Playing from rough
Smart Playing From Rough for High Handicappers
Higher-handicap golfers can save strokes in rough play by choosing the boring success more often.
Take the easy win
The fastest gain in grass-and-spin recovery is avoiding the shot that brings double bogey or worse into play. For rough-shot recovery, aim wider, use more loft, or accept a lay-up when the lie is asking for humility. A calm bogey from a difficult rough play spot often beats a heroic swing that never clears the trouble.
Keep these rules handy
- Choose the club that removes the first obstacle in rough play.
- For rough-shot recovery, swing smoothly when contact matters more than distance.
- For rough-shot recovery, leave a full next shot instead of a nervy half-swing.
- Treat a smart exit in grass-and-spin recovery as a saved stroke, not a surrender.