During the 1972 British Open at Muirfield, Scotland, Tony Jacklin and Lee Trevino attacked the 9th hole from the tee. Jacklin went for the carry over the left-hand fairway bunker, while Trevino played more conservatively down the right side. Both finished in the rough, but within iron distance of the green. Two amazing shots followed, both landing about 20 yards (18 m) short of but running onto the green. Both players then holed their putts for eagles.
Hitting into the rough is the most common problem a golfer faces. Even golfing legends like Trevino and Jacklin find themselves in the rough more often than they’d like. But by making a few adjustments you can get yourself out of trouble and back onto the fairway without costing yourself strokes.
When a recreational golfer finds himself in the rough, he often lets the situation intimidate him. Instead of assessing the lie, like many golf instruction manuals suggest, he grabs a club and slashes away, hitting into the rough again or into more trouble. By the time he finishes, he’s hacked out an 8 on the scorecard.
Hitting from the rough