You're Correct!

No matter how good our swing or course management, there will be situations where we find the rough.

Hitting shots from the rough is more difficult than the fairway because of the potential that grass will get stuck in between the club face and ball at impact. When this happens, less back spin will be produced and therefore more control lost. The only way to read a lie in the rough is to get up close and personal with the ball.

Many golfers get down and read a putt from 15 angles and yet simply stand to a ball in the rough and hit it. Take the time to properly assess what is going on. The first thing a golfer should do is study the ball up close and ask themselves a series of questions. Is the ball buried? Is there more grass in front or behind the ball? Is it sat up on a club of grass? Is the rough wet or dry? Is the grass heavy or light? What is the shot I want to play? To rattle through these questions golfers may need to crouch down and look closely at the ball. Dont feel embarrassed as the resulting shot will normally be much better. After correctly assessing the lie, take practice swings rehearsing the shot you wish to play. Take the practice swings as near to the ball as possible so you get a feel for the grass and how the club and rough are likely to react at impact.

Experience also plays a big part in being able to correctly assess a lie in the rough. The more a golfer plays, the more they will be exposed to different lies. Players need to remember the successful shots and how they were achieved. This will help guide decision making in the future.

Golfers looking to improve the way they play from bunkers should get up close and personal with the ball, take practice swings near to where there ball is lying, and definitely dont improve the lie!

This is something you see quite a lot in the amateur game when players use the back of the club to press an indentation into the ground behind the ball. This could be done as a way to see how much grass there is around the ball but ultimately means golfers are improving their lie. This is against the rules so rest the club behind the ball but dont clear a path into the back of it.

Unless specifically stated that players can prefer their lie through the green (check the local rules on the day), picking up a ball to check the lie is prohibited under the rules of golf. Dont pick your ball up to check the lie but get up close and personal to see what shot you have.

Many players have a quick assessment of what lies ahead of them before giving the ball an almighty wallop! Although often time consuming, taking an extra few seconds to weigh up all your options will be beneficial.