Here's a great tip for those of you who play golf where theres a lot of deep rough. Those of you that live back East or in the Midwest, it is pretty common for you in the summertime and, often, its wet.

Here are a few golf instructions about a couple of shots that are the most popular when you're hitting from out of deep rough. You will have a tendency to hit it thin or skull it or top it. And let me tell you why.

When the golf club starts to swing into the back of the golf ball, there is grass growing around it. Because of the bounce on the back of the golf club, its very difficult to get the golf club to go deep enough into the ground to find the bottom of the golf ball.

Another golf tip is when you're struggling and the ball is down in some deep grass, whether you're pitching the golf ball or whether its a full golf swing; make sure that you put a lot of weight on your left side. And the final part is to make sure that the golf club finishes low to the ground after impact.

So, on a full swing to the green with a pitch shot, the ball in the middle, weight left, hand to the left, swing your arms up and straight down into the ground. And I think that youll be able to see that theres a big change in the trajectory of the golf ball.

Now lastly, do not expect any backspin when you have a golf ball coming out of deep rough.

Now let me tell you something that will play a major role in whether you can make solid contact with your chip shots. Im going to tell you how to use the correct golf swing when chipping and it has to do with the backswing.

There are two ways that you could swing the golf club back when you're chipping that are incorrect, and theres one correct golf swing.

There are the two ways that you possibly could be doing it wrong after youve gotten all ready and all set up.

If the golf club travels too much inside, away from the golf ball, that means the golf club didnt go up in the air.

When it goes inside, it stays too low to the ground. If you do that, youll hit tops to the right, or youll hit the ground behind it.

Those of you that are hitting the ground behind it or thin tops to the right, it has to do with the club going too much inside.

Now, heres a mistake that few people make, but you could be one of them. If the golf club goes outside, youll go up in the air too much, and if you do that, youll pull to the left and hit it low and flat to the left.

If you stand correctly, with the ball in the middle and a little weight left, and use the correct golf swing, the golf club travels straight back. Okay, so it goes just a hair inside, but mostly straight back with just a little, tiny curve inside on the way back.

And then youll be able to make solid contact. Not too much inside in the backswing and not on the outside, but straighter back with just a slight curve to the inside.

Thats your backswing when you're chipping.

In case youre not sure about what clubs to use when youre chipping, I have some advice to give you for your golf short game. Ive been a big advocate of using a 5, 7, and a 9: a 9-iron for your short chip shots, a 7-iron for your medium length chip shots, and a 5-iron for your longer chip shots.

The reason? Because you can use one golf swing, and let the different golf clubs control the distance.

For instance, a 9-iron chip shot will make the golf ball go about 30 feet. Now, that doesnt mean that its 30 feet for everybody in the world. Some of you might only chip your 9-iron chip shots 15 feet. Some of you might go 35.

But the way I like to do it is on an average-size green. My 9-iron chip shots go to the front third, my 7-iron goes to the middle third, and the 5-iron goes to the back third.

So, for your golf short game, if you use the same golf swing, but change to a 7-iron, you will see the difference is in the length that the golf ball goes. Its the same golf swing, but now, the golf ball will go maybe 50 feet. And, lastly, if you use your 5-iron, itll go maybe 100 feet.

Heres another thing that will be helpful for your golf short game. If youre in the front of the green and its a steep green and the pin is in the middle of the green, maybe you chip that with a 5-iron, because its so steep.

If youre on a flat green, 9-iron, 7-iron, 5-iron.

If youre on a steep green and youre in the back, maybe a 9-iron for all the different distances coming down the hill, because its so much quicker.

The next time youre out, try that.

Copyright 2006 David Nevogt