Thick Rough

Hi! Please advise how to play from thick rough with ball totally covered with greass. In situations when ball is 15 yards from the pin with bunker in between and also for a shot about 180 yards (my 4i distance).

15 yards out, play it like a sand explosion shot.

From 180? Ball down deep?

Take your medicine - wedge out.

For those longer shots out of the rough a utility club works much better than an iron. I have a Taylor Made "attack" 9wood head/7 wood shaft, that has a small head. It cuts right through the thick grass, where as an iron tends to have the grass wrap around the club head. The club works for me from 170 to 185 yards.

15 Yards with a bunker, make a long steady swing with a lob wedge and finish with hands high. Take a firmer grip and committ to the shot.

If it's sat really deep in the thick rough then I agree with Lowpost, take your medicine and get it back on the fairway by the shortest route. Sat up or first cut use a recovery.

The only way to get loft out of a lie like this is to swing HARD. Opening the face is not necessary. This will cause the club to usually miss the ball completely. Ever see the great videos of Tiger or VJ wiff under the ball (highlights love this)...This is going to be your result most of the time. So to make sure you hit the ball first, don't open the face, but stay square.

A SW is my choice because of the mass of the head is greater then a LW. The grass will kill all acceleration, so greater mass is better.

Hight of the shot is not a luxury here. You get what you get. You are not stopping the ball on the green, so expect a lot of run. Your next shot will be in the back of the green and will have a long putt or a long chip, much easier then another short flop, or in the bunker in from of you.

Last is aim. At this point, this only really helps you actually hit the flag. So if this is your only chance, aim right of the target. Heavy grass will grab the hozzel and close the face.

This is actually pretty easy to explain. You will get a ton of yards out of a shot if you do 2 things:
* Swing as hard as you can...DOWNWARD
* Hit the ball first, so play it slightly back in your stance

You have grass in front of the ball and your face, and this will actually help you gain more distance. This will throw it out with no spin, so expect a lot of run.

The club choice should be nothing more then a 7i. I usually use the 7i. Too much loft and you waste the running power, and not enough loft causes the ball to run through too much of the grass in front of the ball and that kills the overall speed out of the lie. The 7i is the best angle out and having enough power get pounded out.

Aim is the same issue as the short 15 yarder. Aim open to the target. The heavy grass grabs the hozzel and closes the face.

__________________
I'm a golfaholic, no question about that. Counseling wouldn't help me. They'd have to put me in prison, and then I'd talk the warden into building a hole or two and teach him how to play. ~Lee Trevino

Today I did try the shot as advised by Greg and the results were better than before. Thank you all.

Yeah'n... wedge out.