By Derek Highley
Golf Columnist
The recent warmer and more seasonable weather seems to have finally hit the Tampa Bay area. Climbing daytime highs will begin to bring golf courses’ Bermuda grass out of dormancy and kick it into its growth phase. As the grass begins to grow and our local golf courses green-up golfers will soon begin to find longer rough returning to their favorite tracks.
This week I want to provide you with a tip that will help with those difficult short shots from the deep rough around the green that you may soon begin to find yourself playing.
Many times when you are presented with a difficult lie around the green your first thought is to simply get the ball out of trouble and somewhere onto the green without compounding your problems. This tip will give you a little bit more confidence when you are faced with this potentially difficult lie. Fortunately the type of shot that needs to be played to help you deal with this situation is one that many golfers are already very adept at playing — a slice.
Believe it or not when you find your ball in the long rough, the shot you need to use to get you out of trouble is similar to the shot that most often has put you in that situation.
Here is the best way to chop your ball out of heavy green side grass. Open your stance so that your body is aligned left of your target. Your open stance, feet, hips, shoulders pointing left of your target for a right handed player, will set you up to swing the club on an out-to-in path.
Now, position the ball a bit farther back in your stance as compared to a normal pitch shot. This will encourage a more descending blow. The combination of an out-to-in path combined with a steeper angle of attack will create a “chop” like swing perfect for getting the ball up and out of the rough and safely onto the green.
– Opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer only and not that of the publisher.
Derek Highley of Wesley Chapel is a Class A member of the Professional Golfers Association of America and managing partner with Global Golf Marketing. He can be reached at (813) 310-5122 or .
