There is nothing more disheartening than hitting a great tee shot, or fairway shot on a long golf hole and walking up to its finish position on the fairway, to see that it has come to rest in a divot.

Playing good golf shots from such a bad lie such as the ball being in a divot is not easy. The golf ball is lying much lower down than the height of the surrounding surface so getting the ball up and out of the divot and into the air with distance, is a real challenge.

However, when you are next faced with this challenge, consider playing the shot with a hybrid. The reason for this is that hybrid golf clubs hit the ball high into the air. Because the hybrid has a larger club head, it has a lower centre of gravity within it. A lower centre of gravity produces a higher launch angle from the club face so the golf ball is struck into the air much more easily than if you were using an iron. From a bad lie where the ball is lying low relative to the surrounding ground level, playing the shot with a club that will launch the golf ball high and into the air makes hitting the ball high and with distance from this position much easier.

To play the shot well, select a hybrid and then set up with your feet shoulder width apart so that you have a solid base to swing from. Play the ball from the middle of your stance and place slightly more weight on your left hand side (for right handed golfers). Doing this and addressing the golf ball with your hands forward, or opposite your left thigh, will encourage you to make a slightly steeper swing on your backswing that will allow you to make a steeper downward hitting action with the club head towards the golf ball. Hitting downwards on the golf ball with the club head will encourage you to strike down into the back of the golf ball and then strike the turf.

This swing and striking action will transfer the full club head speed into the golf ball for the longest possible golf shot and combined with a high launching hybrid, the golf ball will fly high and long and produce a really effective shot from such a bad lie. The high launching shot will also land very softly on the green so that you can attack the flag. Once in the address position, work on making a good upper body rotation by turning your shoulders 90 degrees to the right of their start position and maintain your balance throughout your swing.

Have a look at the Thomas Golf website as they have a huge range of hybrids on offer and by carrying these in your golf bag you will be able to play some fantastic golf shots from really difficult positions.