Okay, so I decided to tackle this “golf rough” thing head-on. I’ve been hearing about how much of a pain it is, and honestly, my short game could use some serious work anyway. So, I grabbed my clubs and headed out to the course early this morning.
First thing I did was find the thickest, nastiest rough I could. I mean, we’re talking about grass up to my ankles. I dropped a few balls in there, just to get a feel for it.
My “Rough” Process
- Stance check: I widened my stance a bit, more than usual. I also made sure to grip down on the club for more control. Felt kinda weird at first, but it made sense.
- The Swing: Forget about a smooth, sweeping swing. Nope. I focused on a steep, chopping motion. Like I was trying to hack my way out of a jungle. Seriously, I felt like I was going to take a divot the size of a small crater.
- Club Choice: I mainly used my pitching wedge and sand wedge. The extra loft seemed to help get the ball up and out of that mess. I did experiment a little by openning the club face.
- Power Up: No finesse here. I swung hard. Not crazy hard, but definitely with more force than a normal shot. The grass is going to grab the club, so you gotta fight through it.
- Follow Through: I tried to follow through. The rough is really thick, so I focused on accelerating the club through the impact.
At first, I was chunking it pretty bad. I mean, I was barely moving the ball. But after a few swings, I started to get the hang of it. The key seemed to be really committing to the shot and not being afraid to hit down and through the ball.
I spent a good hour just practicing out of the rough. I tried different lies, different clubs, different swings. It was exhausting, and my hands were starting to hurt, but I actually started to see some improvement.
By the end, I wasn’t magically turning every rough shot into a tap-in, but I was definitely getting the ball out and onto the green more consistently. I even managed to get a couple of decent up-and-downs. Baby steps, right?
I still have a long way to go, but I’m feeling a little less intimidated by the rough now. It’s still going to be a challenge, but at least I have a better idea of how to approach it. I even plan to go back next week to continue practicing my short game.
