After spending years teaching on nearby Long Island Shinnecock, I’ve seen my fair share of rough, including thick fescue. While it can certainly be beautiful, it can also be extremely challenging if you don’t know how to handle it. The good news is that with the right technique and smart decision-making, you can learn to survive fescue and almost any type of weed.
Here are five things to keep in mind to hit hard shots from the rough.
1. Analyze the lie
The first step is to estimate how thick it is roughly. A simple question to ask yourself is: How much of the golf ball can I see?
The less ball is visible, the more conservative you should be. The thick thickness makes it difficult to make clean contact and significantly limits how far you can drive the ball.
Understanding the severity of the lie will help you make better decisions before changing clubs.
2. Don’t get greedy
The worse the lie, the more important it is to play conservatively and focus on putting the ball back in play. Most golfers have experienced the frustration of trying to drive the ball too far, only to catch the club roughly and leave the ball barely moving. What should have been a rebound shot turns into two.
My son and I saw a lot of this while playing in Scotland. Getting too aggressive with club selection or target selection often produced disappointing results.
Learn to take your medicine. Sometimes the smartest play is simply returning the ball to the fairway where you can make clean contact and attack the next shot.
3. Club wisely
Club selection is critical when playing from thick rough. In most situations, more loft is better than less, although your head strength and speed should also be considered.
The setup adjustments required for these shots tend to reduce loft impact, so choosing a taller club is usually a smart decision.
In many cases, a wedge is the best option. When you’re between clubs, err on the side of extra loft to improve your chances of landing the ball cleanly.
4. Steep rise
Proper placement is the key to getting the ball off heavy forces. Place the ball in the center of your stance or slightly back. This helps you contact the ball before the club hits too much grass.
Lean your body slightly toward the target so that your bullet shoulder is lower than the trail shoulder. This steeper shoulder alignment encourages the club to travel to the back of the ball with a steeper angle of attack, increasing the likelihood of hard contact and reducing the amount of grass trapped between the clubface and the ball.
The shaft should also be tilted slightly towards the target, with the end of the handle remaining in line with the center of your body. This setup effectively reduces loft and promotes a more descending stroke. Keep your weight favoring the lead side throughout the swing. Avoid falling back or trying to lift the ball in the air. Doing so encourages the club to hit the ground in front of the ball, making the shot much more difficult to progress.
You want to start ahead, stay ahead and finish ahead. This helps to deepen the angle of attack and improves the quality of contact.
5. Stay down
The placement creates the conditions for a steeper slope angle of attack, but now you need speed and commitment through influence.
The descent should be just that – down. Feel like the club is driving into the ground after hitting the ball. Aggressive speed through the shot helps maximize distance and gives the club enough momentum to get through the rough.
Because most of the movement is directed downward, the follow-up may appear shortened. Often, thick ground and grass will naturally limit how far the club can travel after impact, and this is perfectly acceptable.
Keeping your weight forward and upper body over the ball will also contribute to a shorter finish. Focus on making a dedicated, descending attack, rather than trying to create a full, flowing sequence.
