Should clubs be fairer about maintaining the rough?

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm all for penal rough in the right place. Our 12th is a dogleg right and the safe shot to play straight down between the gap in the trees and then tackle the longer approach from there. Of course the big hitters can take the trees on and get onto the fairway further down.

However the proble is the safe tee shot requires a driver for most members (including Hawkeye and myself) but the landing area isn't sufficient. Hawkeye hit a perfectly straight drive the other week. It ran straight through the other side of the fairway into 6 inch rough and was lucky to be found and of course he had no shot. Why should he be penalised for making good connection and hitting a dead straight shot. Our club should really look at that strip of rough and ideally give it a good cut so there is a bigger first cut of rough and leave the thick stuff until the last 5 yards or so before the OB fence.

 

[CliveW]

The management of the rough is more to do with speed of play than anything else. My previous club shortened the length of the rough so it didn't take as long to find a ball in it. This meant a round was quicker and therefore more games were played in a day.

 

[Oddsocks]

Homer on your point re hawkeyes drive, surely you would argue if hd was brave enough to take the shot on he should know if hd has to much club or not,

Where I'm playing Saturday they have a dogleg par 4 14th. Ideal tee shot is either 190-210 yards then a 90* turn righ with a 170 yard downhi approach to a narrow green, now on a good autumn, winter, spring day a 250 yardcarry will cut the trees on the right out and make the approach 100 yards max. During the damp months I can take the shot on, but in the summer I can't as my drive runs into deep thick rough. The only players who can take it on are long faders or people with the ability to shape the ball, which I think is how it should be. Straight in theory is an easy shot

 

[G1BB0]

same on Sunday OS, 220 to the tree line then 90 deg left with 160 to flag, short by 20 leaves no shot or a billy big balls over the top of trees, too long and through tree's with no shot at green. I took 3 wood and had a straight shot at green (still f'ed the approach up tho grrrr)

 

[sweatysock41]

This point is a valid one and brings to mind a situation that occurred at a course local to me which happily accepts pay and play golfers.

A society were playing and I overheard the pro telling them if your ball goes in the rough play a provisional because you won't find it and we don't want play being held up.

Now I was playing just ahead of the society and the rough was penal - just miss the fairway and it was 6" deep and miss by more than a couple of yards and you were in deep sh*t!

Now I can understand the penal rough on a course where a comp e.g. an open or club championship is about to take place, however I asked if this was the case in the shop afterwards and was told no it was the norm.

Now surely it would make more sense to have had a decent cut next to the fairway where you could find your ball but still have to cope with the rough when you are expecting inexperienced players to keep up the speed of play. Whether your ball casts £1 or £4 you should be able to at least have a chance of finding it in the rough.

 

[moonraker]

Are club have no option it can be cut at the end of August due to it being a SSSI area, they have cut it back as far as they can. The only good thing is when it is cut can find some nice new expensive balls

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Homer on your point re hawkeyes drive, surely you would argue if hd was brave enough to take the shot on he should know if hd has to much club or not,

To be fair I know driver is too much on 12 unless I take it very close to the trees on the corner of the dogleg which I always try to do but it's a fine line, 10 yards too far left is in the rough on the left and no shot. The ideal shot is a cut with a driver which I don't seem to be able to do as easily with my R9 as I could with my G10. What I should and will probably do from now on is hit 3-wood. There's a reason it's SI1 after all.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Homer on your point re hawkeyes drive, surely you would argue if hd was brave enough to take the shot on he should know if hd has to much club or not,

The point is why should he be forced into playing a high risk shot, especially in a competitive round, and get punished for playing the precentage, executing perfectly and hitting it straight. The rough on that part of the hole needs removing. I'm not saying golf is fair but there is a difference between a bad bounce or poor execution and not having a second shot because you hit it well.

 

[Region3]

Homer on your point re hawkeyes drive, surely you would argue if hd was brave enough to take the shot on he should know if hd has to much club or not,

The point is why should he be forced into playing a high risk shot, especially in a competitive round, and get punished for playing the precentage, executing perfectly and hitting it straight. The rough on that part of the hole needs removing. I'm not saying golf is fair but there is a difference between a bad bounce or poor execution and not having a second shot because you hit it well.

I vaguely remember the hole and hitting hybrid off the tee because I didn't know how much of the corner I could risk cutting off with my driver. I guess I would have known how far I could hit it from the EOF Left on the SC.

If you know the fairway runs out at 240, and a well struck driver can go 250, then why use it, unless you're going for a fade in which case a straight shot isn't a perfectly executed one.

I think what my waffle is trying to say, is why take a club you know might be too long and then bemoan your luck or a 'stupid' patch of rough when you go through the fairway?

I don't remember anything to carry before the corner, or am I wrong?

 

[ScienceBoy]

Why should the club allow unkept areas on the course?? Every blade on the site should be cut within an inch of its life!

 

[Imurg]

Knee high rough should be kept to the far flung areas of the course, there's no need for it and it slows play up because people don't hit provisionals and spend 5 minutes looking for a ball that, even if they find it, is going to take a major miracle to get club on ball and release it from said rough.
Ours is crippling in Summer. Ok, it takes a poor shot to find it but, Hell, we're all capable of that. Have rough by all means but make it so you can at least find the ball - you may still need 2 shots to get it out but that's penalty enough.
The problem gets worse on baked fairways where a bad bounce - and believe me I've had more than my fair share of those recently - and your ball's disappeared into knee high clag instead of being just off the fairway.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Homer on your point re hawkeyes drive, surely you would argue if hd was brave enough to take the shot on he should know if hd has to much club or not,

The point is why should he be forced into playing a high risk shot, especially in a competitive round, and get punished for playing the precentage, executing perfectly and hitting it straight. The rough on that part of the hole needs removing. I'm not saying golf is fair but there is a difference between a bad bounce or poor execution and not having a second shot because you hit it well.

I vaguely remember the hole and hitting hybrid off the tee because I didn't know how much of the corner I could risk cutting off with my driver. I guess I would have known how far I could hit it from the EOF Left on the SC.

If you know the fairway runs out at 240, and a well struck driver can go 250, then why use it, unless you're going for a fade in which case a straight shot isn't a perfectly executed one.

I think what my waffle is trying to say, is why take a club you know might be too long and then bemoan your luck or a 'stupid' patch of rough when you go through the fairway?

I don't remember anything to carry before the corner, or am I wrong?

There is a carry over rough to get to the fairway (about 200) and if you want to go over any of the trees to take any distance off the hole then its about 230 carry. For me a 3 wood would be the safe option but anything not well struck won't make the fairway and be blocked by trees and I can't carry it over the corner. I just don't see why a 250 yard drive is so penalised when a 246 yard one is safe

 

[Region3]

Ah ok, I don't remember having to carry a certain distance just to reach the fairway. Good job I didn't know it was 230 over the trees, I'd probably have gone for it and cocked up

I still stand by my statement that driver is wrong if you know you can reach the rough with a good one though. Maybe for Hawkeye a hybrid? I'd imagine he could hit a 3 wood through it as well on a good one/unlucky bounce.

 

[RGDave]

Ah ok, I don't remember having to carry a certain distance just to reach the fairway. Good job I didn't know it was 230 over the trees, I'd probably have gone for it and cocked up

I still stand by my statement that driver is wrong if you know you can reach the rough with a good one though. Maybe for Hawkeye a hybrid? I'd imagine he could hit a 3 wood through it as well on a good one/unlucky bounce.

I'm late joining in this one. I agree with part 2 of the above post.

We have a par 4 at mine where if you don't fade your drive, it'll be in the deep salad.....and in the summer, the salad is very unpalatable.

I know the hole in question, and yes, a driver is too much for a proper player. For me, it's OK.

 

[CrapHacker]

If the fairways are a decent width, (obviously narrowing at 250 + to penalise the longer hitters, and make them use some strategy or learn a bit of accuracy), you have a first cut, a second cut, and then bundu. If you are in the bundu, tough, you need to start hitting some fairways.

Thus ended the discussion.

 

[Matty]

Don't forget the impact on pace of play. If you are looking for 5 minutes in knee deep jungle it's time to wave the group behind through. But on a packed course slotting back in behind them can be a challenge.

A club local to use have cut back all the grass and bushes under the established trees so finding a ball in there is easy enough - just getting it out is the challenge and penalty for being there in the first place. I think it helps maintain the pace of play too.

 

[Oddsocks]

Ah ok, I don't remember having to carry a certain distance just to reach the fairway. Good job I didn't know it was 230 over the trees, I'd probably have gone for it and cocked up

I still stand by my statement that driver is wrong if you know you can reach the rough with a good one though. Maybe for Hawkeye a hybrid? I'd imagine he could hit a 3 wood through it as well on a good one/unlucky bounce.

I'm late joining in this one. I agree with part 2 of the above post.

We have a par 4 at mine where if you don't fade your drive, it'll be in the deep salad.....and in the summer, the salad is very unpalatable.

I know the hole in question, and yes, a driver is too much for a proper player. For me, it's OK.

This is EXACTLY my point. If your intending to play a hole not as it was designed, you should be precises enough with your knowledge of the distance required, and also the shot shape required to take it on. If im every cutting corners or taking shots on i check the gps to see what line is required and whether the shot needs to be shaped.

If it a straight forward shot with a long carry i take it on, if its a draw required i can take it on, but if its a fade no way hosay!