2010 NEW PRODUCTS
BY PETER H A NSON RY DER CUP STA R
HOW TO MASTER ROUGH
From the lie you can see here – dry Bermuda grass with very little substance – the ball could easily go an extra 20 yards, so you have to allow for that. Look, too, how I’m opening the clubface slightly. Moving the ball back in the stance means that you lose loft, so I’m adding a little more by opening up the blade.
When you miss a fairway, this is how to make the best of a poor lie in longer grass. WORDS BY PETER MASTERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOWARD BOYLAN
Amateurs find themselves in the rough more often than pros, but how many of you understand how to get the best from those tricky lies in the long grass? We all know that shots from the rough are less predictable; but to take just one example, how many of you know when you are likely to get a flier? This occurs when grass gets between the club and the ball, taking away the spin. If a ball doesn’t have backspin then it flies much further. This usually happens from dry, wispy grass and not the lush, damp stuff. Let me explain some more techniques for sharpening up your recoveries when you’ve missed the cut stuff.
Ball back When the ball is in the rough, I’ll always move it back slightly in my stance. I need to create a steeper attack to minimise the effect of the longer grass behind the ball; moving the ball back helps club meet ball while it’s still on its downward arc.
Aim left A cut shot, created by an in-to-out swing shape, suits a steeper angle of attack as it asks you to hold the face square or even slightly open, which retains loft on the face. So I aim a touch left to promote a slight fade.