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How thick is the rough at Oak Hill, really? This video helps explain it

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It feels as though before every U.S. Open or PGA Championship, there’s some sort of fear mongering about the length of the rough, and how unplayable it will be.

Predictions about over-par winning scores, player interviews calling it unfair, and, of course, the obligatory “ball dropping in the rough” videos posted to social media.

We’ve gotten most of that at Oak Hill Country Club this year ahead of the 2023 PGA Championship.

As I’m writing this article right now, I suppose I’m feeding into the frenzy, too. I don’t mind that, though. I’ll be part of the system that draws intrigue to major championships. That ain’t so bad.

The thing is, though, that the Oak Hill rough is some of the most difficult rough I’ve ever seen on a golf course. It’s not 10 inches long like Winged Foot, or knee-high like some Open Championship fescue. It’s just healthy, juicy, and dense rough that makes it imperative for players to hit fairways.

During the Monday-Wednesday practice rounds, players tested their limits from the rough. They dropped balls in different spots, seeing how far they could advance a fairway wood…a hybrid…a 4 iron…a 6 iron.

Players were looking to answer this question: “What’s the lowest-lofted club, realistically, that I can use to advance the ball as far as possible when I miss the fairway?”

As many quickly found out, the answer is likely “none of the above.”

The longest “realistic” club that I heard from most players, caddies, and Tour reps that I spoke to is the 7-iron. And that’s being generous, because more responses seemed to fall on the 8-iron side of the coin.

Some players have replaced their longest iron with a hybrid or higher-lofted fairway wood to try and combat the rough and get more launch/spin on the ball, but the truth is, hitting a short iron or wedge back into the fairway will be the most prudent play when the ball sits down.

And, in this Oak Hill rough, in this mid-May upstate New York weather, the ball always seems to settle down.

PGA Championship alternate (and the 139th best player in the world) Aaron Rai is catching a social media stray right now as one of his rough experiments with a hybrid got posted to Twitter.

The result wasn’t pretty.

But Rai’s result wasn’t completely uncommon, either. Especially during the practice rounds when players were testing out their limit.

Tommy Fleetwood provided GolfWRX his full Oak Hill review in an Instagram video, which is embedded below.

 

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

In the video, he says, “You might get lucky with a lie that you can get a mid-iron out of it, but for the majority it’s a gouge with one of the short clubs.”

That’s a scary statement. You might get lucky to be able to hit a mid-iron?!

Yikes.

I asked a Trackman rep if he spent time on the course with any players. He told me he was regularly seeing short iron spin rates drop below 3,000 rpm. In one instance, for example, Xander Schauffele’s spin rate with an 8-iron was just 2,400 rpm.

The general rule of thumb for iron spin is to take the iron number and multiply it by 1,000. So, an 8-iron spin rate should generally be around 8,000 rpm. The Oak Hill rough is so thick that his 8-iron spin rate dropped over 5,000 rpm, looking more in the range of a well-struck driver.

At Oak Hill this year, if the ball is in the rough, the first priority is getting up and over the thick patch of grass directly in front of the ball. Hitting the green comes secondary.

Oh, and before you clown Aaron Rai for duffing his hybrid out of the rough during a practice round, or say something like “that’s why he’s an alternate,” just keep in mind that he’s currently 10th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy, 28th in Greens in Regulation percentage, 23rd in approaches from 200-225 yards, and he’s hit 33 consecutive greens in regulation.

Maybe the rough is just really friggin thick.

Strap in for a fun 2023 PGA Championship. Hopefully this gave you a rough idea of the situation outside the fairways at Oak Hill.

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

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Odyssey extends Damascus Milled lineup with 3 new putters

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Odyssey Golf announced Tuesday that the already popular Damascus Milled putter lineup is getting more options.

Initially launched back in April, only in a Damascus Milled #7 head (in plumbers or double bend configurations), the family grows to four with a One Wide, Two and Rossie S shape, all available in the second limited-edition drop at retail on June 6th.

“Damascus Steel is a beautiful material, and the patterns tell the story, because every one is different” said Odyssey General Manager, Jacob Davidson. “But what stands out is that  as beautiful as these putters are, the feedback from Tour has been the exceptional feel of these putters. We wanted to deliver the most premium performance-driven putter we’ve ever done at Odyssey. When you look at this product, we have so much confidence because there is not one thing we’d do different. On this one we really took our time over  the last couple years to try to perfect the design.”

Created from a layered construction of multiple steel alloys, this Damascus Steel insert is forged, folded and pressed to create a unique, striking pattern in every piece. Think of it like a fingerprint. Each Damascus construction comes with its own 1-of-1 style pattern. No offerings will ever look the same.

The layered structure, combined with a specialized heat treatment, delivers a finely tuned, highly responsive feel different from other insert materials. The Damascus steel is audibly different compared to other inserts, potentially with slightly more feedback. Odyssey also uses AI-designed back contours to maintain consistent ball speed across the face, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern tech.

Each head in the line is precision-milled from stainless steel and features a blasted silver finish to complement the Damascus insert and sole plates.

With Tour feedback, Odyssey has also developed, in collaboration with Golf Pride, a grip featuring meticulously crafted edges, pistol shaping and a classic modern tour feel.

Odyssey Damascus Milled One Wide
Odyssey Damascus Milled Two
Odyssey Damascus Milled Rossie S
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L.A.B. Golf launches new VZN.1i putter

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L.A.B. Golf has been the pioneer when it comes to Lie Angle Balanced putters for years now. When you talk to another golfer and zero torque putters comes up, as it will since it is the hottest thing in golf, the first brand out of their mouthes is L.A.B. Golf. Currently their putter line up has something for every golfer, wether your like blades or mallets. But the company has a new creation for golfers that we saw out on tour just a few weeks ago and is now available to us, the VZN.1i putter.

One of the big stories with the new VZN.1i putter is alignment in the form of the shape. L.A.B. has always given us plenty of alignment options in their putters with different line formations and shapes that can be laser etched onto the top of the putter. With this new design they used the shape of the head and the open cavity in the middle to help enhance the alignment for players. These shapes help players lock into their intended line to improve accuracy and concistency.

“VZN.1i was approached formulaically by combining everything we’ve learned from the success of previous L.A.B. Golf models into a familiar mallet shape that’s easy on the eyes and even easier to putt with,” said Cameron Day, Senior Vice President of Product at L.A.B. Golf. “Every L.A.B. putter is engineered to roll the ball on its intended line through Lie Angle Balance technology. With VZN.1i, we took things a step further by simplifying another critical aspect of putting: alignment.”

Like most of the other L.A.B. mallet putters the VZN.1i is machined from a solid block of aluminum and features a 303 stainless steel face insert. Steel face inserts on all L.A.B. putters not only enhance the sound and feel but they improve ball speed for better distance control. The new shaping also offers two ways of picking up your ball, using the sole or the rear flange can scoop up the ball. The company is offering the VZN.1i with a 1.5 degree forward shaft lean or a vertical shaft option in order to fit more golfers. Each VZN.1i is hand balanced and 10 other stages before it is complete and ready to ship. L.A.B. has its custom program where the golfer can select their length and lie but also head color, shaft upgrades, and grips to make their VZN.1i fit them perfectly.

The VZN.1i is available now starting at $499 for stock models and $599 for custom.

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2026 Edition: Most comfortable walking shoe? – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, one user has asked a question sure to interest all sorts of golfers. What’s the most comfortable walking shoe of 2026?

@RobDMB posed the following question:

“Looking for suggestions/recommendations on the currently available most comfortable walking shoes – preferably waterproof. Essentially looking for something comfortable like a running shoe, but with some stability and waterproof for golf. Decent room in toe box as well. Any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks!”

Our members in the forum have been sharing their own recommendations on the best walking shoes that can also survive a number of golf rounds. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • SheriffBooth: “To check all your boxes I’d vote for whichever of the current Nike lineup fits your feet the best. Obviously the Victory Pro 4 and Victory Tour 4 are good enough for the two best players in the world, but the new Pegasus, Next% Tour 3, and Tempo all look really good too.”
  • i*windows: “when I had issues with my feet I played in Asics running shoes they were a little bit like the hoka’s above, very comfortable, now I’m back to Ecco shoes which are great.”
  • mshills: “Everyone’s feet are different so this will be a long list of lots of different shoes. For me, anything from Ecco’s Biom lineup. Nothing else comes close.”

Entire Thread: “2026 Edition: Most Comfortable Walking Shoe?”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

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