Pine straw plays a big role in golf course maintenance. It’s used to cover shaded areas where grass struggles to grow and provides clean definition around fences, boundaries, and wooded areas. But for golfers, pine straw usually signals one thing: trouble.
If you’ve watched the Masters at all this week, you’ve likely watched players play from the pine straw a good bit. Augusta National might not have much rough, but it does has plenty of pine straw if players get off the fairway too far.
If you find your ball nestled in the pine straw, you’re likely off the fairway and facing a tricky recovery. The good news? With the right strategy and technique, you can get back in play. Let’s walk through two common situations and how to approach them.
The punch out
After a wayward drive, you may find your ball resting on pine straw under a canopy of trees. Your goal? Get the ball back to the fairway with a low, controlled shot that avoids catching any limbs. Here’s your punch-out game plan.
Club Selection: Use your least-lofted iron — think 5-, 4- or even 3-iron. These clubs naturally keep the ball flight low. Avoid your hybrids; they’re built for height and can launch the ball too high in this situation.
Set-Up: Stand square to your target line to keep the swing on a flatter, more sweeping plane. Shift about 60 percent of your weight onto your front foot to create stability and prevent slipping on the pine straw. Keep your stance firm but not rigid — you’re aiming for control, not power.
Swing Thought: Think slow and short. Make a smooth, half swing to limit spin and launch. Avoid the temptation to swing harder — extra speed equals more spin, which you don’t want here.
Pitching from pine straw
If you’re closer to the green and need to get the ball up quickly and stop it softly, you’ll need a different approach. Here’s how to hit a high pitch off the pine straw:
Set-Up: Open your stance and play the ball slightly back in your stance. From a face-on view, your shirt buttons should be ahead of the ball. This encourages a steeper angle of attack.
Swing thought: Hinge the club early in the backswing to create a steeper swing path. On the follow-through, make sure your trail shoulder moves toward the target, not down toward the ground. This steeper, more vertical motion helps you pop the ball up cleanly, even off the slick surface of the straw.
How to practice
Shots off pine straw are tough to practice — most driving ranges don’t offer those conditions. However, you can still rehearse the motion and ball control on grass to simulate the feel of these shots. Focus on understanding how different stances and swing paths affect loft, spin, and trajectory.
The more confident you become in your setup and swing strategy, the better prepared you’ll be when your next shot finds the pine straw.
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