3balls Golf
Nothing is more relaxing than an afternoon on the golf course. The sweet smell of grass and the quiet thwack of the occasional golf ball are comforting companions after a long, stressful week — except, of course, when you land in the rough and get stuck there. Luckily, we’ve got some golf tips for beginners to get you out of the rough sooner rather than later.
1. Choose Your Club Wisely
Put away the low irons and woods — you need all the loft you can get in the rough. Choose a wedge or high lofted hybrid to help you get out of the grass faster. Look to a lob wedge if you don’t need to move the ball too far, but a pitching wedge is a better option if you have to gain more substantial ground. If you really need some distance go with a higher lofted hybrid but swing wisely!
2. Check Out the Grass
Take your time assessing the lie of your ball in the rough; a thicker grass will require a harder swing than thinner grass. If you need to, place your club into grass near the ball (without moving it) to get a better feel for it before you decide how to approach your shot.
3. Take Practice Swings
Once you’ve checked out the grass and have an idea what it’s like, look around for another clump that’s similar. Use this one to take your practice swings — and swing until you get it right. Among golf tips for beginners, some consider this one of the most important: take your time getting a feel for the shot.
4. Position the Ball Carefully
Make sure the ball is slightly left of center if you’re a right-handed golfer. Too far forward and you’ll get too much grass between your club and the ball; too far back and you’ll not get enough loft to get the ball out of the rough.
5. Open the Clubface
One of the biggest problems with swinging into thick grass is the risk of long blades wrapping around the clubhead and closing down the face more than you anticipated. By opening the clubface more and gripping your club tightly, you’ll keep your swing on track.
6. Aim for the Fairway
Don’t be a hero when you’re in the rough. Take the path of least resistance and just try to land the ball anywhere on the fairway. If you aim for the green, you may end up wasting a lot more time in the rough.
7. Take a Steep Swing
More often than not, your angle of attack in the rough needs to be steep — as steep as possible. Move your weight more forward than usual at address and keep your trailing elbow close to your body as you rotate through your swing. Use all of that rotational force to push through the rough.
Next time you’re stuck in the rough, you’ll be able to power through and out faster than ever before with these golf tips for beginners. When you’re ready to trade in or upgrade your wedges for even better contact in those bad spots, check out our full lineup of new and used golf clubs at www.3balls.com.
Photo credit: Grand Velas Riviera Maya / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
