The fairway is the target for any golfer off the tee. It provides the best lie to hit the approach to the green and is a marker of an accurate tee shot. However, there is always more than one way to skin a cat, as one of my teachers liked to say. Missing the fairway need not mean disaster if you understand how to play the ball from the rough.

The fairway is more than short grass, It connects the components of the hole. Trees, rough, bunkers, water hazards and the position of the green are all tied to the fairway. The fairway contours connect all the other features of the hole, the greenside bunkers, the trees, the putting surface. The fairway is a path the main link between the tee and green. 

Mentally  draw a centre line down each fairway to find its natural path and you will be able to work your ball along the line of the hole. The more you go with the flow of the hole the better, don’t fight the natural path of the golf course.

Look at how the fairway expands and contracts, how it turns and what angles it has. Focus on the widening and narrowing of the fairway to work out where to land the ball. Certain points will be tightened with rough, trees, a bunker or a lope. Take a moment to work out the width of the fairway. Analyse this then decide about where to aim. Always aim for a small target.

The course will have a combination of shapes and styles on each hole. A fairway can be flat, tilted or a combination. Elevation changes on a hole improve the challenge but also improve surface drainage.

Trees, mounds, and water hazards around the fairway add definition and visual contrast. Consider both their advantages and challenges when choosing your shots.

Mounds around the fairway, greens and aprons produce a variety of lies, stances and shot making requirements. Fairway mounds can be a defence. They can deflect a drive into trouble, and leave you with a difficult downhill, sidehill or uphill lie. They can also block your view of the target and create uncertainty in your mind. 

If a mound is situated in front of a green it will require an accurate pitch shot to clear them and stop the ball quickly. Mounds can act as markers off the tee as indicators of the friendly sides of the fairway. Do they tell you where to hit or are they just an artificial aesthetic? Do they hide a potential landing area? How severe are they in terms of deflection and playability?

Rolling terrain affords ups and downs like moguls on a ski run. Undulations from swales to plateaus affect the amount of roll that you will get on a shot. When you approach a ball that has landed on a slope try standing to the side of the ball to learn the angle of the rise. This becomes part of the equation of choosing loft and distance. Draw an imaginary line off the angle of the ground to see how much it adds to the trajectory of the shot. Careful evaluation of a slope can increase your chances of selecting the proper club and shot.

Fairways can be tiled sharply. When you encounter this estimate how much angle will be added to your shot after it hits the slope. Take this into consideration because on a severe slope the wrong bounce can send you off the fairway into serious trouble.

Lie of the ball

The lie comprises two parts – the slope where the ball has stopped and the way the ball rests on the grass or rough.

A contoured fairway will test your shot making skills and club and shot selection. You may need to adjust your stance and swing for an unlevel lie. Uphill, downhill, ball below the feet which will cause the ball to fly right to left and ball above the feet which will cause the ball to fly left to right.

Before setting up, assess both the direction and severity of the slope, then adjust your stance and swing to create as level a swing plane as possible. Downhill lies tend to make the ball fly lower and travel farther, while uphill lies add loft, sending the ball higher and shorter.

Note the grass you are on (see my post “types of grass”) and think about its playing characteristics. Some courses have more than one type of grass. Be prepared to adjust to the shot making challenges that these situations give you.

A tight lie is where the ball sits close to the ground and will travel shorter distances. This is because greater contact with the soil causes the clubhead to resist. It will spin more because of the lack of turf, so strike the ball with a sharply descending blow and clip the ball into the air.

In warmer climates the ball will sit up and there will be little clubhead resistance and the ball will carry further. 

Playing from the rough

Rough can be used to define a hole and defend against errant tee shots. This can be tall natural grass growing along the fairway. In the US Open there is often a second cut of rough of four or five inches. This rough is often so punishing that it takes other defending features out of play and becomes the biggest hazard.

Sometimes the course designer will have left a collar of rough around a bunker or a water hazard to stop a ball from going in there. Often the grass on the fairway is different from the grass in the rough. Look for the difference in colour. The rough will define the shape of the hole and can help your distance perception. Grasses of different colours and textures such as a blend of rye grass and fescue in the rough can sometimes be used.

Look at how the rough has been cut. Rough is often mowed in a straight line from tee to green. If the grass has a dull look it is growing away from the green, so swing harder, if it has a shiny look it is growing towards the green so swing slightly easier.

What is a flier?

A flier lie is when at impact a small amount of grass gets caught between the ball and the clubface. This has these consequences:

• It shuts the clubface slightly and reduces the loft on your club and increases distance.
• The grooves on your clubface will not be able to put any spin on to the ball so you will lose distance control.
• As a result, the ball comes out of the rough lower and rolls further. 

Another type of flier is when water comes between the ball and the clubface, The results are similar. This sometimes happens when grass is wet due to rain, dew or irrigation.

With a flier lie you want more loft on your club which means you will hit a shorter club to compensate for the increased distance a flier produces. Open your clubface more because the rough will grab the clubface and close it. Swing with a sharply descending blow and factor in the extra distance.

At impact if there is a lot of grass between the clubface and the ball you will have the opposite effect of a flier because the ball will travel shorter than normal. With a heavy lie be realistic about how far you can hit the shot. If the grass is four to six inches high you will get heavy resistance. Choose a high lofted club and don’t try for distance. Just hit out back onto the fairway.

Identify the challenges

Look at the challenges in your next target zone. What are the obstacles and where is your landing area. Check your lie and factor in other conditions that will affect your shot. What type of grass, what direction does the slope run?

Formulate a strategy for finishing the hole. Look at your shot as it relates to reaching the green or setting up for the next shot. Pick a small target – a portion of the green. Create a positive mental picture of your swing. Walking up to your next shot look at what lies ahead, elevation changes, a bend in the fairway a slop or the pin position.