ponyponi: Anybody here drive it in the rough on occasion? At what range of rough do you use the punch shot. I'm good with the 3H punch from the rough but not much else.
Punch is often best choice for ruff and you can hit everything from 3wood to lob wedge, depending on your needs. Nestle the spin dot on your lie indication just into the top of the grass, to ensure you get it UP and out.
My rule of thumb: you'll lose a few yds in 25%, 9 or 10 yds from 30/40, and ~15 yds in 40/50. Anything deeper and ydg lost mounts quickly - from 70/80 rough it might be 90% lost. In the deeper than 50% stuff use a punched wedge and aim for the nearest fairway you can find and reach - even if it's sideways!.
Remember that punch shots (excepting wedges and shorter clubs) have less carry and more roll, so you have to experiment with YOUR clubs and balls to find out the % carrry vs % roll from different lies ... no sense in punching towards the pin if your carry lands you in more rough, lol.