Finding your ball sat down in the rough can often lead to many high handicap golfers struggling on the course.

Making sure you get the ball out at the first attempt will help you in your bid to break 100.

Deana Rushworth talks us through the basic principles of pitching from the rough and what key points you should remember when approaching this particular part of the game.

The first thing to do is assess the ball and how badly it is sitting.

Ignore the distance you have to the flag, the main objective is to just get it out of the rough.

If you are struggling to break 100 you might be being to adventurous with the club that you use to get out of this kind of situation. Take your medicine, just get it back into play.

Deana then talks about the setup. She explains why its essential to have the ball positioned back in the stance with your weight forward to have a steep descent into the ball.

If you have the ball in the normal stance the club will be travelling through the rough which will take a lot of energy out of the club and will more than likely result in a duff shot.

Make sure you also lean the shaft forward slightly. This will help you when trying to chop the ball out of the rough. Finally, you want to make sure you make contact with the ball first.

To make sure you get this shot right, follow the key points below and you will see your shots from the rough start to improve.

Craig Middleton

Handicap: 12

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