Home › Sports
From the pro: It's a good idea to know how to play in rough
STORY TOOLS 
More from SportsThe one thing I can guarantee when you play golf is that eventually your ball will land in the rough. Even touring pros find the cabbage patch.
This situation changes how you play, because you have options.
Your lie always determines how you get the ball out. Generally speaking, when trying to escape the rough, the grip pressure increases so the clubhead doesn't twist. Also, a more lofted club should be used.
If your ball is in light rough in a good lie, you can probably advance it toward the green.
If the ball is in heavy rough and sitting down in a bad lie, it's probably not a good idea to aim at the green.
Tour players know when to "minimize the damage" and will get the ball back into play in the fairway even if it means hitting it sideways.
From light rough, today's hybrid clubs work well because of the loft in the clubface and their low center of gravity.
From deep, heavy rough, choose either a sand wedge or lob wedge, open the face slightly, grip tighter and chop down on the ball.
The extreme loft of those two wedges will help extricate the ball from its grassy dungeon and put it back in play.
Sometimes you just have to pay the price.
— Joe Buttitta teaches golf at Westlake GC. He can be reached at 208-1467 or by email at igolfsopaw@roadrunner.
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.