Dale Abraham on Reading the Rough

I found this short article over at golftipsmag.com on how to read your lie in the rough and make the proper adjustments.



Although the article is short, PGA instructor Dale Abraham tells you what questions you need to ask in order to read a lie in the rough and then explains what sort of adjustments you need to make, as well as how those adjustments will affect the ball flight.

Because the article is so short and yet has several photos to illustrate what he tells you, there's really not a lot I can reprint from the article without reprinting the whole thing. Basically:

• If the ball is on top of the rough you can usually take your normal setup and expect to get a normal shot.
• If the ball has settled down into the rough, your normal setup will likely result in a topped shot. You'll need to make adjustments.

The two balls shown in the photo above are his examples, and he provides photos (with explanations) showing how you adjust your setup and how the changes will affect your swing.

This is a remarkably informative and helpful article, especially given how short it is. I suspect you'll not only want to read it but also save the page in your browser for future reference. It really communicates a lot of useful instruction in just a few paragraphs.