How deep should the rough be?

[Bravo]

This weekend, the rough at our place was so deep, we found ourselves constantly looking for balls. It got so bad that we made sure that every time somebody got up to hit their tee shot, that the other three were standing dead behind... When it flew into the rough, we were all doing our best to describe where we last saw it...then all four of us out of our carts walking on foot, because the only way you could find the ball was to almost step on it...

It drove is nutz.

This is bermudagrass and only about 2 inches deep. Upon landing the ball simply drops straight down and comes to rest on the ground itself, surrounded by extremely dense grass.

While we never lost a ball, it made the round so tedious...here we are trying to have fun and we looked more like treasure hunters with our heads to the ground half the time.

I can see better than most of the guys I play with and can see a ball 250 yards away. So they rely on me to watch shots for them and it speeds up play, so I have gotten in the habit of watching their shots for years...Yesterday, on a very few occasions, I was able to actually annouce..."I can see it. I can actually see your ball in the rough"...Sighs of relief...

In your view, how high should the rough be - to balance out giving you a penalty for hitting it in there vs. having to get your entire foursome involved to find every shot??

[Rockford35]

Well, this is a great question.

For tournament play, I think that the rough should be that long. More often than not, you find your ball. And Tournament speed is alot slower than your average Sunday round.

On Tour, it should be 5" long every Tour stop. I can't stress this enough. Fairway, intermediate at 2" and heavy rough to the trees.

For around our neck of the woods, it should be shorter. Granted, this can be argued that then you never have a chance to practice hitting out of that Oakmont. Well, It can be said that perhaps more emphasis should be put on a straight and accurate shot over a Grip it and Rip it mentality.

Two sides to every story, but i think it should be long. It's always long here, so I'm somewhat biased.

R35

[Bravo]

We all agreed that we didn't mind "paying a penalty" for hitting it in there and believe me we paid the price...it was just the effing looking and looking and looking for balls that drove us crazy. We got out of any sort of rythm because we were looking for balls almost every hole..

On 17, a short dogleg right par 5, I hit a very nice drive uphill about 260 that was running straight toward the fairway bunkers at the top of the dogleg. I have a pretty good fairway bunker game and can often get a par from there by simply hitting it about 150 toward the green and wedging in. Sandy par=$$ in our bet so when we see a ball going toward a fairway bunker we call it "The Land of Opportunity".

I drive up there and start looking for my ball in the bunker...but there is a strip of rough about 6 feet wide between the bunker and the fairway...and there is the little bugger just jammed down in there. I took out a 5 iron and got about 80 yards out of it but it went in the rough again...then a six iron that I got out well but it landed on the front of the green red hot....and into the heavy rough on the backside. I took bogey on an easy par 5 with a really nice drive. Rub of the green I guess.

Speaking of tournaments, I think they are setting it up for the club championship which is going to be held soon...this may be the reason for it.

[SiberianDVM]

The rough should be deep enough to hide the ball, but not the bag.

[Rockford35]

So, you're wayward drive went into the rough and you ended up with a bogey? Sounds like your course is set up right.

Now, looking back, had you wedged out into the fairway, made an approach to within 15 feet and made a putt, are you any worse off? Sounds like that inital 5 iron got you into trouble.

I LOVE the idea of long rough. It gets guys out of this "bomb and hack" mentality when you really gotta think things through. Even your plan of "Oh, i'll just hit it into the Land of Opportunity and make par" was thwarted by that penalizing rough.

Personally, I'm a fan. I know lots of people won't be, but I am. I think accuracy should be rewarded, especially if you're 40 yards behind the next guy in the rough.

R35

[Bravo]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

So, you're wayward drive went into the rough and you ended up with a bogey? Sounds like your course is set up right.

Now, looking back, had you wedged out into the fairway, made an approach to within 15 feet and made a putt, are you any worse off? Sounds like that inital 5 iron got you into trouble.

I LOVE the idea of long rough. It gets guys out of this "bomb and hack" mentality when you really gotta think things through. Even your plan of "Oh, i'll just hit it into the Land of Opportunity and make par" was thwarted by that penalizing rough.

Personally, I'm a fan. I know lots of people won't be, but I am. I think accuracy should be rewarded, especially if you're 40 yards behind the next guy in the rough.

R35

Yeah I was calling it "bomb and gouge" all day long. I also said that if they keep it that high, I am keeping driver in the bag on that hole and hitting my 3 wood from the tee.

Its a fricking celebration just for me to hit it straight - and then I have to pay the price......

[Farquod]

I agree, Rock. Graduated rough, deeper on tour. The more errant the shot, the deeper the rough, the worse the penalty.

I love that Bermuda rough, B. Really grips your ball. I far prefer our bent and blue, but I could make a case against the really tall fescue. Impossible to get out of that, unless you're like this one friend of mine who always seems to find his ball, and always in an accessible lie....

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by Farquod

...unless you're like this one friend of mine who always seems to find his ball, and always in an accessible lie....

I know a guy like that. They must have the same pants, the one with no pocket lining....

R35

[Bravo]

Originally Posted by Farquod

I love that Bermuda rough, B. Really grips your ball. I far prefer our bent and blue, but

One thing I really like about bentgrass golf courses is the appearance of the fairways after they have been mowed. They have that really beautiful apperance like the infield of a baseball diamond in a major league park...really good looking and it stays green year round...

Down here as you know, it is all bermuda though because it grows back really fast in the heat but that stuff is just so dense..it grabs your club...and you smack it left...

[Farquod]

Originally Posted by Bravo

Down here as you know, it is all bermuda though because it grows back really fast in the heat but that stuff is just so dense..it grabs your club...and you smack it left...

I played at The Point out by the Outer Banks in NC several years back, and remember the rough well. Back foot...vertical swing...take a RIP...do it again!

[Mors Ab Alto]

My course is very sparse (best word I could think of). A few groves of mequite trees, but not much in the way of rough. The longest grass is maybe 3 inches high, and there's not much of it.

Unfortunately, instead of rough we have hard pan, with lots of rocks interspersed. If you ask me, I'd rather hit out of 4 inch rough than hard pan, simply because while I might not be able to get it to the green, I can have a pretty good idea of where it's going. Hard pan is a tough lie to master, and I get mixed results at best. I missed 6 fairways today (pretty good driving round), and was in rough grass 3 times and on hard pan 3 times. Made par every hole that I found the rough, but only once when I was on hard pan (hit the best 22* hybrid off of muddy hard pan ever!!!!!).

I do wish we had more rough, but the dry conditions and expense of watering constantly, along with the fact that you can't grow grass on clay makes it hard for my course to put more in. Oh well.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I've noticed Sunday, Monday and today the rough up here was outrageous. I think it is more because of not being able to mow well because of the rain. There really isn't much rough between the fairway and the trees anyways, as the narrow fairways and trees are the real penalty for poor shots on this course, so I am pretty certain they are not trying to toughen it up at all. We did spend a great deal of time looking for golfballs in the rough the last 3 days. I really learned to appreciate my hybrids this weekend. I've never been real good out of heavy rough with my irons. I would take about 2-3 clubs more of what I would usually use, and would even go lower and choke down if it need be. There were times were I was hitting a 23* hybrid, which is usually good for about 185 yards for me, from 145 yards, hitting short and rolling over the green. I think my only other choice for me would be to hack it out about 100 yard with a Gap Wedge. The ball would usually come up short even with the extra clubs, with no spin, hit short of the green and roll to the back. I actually played O.K. out of it today once I got used to the shot. I really doubt with my ability that I would regularly play a course with rough like that all the time, probably more so because nothing is worse than spending 3-4 minutes ever other shot looking for my ball. They did manage to get a couple of the dryer holes mowed today.

[VtDivot]

I say mow all that shit.... fairway woods for everyone


I like some rough, but I also want to be able to advance it to the green.

[mont86]

I say keep them short because I never play the fairway and I can't afford too keep loosing my balls.

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by VtDivot

I like some rough, but I also want to be able to advance it to the green.

But isn't this really the opposite of what the "rough" is? It's not called the "bit tougher fairway". It's called rough because it's rough to get out of.

You can get away with the intermediate rough getting it to the green, but the thick stuff along the tree line should hamper those that are either not straight or bombing with complete disregard to course management.

This "should" be a game of skill and finesse, not just brute strength.

R35