Caught within the tough? Comply with Seve Ballesteros’ tricks to safely escape

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, however the very best recommendation stands the take a look at of time. In GOLF.com’s new collection, Timeless Suggestions, we’re highlighting among the best recommendation academics and gamers have disbursed within the pages of GOLF Journal. Right now we revisit Seve Ballesteros’ suggestions for escaping the tough from our June 1979 situation. For limitless entry to the complete GOLF Journal digital archive, be part of InsideGOLF at present; you’ll get pleasure from $140 of worth for less than $39.99/12 months.

We’d all like to by no means miss fairways and solely play from the brief grass, however that’s simply not reasonable. Even among the many greatest gamers on the planet, lacking fairways is commonplace. Thus far within the 2024 season, PGA Tour common for fairways hit is simply over 60 p.c. That signifies that for each 10 drives, 4 of them find yourself off the golf green — and that’s for the very best gamers on the planet!

With tee photographs lacking the golf green so usually, it’s necessary you understand how to play from the tough. The issue is, plenty of leisure gamers don’t have any clue find out how to method photographs from the tough. That’s the place we are available in.

Again in 1979, Seve Ballesteros shared three suggestions for hitting photographs from the tough with GOLF Journal. In at present’s version of Timeless Suggestions, we’re sharing them with you. Test it out beneath.

Seve’s suggestions for hitting from the tough

Golf is greatest when it’s saved easy. That’s the reason I consider you’ll discover helpful my one-two-three system for classifying and executing photographs from tough. I’ve damaged down tough lies into three classes: flier, propped up and buried. Every lie requires sure particular strategies. However there are additionally some requirements that apply in evaluating these lies. When you already know and might use the final guidelines, and might apply specific changes for every lie you’ll be capable to escape simply from the tough.

The primary normal rule is that, apart from propped-up lies, it’s unwise to strive flying the ball over a hazard or tree, or stopping it rapidly on a small, well-guarded inexperienced, as a result of tough photographs normally fly low and roll far.

Second, tough photographs are onerous to manage, so it is best to keep away from threading any needles. Attempt to choose the widest potential path to your goal.

Choking down about half an inch on the grip is the final rule of tough play. It’ll provide you with extra membership management, which is paramount on these photographs.

Flier lie: Take much less membership

Most tough lies match into the flier class, the place the grass grows above the equator of the ball. Use a lofted iron, however nothing much less lofted than a 5-iron, relying by yourself power and the size of the grass. It’s sensible additionally to take one membership lower than common, as a result of once more, the decrease flight and additional roll will propel the ball farther than a shot from the golf green.

When the grass reaches solely half method up the ball, you might be able to use a lofted wooden, say a 4- or 5-wood. Whether or not you employ an iron or wooden, you continue to will want a extra upright backswing arc with a quicker wrist break, as a result of it’s important to ship a pointy, downward blow to the ball to pop it from the grass. Three changes in your regular tackle are crucial: 1) play the ball about an inch farther again in your stance; 2) open your stance barely, and three) don’t floor the membership (to keep away from snagging it within the grass on the takeaway, which might destroy your timing).

Propped-up lie: Assume tee shot

Propped-up lies look simple. There’s the ball sitting up as if it had been on a wooden tee. However these lies are difficult, as a result of the ball is kind of suspended in air. The hazard is in swinging an excessive amount of underneath the ball, hanging it on prime of the clubface, or, worse, going underneath the ball and leaving it in its personal divot. Generally, when the ball lies on agency floor, you might get away with a poor swing, hitting the bottom first and bouncing the membership into the ball. However that margin for error isn’t out there on propped-up lies.

But, it’s potential to hit virtually any membership — even a driver, typically — from these lies. However it’s important to use the proper method. First, be sure to choke down on the grip and don’t sole the membership at tackle to maintain from knocking it off its perch. That may lead to a penalty stroke. Second, play the ball ahead in your stance, about off the left instep, to hit the ball on the upswing. Third, in distinction to flier and buried lies, which require an upright takeaway and fast wrist break, these lies name for a large arc and full extension. The concept is to comb the ball off its perch, with out taking a divot, as if it had been on a tee. Whenever you hit the ball correctly, you’ll get extra distance than common, so take one membership lower than you usually would. Then, swing away confidently.

Contemplate all of the elements when you choose your membership and stick by your determination. In the event you doubt you could pull off the shot, change the membership and take a safer route. The fundamental technique for tough is to get out of it.

Buried lie: Wedge it again

I’m often called a considerably reckless golfer as a result of I hit an extended ball and go for the pin. However when my ball is buried in tough as much as my ankles or increased, I don’t play the idiot by grabbing an extended membership and ambushing the ball. That method wouldn’t even get it out of the tough, a lot much less onto the golf green. I wedge again to the golf green in order that I can positively make a bogey, or, maybe, salvage par. I believe I can safely say that if I wedge again to the golf green, it is best to, too.

Select your most lofted membership — most likely your sand wedge. Play the ball again an inch or two farther than regular and open your stance. As with flier lies, you need to make an upright takeaway, with a fast wrist break and sharp downswing. Open the clubface, too, as a result of the grass will are inclined to seize and shut it on the ahead swing. An open face at tackle can be sq. at impression; sq. at tackle, shut at impression. Many amateurs don’t know this fundamental regulation of tough play, which is why they hit loads of low-left photographs from excessive grass.

Most necessary, snap the wrists once you launch by means of impression on buried lies. In any other case, the grass could decelerate the membership a lot that the ball received’t even budge. The upright swing will enable you to do that, however it additionally pays to focus on the snap through the swing. Consider sluggish again, snap by means of. This doesn’t imply it is best to make a quick downswing. That may make you launch far too quickly. Simply snap by means of the hitting zone. Gradual, snap. Gradual, snap. You’ll be again on the brief fairway grass very quickly in any respect.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com the place he spends his days running a blog, producing and enhancing. Previous to becoming a member of the group at GOLF, he attended the College of Texas adopted by stops with the Texas Golf Affiliation, Crew USA, the Inexperienced Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all issues instruction and covers beginner and ladies’s golf. He may be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.