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Get me out of here!
THICK GREENSIDE ROUGH
T
hick greenside rough presents
us with an immediate dilemma;
we need clubhead speed to get
the club through the tangly grass,
but we also need some form of
insurance against blasting the ball
across the green. The key here is to
adjust your attack angle to minimise
the eff ect of the grass, while
applying maximum clubface loft at
impact. Follow these tips to gain
control from the thick stuff ... but in
executing this shot, keep your
expectations in check. This is about
getting the ball out, not getting it
close.
DOWN AND OUT
Whenever your ball is nestled
in thick greenside grass, you
need to steepen your attack
angle. The more you can
get your clubhead swinging
downwards into the ball, the
less effect the grass has and
the greater your chances of
making effective contact.
OPEN THE FACE
Take your most lofted wedge, and hold
the club out in front of you as shown.
Now rotate its shaft until the clubface
points to the sky. Only now should you
take your grip. This adds maximum loft
to the club, encouraging the ball to pop
up and out softly. It also guards against
the rough’s tendency to grab the hosel
and twist the face shut.
KEEP CONTROL
The problem with swinging
down steeply is it tends to
deloft the face, causing the ball
to shoot forward at speed. But
if you weaken the face first, you
can still present loft at impact
even from that sharp downward
blow. That allows you to retain
some control over strike, flight
and distance.
38
GolfPlus
DECEMBER
2018