Play Tour Technique
change your ball position ▶ To set up in the rough, pick a club based on what you see. If there’s nothing in front of the green, I’ll use less club and hit a shot that lets the ball run on, taking advantage of the decrease in backspin with shots from the rough. I then set up with the ball no farther forward than centre in my stance (left). Getting the ball position right is really important in the rough. You want to catch as much of the ball—and as little of the grass—as possible. Playing it more forward puts a lot of grass in the way of the ball, reducing your control.
read the lie ▶ To figure out how the ball is going to come out of the rough, first look at how much grass is behind it. Whether the ball is nestled down or propped up (known as a flyer lie), if you catch too much grass, it will come off the club hot and spin less. The reason is that the grass interferes with the grooves on the clubface, and those grooves create the spin you need to control distance. With no spin, you get those shots that fly far and run hard when they land. The ball might not always react this way, but you should be aware of the potential for a flyer. If there isn’t a lot of grass, you can expect a much more typical ball flight but still less spin than a shot from the fairway or first cut.
14 golfdigestme.com | november 2021
