The term “Bomb & Gouge” was used a lot a few years back when describing the games of tour pro’s like VJ & Phil. The idea came from the tactic of bombing the drives as far as you could not worrying about hitting it into the rough because you were close to the green and can use a shorter club to get out of the rough and onto the green.
The reason this worked was because the shorter clubs are swung on a more upright plane and that works better in the rough. An upright plane or “Ferris Wheel” type swing as opposed to a “Merry-Go-Round” swing works better because it is the path of least resistance through the grass. (nearly straight up & down)
When you can’t use a short iron though, you can still create a more upright plane with any club in the bag. You’ll want to create a more upright plane, because to swing a longer shafted club on it’s typical swing plane will be too shallow and contact too much grass before impact and reduce speed and maybe close the face.
A couple of things to do;
1. Stand up and closer to the ball, this will help create a more up & down “Ferris Wheel” type swing.
2. Open the face and play for a fade.
3. Read the lie…if it is like a dense jungle then perhaps the best play is to simply wedge it back in play but, if you feel like you can get the club on the ball with not very much resistance…go for it.
Picture a “Ferris Wheel” type of swing so you have a much steeper angle of attack and give yourself a chance of pulling off a great shot.