How to Hit a Golf Ball Out of Thick Grass

Recognize thick rough and how it can stop your club from following through. When you hit the ball out of the fairway and into the rough, your club will not be able to travel as quickly and the ball will not be able to go as far. Since you know this before you take your stroke, you can make adjustments so you can hit a solid shot from the thick grass.

Take a very firm grip on your club. Hold it tighter than normal but not so tight that you can't feel your fingers. You want to keep the club from slipping once you go through the heavy grass so you must hold it tighter as your hit your shot.

Do not speed up your backswing as you stand over the ball. If you do, you are likely to lose your balance which will most likely cause you to miss the spot you are intending to hit. When you come down on the ball, make sure you come down hard and you also follow through completely. The grass will slow down your club and possibly stop it unless you make enough of an effort to cut through the grass with your swing.

Aim left if you are in the right-hand rough and you are a right-handed golfer. Despite your best efforts, the ball will not stay on your club face as long as it would if you were hitting from the fairway. Compensate by aiming more to the left than you normally would. The ball will tend to go to the right so you can end up with a shot that is straight and down the middle.

Watch videotape of the top pro golfers hitting from the rough. Notice the quiet backswing and the extra action with the downswing. An exaggerated follow through is also part of the finish. Emulate this swing and you will be able to hit the ball out of the rough.