Gary Player punched well above his weight throughout his golfing career, quite literally.
A diminutive figure who experienced an incredibly difficult upbringing, Player came over to America in the late 1950s and managed to compete with some of the game’s biggest names, including Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
The South African’s long and storied career was far from a fluke either.
Gary Player had the heart of a lion, and he was one of the hardest workers in the professional game, if not the hardest worker.
He won 159 tournaments worldwide including 24 PGA Tour titles and nine major championships.
Gary Player has always given back by sharing golf tips with amateur golfers who are looking to improve their games.
And one of his best ever golf tips pertained to the best four ways to improve hitting from bad lies in the rough.
Gary Player’s four tips to help amateurs hit better shots out of the rough
During an instructional video for Sonic Titan Golf, Player shared his four best tips with amateur golfers to help them extricate their balls from difficult lies in the rough.
“I think where strength really comes to the fore, is out of the rough,“ Player said.
“Now, the only thing I can say when you’re playing in the rough, you always hook the ball out of the rough because the grass catches the club and turns the toe over. Always.
“So you’ve got a grip very, very tightly with those last three fingers in your left hand.
“And I think you should address the ball with your club face slightly open because it turns it over.
“So this is gonna help to prevent it turning over, and having the club face open when it does turn it, it sort of turns it back to square.
“Then, make sure that you pick the club up, a little quicker, because you want to get the club out of the grass, and keep it out of the grass with a descending blow as much as possible.
“If you drag it back, you’re going to catch the grass, and if you come through low, it’s gonna catch it even worse.
“And then, the final thought is get through the ball.“
More strategy required out of the rough to lower your scores
Always plan for more release out of the rough.
The thick grass between your ball and the clubface means that you will not be able to impart as much spin on your shots.
More spin equates to a higher ball flight, and without that, your ball will come out lower with more topspin.
Obviously this becomes a huge problem if there is water short of the green, or any form of hazard for that matter.
In these instances, your safest bet is to take your medicine and lay up short of the trouble. Get your ball back in play and go from there.
Bogeys will never damage your scorecard, but doubles or worse will.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
