2023 PGA Championship: Negotiating Nasty Rough

Playing From Thicker, Deeper Rough

This year’s hosting duties for the 2023 PGA Championship fall upon the infamous East Course at Oak Hill Country Club located in Rochester, New York. Before undergoing a series of redesigns, Oak Hill CC’s East Course was originally designed by architect Donald Ross during the 1920s. A few years ago, the 18-hole championship venue located in upstate New York underwent its latest major renovation project in order to restore the layout/design to its more-original design.

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As Ross grinned down from the Heavens, the East Course completed its restoration project in 2019 and included several tradition-inspired alterations that tweaked the classic venue in a fashion that not only satisfied Ross’s original vision but enhanced the course’s appeal from the standpoint of championship-caliber golf.

If you tune in to this week/weekend’s television coverage of the PGA Championship, you’ll notice certain alterations and nuances within the course’s defining characteristics that include squared-off putting surfaces, flatter and deeper fairway/green-side bunker surfaces protected by more-pronounced grass-banks acting as lips, flatter natural contours on the greens, substantial tree-removal, and deeper/thicker rough among other changes.

Now that Oak Hill CC’s East Course contains less trees than it did in previous years, the course’s superintendent has the luxury of growing thicker, healthier grasses. Also, being able to grow this longer, thicker rough was necessary in order for Oak Hill CC to keep pace with the increased demands that host venues and potential host venues must satisfy in order to (potentially) host a major championship. Tree removal on any golf course, including Oak Hill CC’s East Course, initially presents players with a reduced challenge from the standpoint of controlling one’s golf ball.

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In neutralizing these resulting losses as it pertains to the course’s overall (reduced) challenge, greenskeepers will frequently opt to lengthen/thicken the rough. I was once a junior/men’s member at a 1920s Tillinghast-designed course, not unlike Oak Hill CC’s East Course and Winged Foot GC’s West Course, which was restored to its original design about a decade ago. Also, the physical changes brought forth by the recent renovation/restoration project at Oak Hill CC’s East Course were strikingly similar to the changes that took shape during and as a result of my home course’s restoration project.

Not only did both renovation projects alter its course’s landscape/structure in order to better reflect its original design, hence the “restoration” namesake, but both venues transitioned to squared-off greens, more-penal fairway/greenside bunkers, flattened putting surfaces, less trees, and deeper/thicker rough. Like the restoration project at Oak Hill CC’s East Course, other classic courses located in the Northeast section of the US have undergone or are undergoing architectural modifications that are or were rooted in satisfying its own unique tradition and pastime.

Given the higher premium that’s being placed on the quality of today’s course conditions, more clubs than ever are engaging in tree removal. If you struggle playing from thicker/deeper grasses, now is the time to start tackling that weakness as the days of being able to play shots from underneath old, large trees on thinned-out, hard-pan lies are dwindling.

When your ball comes to rest in deep rough, a golfer’s first objective is to assess the lie. If it’s really sitting down, you may or may not be able to reach the green-in-regulation. At courses such as Oak Hill’s/Merion’s East Course, the grasses in the rough are cut/designed to make playing from the rough more difficult than ever.

Oak Hill is truly a work of art. 🌳#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/wqxUstNzv2

— PGA of America (@PGA) May 16, 2023

There’s a difference between long rough and the more-challenging thick rough. Thick rough will often grab the hosel and shut the club face more excessively than you’re otherwise used to when your club head enters the grass. As a kid, I was taught to play more of a cut/fade out of the rough. Depending on the thickness of the rough and the quality of your lie, opting to favor a cut can help mitigate the common risks that are associated with playing from deep rough.

Out-of-the-rough, we need to find a way to limit the amount of grass that gets caught between the club face and the ball at/near impact. To achieve this, we must do what we can to ensure more of a descending blow at/around impact. In other words, more of a high-to-low delivery is paramount when the ball is sitting down in deeper rough. By favoring a fade-bias (out-to-in) setup/swing, we’re making it easier to deliver a more-descending blow without sacrificing height/distance on the resulting shot.

On the nastiest lies in the rough, our options are limited. In these situations, don’t try to be a hero by attempting to reach the green with your 3 or 5 wood. A couple of decades ago, the invention of the hybrid club began replacing long irons in players’ bags. Mainly, the hybrid was designed to make playing shots from the rough easier. Still, electing to play shots from nasty lies with your 3 & 4-hybrid-clubs may not be your best course of action. On nasty lies, keep in mind that your first priority is to get the ball back in play by any means possible.

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For instance, let’s consider a player’s options after he hits a 250-yard drive into deep, thick rough while playing a 400-yard par 4. First, this player is best served by asking himself how far he can realistically carry his ball from his unfavorable lie in the rough.

If there isn’t a forced carry to negotiate (water, bunkers, etc.) between him and the green, this reality presents itself as a favorable circumstance in terms of being able to assume more risk. The nastier the lie is, the shorter the ball is going to carry. Also, thick rough makes it more difficult to create spin on the golf ball. Often, approach shots played from out-of-the-rough fly like a “knuckleball” in baseball does.

With less spin, you have less control over the golf ball. If the aforementioned player selects a club that’ll likely advance his ball to the green as he faces that unwelcoming lie at a distance to the pin of 150 yards, he needs to factor in his further-compromised ability to produce spin/exercise control over his golf ball. With less spin, the ball will likely carry a shorter distance and roll out more than he’s otherwise used to.

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When faced with ANY lie in the rough that you’re trying to advance to the green, you need to find the distance between your ball and the front of the green. Don’t over-consume your thoughts on the distance between you and the pin. Too often, players will hit their ball(s) over the green due to each’s failure in adequately accounting for the increased roll-out inherent to approaches played from out-of-the-rough.

Simply make sure you’re trying to fly your ball a distance that isn’t too far. Also, electing to keep your ball further below the hole is often a reflection of sound course management. Most classic courses in the US were designed so that missing long or past-the-hole is more penal than missing below-the-hole is (short of it). With that in mind, older courses also contain more green complexes that slope back-to-front as opposed to front-to-back.

Now that we have a better understanding of how the ball reacts (differently) when it’s hit from the rough, we need to learn how to optimize our execution of these shots. While the ball has less spin, we can mitigate these effects by engaging in a few techniques. Mainly, we need to make sure we maximize the quality of the strike.

Out of deep rough, this often requires an open setup. In order to increase our chances of lifting the ball high enough and with enough spin that it will hold the green, we can always favor a cut.

Next time you’re in deep rough, take an extra club and focus on creating speed at the bottom of your swing. Often, I’ll see amateurs hitting shots from the rough by employing a short, rushed swing. In an effort to advance the ball adequately, they’ll lose patience during the backswing/transition.

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Remember, we want a lot of speed AT the ball (impact) and not prior to impact. In order to achieve this, try employing more-aggressive practice swings with your slightly open stance/club face. Be sure to pick a spot located on the ground and allow the sole of your iron/hybrid’s club head to hit that spot. As a reminder, this game is all about finding happy mediums. With respect to shots from deep rough, we don’t want to chop wood in our efforts to create or optimize a descending blow.

Along with the use of your adequate weight transfer and hip/shoulder turn, we still want to create a wide arc on our backswing. Again, trying too hard to muscle the ball out of the rough will often result in a shorter, poorly-timed golf swing. Instead, open both your stance and the club face and make a controlled, aggressive swing. You cannot be afraid to hit the ground after you’ve struck the ball.

Unlike tee shots and even shots from the fairway, you need to make sure you firmly contact the ground after striking the ball in thick/deep rough. If you don’t, your ball may never get airborne, let alone reach anywhere near the putting surface and/or your intended target.

In addition to your fade-biased setup, you’ll often need an extra club (or 2) when the lies are particularly unattractive. If you’re afraid of going over the green after electing to club up, you can always choke up. On any golf shot, choking up on the club’s grip makes it easier to exercise control over the golf club during the swing itself.

While I don’t suggest choking up a ton in thick rough, choking up a little bit will make it easier to control the swing. If you choke up too much, you are increasing the chances of striking the ball thin. Out-of-deep lies, a thin strike results in a shot that may not advance further than a few yards. If the green has a run-up area, feel free to grab one or two extra clubs and choke up as much as you feel is necessary. When you choke up on the grip, the ball is going to come out lower than it does when we don’t choke up.

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If there isn’t a forced carry to negotiate between you and the hole, choking up can be a wise move. If the strike is solid after you’ve elected to choke up on your iron approach from the rough, the ball will often fly lower, with less spin, and track more online.

Lastly, make sure you keep your lead wrist firm thru impact when you’re hitting from the rough. A firmer lead wrist allows you to exercise more control of the club face as it stabilizes the club head/club face when it glides thru the thick grass.

To review, try opening your club face/stance on shots from deeper rough. Also, don’t be afraid to pull an extra club when the ball is sitting down. If there are bunkers/rough etc. preventing a roll-up onto the green’s surface, you’ll need to find a way to lift the ball high enough where it’ll carry the trouble without over-doing it in a fashion that leaves you past the hole.

Remember, unless there’s water positioned short of the green, leaving your ball below the hole will often leave you with an easier up-and-down. As long as you don’t short-side yourself, leaving the ball short of the hole often leaves us with more options on our next shot. Out-of-deep-rough, make sure you’re not trying to bite off more than you can chew. Sometimes, deep-rough leaves us with very little in the form of options.

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In other words, circumstances can leave us in situations where we must try to salvage par “a different way” by electing to hit a wedge back into the fairway from your bad lie in the rough. Instead of selecting a club that’s too long or doesn’t have enough loft, ensure that you advance the ball successfully out of the thick rough by making sure you pull 8 or 9 iron when too many people boldly decide on a mid-to-low iron.

Electing to employ a firm lead wrist and a slightly open club face/stance is immensely helpful in one’s quest to play good golf shots out of the rough. At the range, we can’t practice full shots from anything other than the clean lies we have on mats and fairway-length grasses.

As such, deep rough often presents amateurs with challenges that can be very difficult to overcome initially. Instead of swinging out-of-your shoes and hitting weak, poorly-struck approaches over and over again, take an extra club and open up your stance/club face when your ball comes to rest in thicker rough.

You’ll be pleased when you strike the ball in the center of the club face and in a fashion that results in more manageable up and downs from distances of 10 yards as opposed to 50 yards or more.

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