With winter fast approaching, things can become much trickier on the golf course and playing from the rough is no exception. Today, we have some tips, which will help you to judge your lie in the rough and make a good escape shot.
The first thing to do, when approaching the ball, is to assess the lie. It’s a good idea to look at the options ahead of you, in terms of where you want to hit the ball but without taking note of the lie, you cannot make a sound judgement on what shot to play. So, look at how the ball is sitting in the rough before deciding which club to use.
For example, if you are facing an approach shot to a green which is guarded at the front by water or sand, you need to determine whether you can clear the hazard, with the lie of the ball. If the ball is buried in the rough and there is going to be a lot of grass between the club and the ball, attacking the green, may not be the best option. Instead, you need to play the ball to a better position, using a club like a 9 iron and attack the pin on your next shot.
The second type of lie you can face, is with the ball sitting up nicely, almost as if it is on the fairway or the tee. This will allow you to play an attacking shot, knowing you can make a clean contact with the ball. Depending on the distance left to the green, you can use anything up to a hybrid club with this type of lie and feel confident in making a clean strike of the ball.
The third type of lie you can have when in the rough, is when the ball is sat down, quite deep in the grass but the face of the ball is visible and can be hit cleanly with the golf club. Therefore, you can afford to be a bit more aggressive with this shot, than you would be in the first scenario above. However, this is not a situation where you should be taking on the hazard. Instead, you can take a tighter line on the first shot described above and leave yourself in a strong position for your next shot, to the green.
