ROUGH LIE: CENTRE YOUR HANDS When the ball settles in tall grass, you need a sharper angle of approach to minimise the grass between the ball and clubface. You’ll also need to open the face, which cre- ates more spin so that the ball travels higher, lands softer and doesn’t roll out so far. Start with your feet close together, stance slightly open and the ball po- sitioned just back of centre ( near right ). Then, keeping your hands relatively centred, hinge the clubhead up ( opposite page ) and slide it under the ball with some zip, getting down to the roots of the grass. A big key is the finish: The face should remain open and point to the sky ( far right ) long enough so that you can balance a stack of coins on it.
TIGHT LIE: SWING THIGH TO THIGH Off shorter grass, use a shallower angle of approach. Take a narrow stance and grip down a few centimetres, placing the shaft in a more upright position. The ball should be a little back of centre. This setup discourages flicking the wrists and keeps the club from digging. From here, swing your hands from thigh to thigh ( left ), maintaining the an- gles in both wrists on the backswing and through impact. Keep the clubhead low to the ground on both sides of the motion as you sweep the grass with some assertive- ness. To groove this motion, place two tees in the ground 15 centimetres on either side of the ball and angled away from it. As you swing back and through, clip both tees ( below ). Use this simple technique, and you’ll get the ball to grab and stop quickly – right next to the hole.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JENSEN LARSON
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 93
JUNE 2026
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator