There’s no better time to talk about how to get out of the rough than U.S. Open week. As the best players in the world deal with the thick rough at Erin Hills, we figured you could use a few tips on how to handle the rough at your course. Bill Schmedes III, one of our Golf Digest Best Young Teachers out of Fiddler’s Elbow in N.J. says that he sees players make two major mistakes when they’re hitting out of thick rough.
First, he sees players try to hit more club than they should. It’s a common mistake that people justify by saying the rough is going to take yardage off their shot, so they need to club up. Schmedes says what they don’t realize is that they’re leaving themselves with a club that doesn’t have enough loft to get the ball out.
Instead of trying to lift the ball out of the rough, Schmedes says to think about these swing motions instead. “Limit any lateral movement off the ball. To do this, think about your head staying in a fixed position as the body tilts and turns around it.” He also says to stand a little taller at address. This will keep your upper body from tilting forward too much, which means your angle of attack will be steep. That’s going to limit how much grass gets between the clubface and the ball.
Cleaner contact means you’ll get out of the rough easier. We’re not saying you’re going to have a two-footer for birdie, but you’ll certainly be able to get yourself out of the thick stuff.