Should I always play safe around hazards on a golf course? Well this isn’t a simple or straight forward question to answer because really it depends on your confidence level. If you feel you can make the shot and you feel confident that you've got a good high percentage of making the shot to go over the hazard, then I would say take the shot on. However if you're not feeling confident of being able of being able to play the shot over the hazard, what you don’t want to do is end up hitting the ball into the hazard.

So what I would do is say to you if you feel you can make the shot seven or eight times out of 10, then play the shot, take the hazard on but if you feel you can only make the shot say, two or three times out of 10, then make sure you play safe either layup, or play around the hazard. What you're looking to do when you're out on the golf course, is to take the lowest number of shots possible. So if you play one shot around the hazard, and then into the green or down the fairway, that’s going to be a much lower number, than if you hit the ball into the hazard, have to take the penalty drop, and then have to play over. So go with what you feel, your confidence is telling you to do, listen to your inner voice, and play so that you can hit the ball, and take the lowest number of shots possible.