Longer rough an excuse?

The rough at my course seems to have got considerably longer over the past couple of months and I wonder whether I can use this as a bit of an excuse for poor scores?  I don't normally lose too many balls during a round but over the last two or three rounds I must have lost over 20 balls!  A few of these were sliced in to nearby fields but a large number I thought I knew where they had gone but when you get there they are no where to be seen due to the longer rough.  Am I just trying to make myself feel better or has anyone else found this?

If you don't keep the golf ball on the fairway then you can expect to lose a few when the summer months arrive.  The rough gets longer and thicker so finding your ball gets much harder!

Russ

If you are certain your ball is in a rabbit hole (called an 'animal scraping' in the rules), you are allowed free relief