How to Read Your Lie in the Rough, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
How to Read Your Lie in the Rough, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

So, let's say during the position now where we've driven the ball slightly off the fairway into the long grass on the side of the fairway. We've got to go and try and get that golf ball back out and then play as quickly as possible, but for whatever reason, most golfers would walk up to the side of the fairway, leave their bag or their cart or their trolley on the side of the fairway, trudge into the rough, maybe just bring one club with them, pitch and wedge, trudge into to the rough and smash their ball out.

So, they've decided what club they're going to hit without ever getting near their golf ball, without ever getting to consider the type of lie that they're in. And that really can't work for you because, yes, your ball is in the rough, but there's lots of different options in the rough and lots of different variations of how your ball would be sitting.

First thing to consider is, is your ball on the rough or is the ball in the rough. If the ball is on the rough and it's sitting up, you can actually take quite an aggressive approach to playing this shot. You could try and hit it out quite a long a way. In fact, if it's sitting on the wet juicy rough, you might even get to fly it, which means the ball goes further than you expect. So in that case, you've actually got a club down for the distance you intend to hit the ball, not clubbing up.

If the ball is sitting down in the grass, that affect things because the ball won't necessarily come out as quickly and as fast, so might have to change your club according to how the ball will come out. You've also got to make sure that the club in the long grass doesn't get grabbed on the hosel and turned over and come out like a running hook for the right-handed golfer, hooking from right to left just because the club gets grabbed on the hosel by that long grass.

One of the considerations would be the grain of the grass. Not very often would the -- I mean, maybe the rough would be mowed, but most of the time the rough wouldn't be mowed it would stand up. But if it's been worked on or it's been driven across, or the grass is just drying -- growing, sorry, in a particular direction or lying in a particular direction, the way you play that shot can affect things. So, if it's down the grain, all the grass has been blown over and it's lying this way, you can your ball out that way, that will come out more easily. If the grass is going this way and you're playing the ball this way, it would come out much less easily like, probably not so far and you might have to account for the different club.

So, the point being is you can't decide the club that you need for this particular rough shot by leaving your bag 20 yards over there on the cart path and then trudging into the rough just carrying one club. Either bring all of your clubs with you or selection of clubs with you or be prepared to walk into the rough, look at the lie, decide how it's lying, then go back and get to know the club and come back and play the correct shot.

So, don't be lazy. Have a look at the lie, then decide on the type of shots. Is it in the rough, on the rough or is it going with the right grain for you to play the right club to get this ball out and back in play.

 2012-09-18

So, let's say during the position now where we've driven the ball slightly off the fairway into the long grass on the side of the fairway. We've got to go and try and get that golf ball back out and then play as quickly as possible, but for whatever reason, most golfers would walk up to the side of the fairway, leave their bag or their cart or their trolley on the side of the fairway, trudge into the rough, maybe just bring one club with them, pitch and wedge, trudge into to the rough and smash their ball out.

So, they've decided what club they're going to hit without ever getting near their golf ball, without ever getting to consider the type of lie that they're in. And that really can't work for you because, yes, your ball is in the rough, but there's lots of different options in the rough and lots of different variations of how your ball would be sitting.

First thing to consider is, is your ball on the rough or is the ball in the rough. If the ball is on the rough and it's sitting up, you can actually take quite an aggressive approach to playing this shot. You could try and hit it out quite a long a way. In fact, if it's sitting on the wet juicy rough, you might even get to fly it, which means the ball goes further than you expect. So in that case, you've actually got a club down for the distance you intend to hit the ball, not clubbing up.

If the ball is sitting down in the grass, that affect things because the ball won't necessarily come out as quickly and as fast, so might have to change your club according to how the ball will come out. You've also got to make sure that the club in the long grass doesn't get grabbed on the hosel and turned over and come out like a running hook for the right-handed golfer, hooking from right to left just because the club gets grabbed on the hosel by that long grass.

One of the considerations would be the grain of the grass. Not very often would the — I mean, maybe the rough would be mowed, but most of the time the rough wouldn't be mowed it would stand up. But if it's been worked on or it's been driven across, or the grass is just drying — growing, sorry, in a particular direction or lying in a particular direction, the way you play that shot can affect things. So, if it's down the grain, all the grass has been blown over and it's lying this way, you can your ball out that way, that will come out more easily. If the grass is going this way and you're playing the ball this way, it would come out much less easily like, probably not so far and you might have to account for the different club.

So, the point being is you can't decide the club that you need for this particular rough shot by leaving your bag 20 yards over there on the cart path and then trudging into the rough just carrying one club. Either bring all of your clubs with you or selection of clubs with you or be prepared to walk into the rough, look at the lie, decide how it's lying, then go back and get to know the club and come back and play the correct shot.

So, don't be lazy. Have a look at the lie, then decide on the type of shots. Is it in the rough, on the rough or is it going with the right grain for you to play the right club to get this ball out and back in play.