This story is for you if...
• You miss as many fairways as you hit
• You rarely make clean contact from the rough
• When you do make solid contact you have no clue where the ball is headed
THE SITUATION
You've hit your drive into the rough and are tired of just hitting a wedge out to the fairway — you know there must be a way to reach the green.
THE SOLUTION
As long as the ball isn't completely buried, you don't need to back off. The following keys will give your second shot the boost it needs to escape the hay and end up near — or on — the green.
SETUP
Play the ball in the center of your stance and set the majority of your weight on your front foot. Pull one more club than you'd normally use for the distance and open the face about 5 degrees.
BACKSWING
Swing the club up abruptly and keep your weight over your front foot. As you do, rotate your forearms and cup your left wrist (look for wrinkles in the spot where your left hand connects to your arm). This opens the face even more, and in this situation that's a good thing.
DOWNSWING
Make your regular move back to the ball, but exaggerate your release. It should feel like you're throwing the clubhead at the target. (On regular shots it should feel like you're pulling the club.)
Opening the clubface offsets the tendency of the grass to wrap around the hosel and shut down the face. The steeper swing plane minimizes the time your club is in contact with the rough, so it can't slow you down.
The longer the club you choose, the more difficult this shot is to pull off, but with your mid- and short irons the swing technique described here gives you the power you need to turn nasty lies into par opportunities.