This particular shot will not get you a great deal of
distance however it will pop your ball into the air quickly and carry it
forward enough to put you back onto the fairway.
When you are reasonably close to the putting green
then this shot will again work extremely well but you have to take care to
ensure that the ball does not roll clear through the green. In these
circumstances therefore you need to aim to hit two or three inches behind
the ball and make sure that your shot has a complete follow through. This
is going to produce a shot which is very similar to that used to get the
ball out of sand and will not only get your ball up into the air to clear
the deep rough but will also result in a soft landing on the green and thus
minimize any forward roll.
