Welcome back golfing lovers. What a week it has been. I’ve been watching a little bit of the Memorial/US Womans open this morning. Both courses are very tough and firm this week and one thing I noticed was how many shots close to the green were in the thick rough. Today I’m going to discuss how to play these shots close to the green when your lie isn’t optimal.

Remember… The first thing you do in your pre shot routine is assess your lie so you can decide what shot to play. From there you can be nice and decisive. The dilemma with this shot is the ball doesn’t have to travel far but yet the club needs to be swung hard enough not to get tangled in the grass. I like to play these like a ‘mini’ bunker shot, where you use the bounce of the club to skim through the grass and splash it out. The added benefit of this is like a bunker shot, you do not have to hit it perfect to produce a close result.  Think nice and soft.. Or be like Seve!

So:

• Decisive! I would rather you pick a slightly more difficult shot and commit to it rather than half heartedly try and get it up there.
• Another option if it’s not sitting down too much is play the hybrid putt to get the ball moving, if you do choose this it’s the same set up,grip and stance as a putter.
• Deep grass behaves much like bunker sand. If you can see the ball in the grass you can play it very similar to that shot.
• The way the grass sits has an impact on the shot selection. If your close to where short grass starts you can play the hybrid or even a putter.
• No matter what shot you choose, be sure to make a body pivot. As a common mistake is being completely still and ‘stabbing’ at it with your arms.

Next week we will discuss how to play and prep in colder conditions.

 Get the Beef!

Ollie