Paige Mackenzie's Tip for Shots from the Rough

A couple days back, Morning Drive gave Paige Mackenzie and Chris DiMarco a quiz over who was better with different shots, Rory or Jordan, and then the two gave tips on how to best play those shots. Paige gave a tip for playing from the rough that was so simple, I thought I'd post the video here. Most players would think it should be common sense but what Paige suggests is a bit different from what you're probably thinking...

Yes, you probably thought about tightening your grip. But note that Paige doesn't recommend tightening BOTH hands. Instead, she suggests only tightening your lead hand. This keeps the clubface from flipping over when the grass tries to grab the hosel.

But why not tighten both hands, you ask? (Yes, I know you ask. Go ahead... ask.) I have three reasons for you:

• When you tighten your muscles, you lose clubhead speed. By leaving your trailing hand grip more relaxed, you can generate more speed -- not as much as you would if both hands were relaxed, but more than if both hands were tight.
• It's easier to keep your swing on plane than if both hands were gripping tightly. Remember, when you tighten your grip you also tighten the muscles in your forearms. That's going to affect how your trailing elbow moves during your downswing, and that elbow does a lot to keep you on plane.
• And in addition, you have a better chance of avoiding injury if the rough turns out to be particularly tough.

So remember: If you're hitting out of the rough, only tighten your grip with your lead hand. If you can't hit a decent shot that way, the lie was probably too bad for a good result anyway.