Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Here's Ron: At some point during today's second-round coverage of the U.S. Open, you will inevitably see someone take a big hack at a ball buried in deep rough. Maybe he will extricate it successfully and get it on the green, maybe he won't. But poor technique isn't always to blame for a lack of success. "You need a lot of upper-body strength to swing through the thick stuff," says Randy Myers, director of fitness at the Sea Island (Ga.) Golf Resort and trainer to many top PGA Tour pros, including Dustin Johnson and Lucas Glover. "You not only have to make sure you can get through the grass, but you also need strength to keep the club from twisting open or closed."
When most people think of swinging through the rough, they think of having strong hands and arms. But that's only half the equation, says Craig Davies, another top trainer on the PGA
Tour. "You also need strength and stability in the upper body." While
the hands and arms keep the clubhead from twisting, it's the muscles of
the upper body, particularly the shoulders, deltoids and latissimus
dorsi ("lats"), that provide the power to get through tall, thick grass.
There are many forearm and upper-body strengthening exercises you can do to increase your chances of hitting good shots from deep rough. For two exercises you might not have seen before, click on the video below.
Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest
There are many forearm and upper-body strengthening exercises you can do to increase your chances of hitting good shots from deep rough. For two exercises you might not have seen before, click on the video below.
Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest
