“Our instincts can often get us into trouble when we are standing over a golf ball, especially in deep rough.” – David Lee
Most players have a lot of trouble when they get in deep bermuda rough around the green. This is because they try to “dig” the ball out of such lies. The problem is that when the player tightens the arms in an effort to dig the ball out, the tension increase in the upper body can actually decrease the power in the turn by diminishing the amount of core mass released (kinetic energy).
Getting the ball to come out of thick grass is actually much easier than most golfers realize, if they will play it like a bunker shot. Post your weight over your front foot, give the arms and club a nice heave, allow the arms to purely dead-fall at the start of the downswing, and simply turn completely through the shot. The ball will come out of very thick grass quite easily because you are releasing more body mass through the impact zone. It takes no more effort to hit out of deep rough than a sand shot.
You must try to avoid falling under the spell of instinct, which says to try and “dig” the ball out of the deep rough with your strength. It’s a shot that should be turned out of its nasty lie with soft hands, and not hit. The ball will come out with very little effort and no upper body force!
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