Hitting Over Water? No Worries, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Hitting Over Water? No Worries, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles If there is one shot in golf that a lot of golfers will both be excited about and feel as bit of a challenge maybe, they are anxious about as well and that’s the shot over water. And I say people get excited about the shot over water because it gives you a real good opportunity for success and a bit of glory. There is nothing better than chipping a ball tight to over water tight to the flag and getting it to sit down next down to the flag, it just looks so nice, but then again there is nothing worse then standing there without shot and doffing it straight into the water, you get a big splash. And the worst thing is you then are going to drop the ball and trying to do exactly the same thing again. So the shot over water can send a lot of fear into people’s game and therefore their skill, their impact position and their strike on the golf ball can get a lot worse because they are scared of the water. Now the psychologist will tell you it’s quite easy just pretend the water is not there, but in reality that’s difficult to do when you are staring at a big pond there it’s very difficult to get a strike on the golf ball and just tell yourself well the water is not there. So what we have got to look at is how we can improve your technique and your course management and your club selection so you can get the highest percentage of good success. The first thing I would suggest is always pick a target that’s a little bit more on the safe side, don’t try and carry the pond by a yard or two because it means you got a very small margin of error. Pick and area that’s maybe 10 to 15 yards over the water, even if that means you have to go a little bit beyond the flag and putt back. It’s much safer to knock it out to the middle of the green over the water and then take 2 putts rather than be try and be to cued and too clever and then knock it in the water. So pick and area that’s nice and safe and pick a club that you know can comfortably reach that area, we don’t want to be stood there trying to hit a low wedge absolutely flat out maximum when a sand wedge or a gap wedge with a much smoother shot would get you nicely upon on the green. The other thing is make sure you make a nice solid finish to your stroke. We often see that when people are trying to hit a ball over water, they get a bit anxious and a bit nervous and look up to see where it goes and generally when you look up to see where it goes you will hit over the top of the ball and just pee roll the ball off the edge that’s a lot of skill to hit it that badly by the way. So when you are hitting your shots you want to be really conscious that you are hitting down nice big follow through and look up at the end hopefully seeing the ball land right up on the back of the green. So in my set position I have now got enough club to clear the water, I have got a target that’s 10 to 15 yards on the safe side, I have got a swing that I know is long enough to get over the water and I have got a nice consistent staying down approach. I have practiced my stroke, I stay down, I look up and I see the ball landing on the far side of the water nice and safe and I can take my putts from there. So be careful that you don’t choose the wrong club, you don’t choose the wrong landing area and you don’t get a bit anxious to see whether it went over the water and hopefully next time you get that shot you will feel it’s a good exciting challenge rather than get too anxious and feel too much pressure. 2012-07-16

If there is one shot in golf that a lot of golfers will both be excited about and feel as bit of a challenge maybe, they are anxious about as well and that’s the shot over water. And I say people get excited about the shot over water because it gives you a real good opportunity for success and a bit of glory. There is nothing better than chipping a ball tight to over water tight to the flag and getting it to sit down next down to the flag, it just looks so nice, but then again there is nothing worse then standing there without shot and doffing it straight into the water, you get a big splash. And the worst thing is you then are going to drop the ball and trying to do exactly the same thing again.

So the shot over water can send a lot of fear into people’s game and therefore their skill, their impact position and their strike on the golf ball can get a lot worse because they are scared of the water. Now the psychologist will tell you it’s quite easy just pretend the water is not there, but in reality that’s difficult to do when you are staring at a big pond there it’s very difficult to get a strike on the golf ball and just tell yourself well the water is not there. So what we have got to look at is how we can improve your technique and your course management and your club selection so you can get the highest percentage of good success.

The first thing I would suggest is always pick a target that’s a little bit more on the safe side, don’t try and carry the pond by a yard or two because it means you got a very small margin of error. Pick and area that’s maybe 10 to 15 yards over the water, even if that means you have to go a little bit beyond the flag and putt back. It’s much safer to knock it out to the middle of the green over the water and then take 2 putts rather than be try and be to cued and too clever and then knock it in the water. So pick and area that’s nice and safe and pick a club that you know can comfortably reach that area, we don’t want to be stood there trying to hit a low wedge absolutely flat out maximum when a sand wedge or a gap wedge with a much smoother shot would get you nicely upon on the green.

The other thing is make sure you make a nice solid finish to your stroke. We often see that when people are trying to hit a ball over water, they get a bit anxious and a bit nervous and look up to see where it goes and generally when you look up to see where it goes you will hit over the top of the ball and just pee roll the ball off the edge that’s a lot of skill to hit it that badly by the way. So when you are hitting your shots you want to be really conscious that you are hitting down nice big follow through and look up at the end hopefully seeing the ball land right up on the back of the green. So in my set position I have now got enough club to clear the water, I have got a target that’s 10 to 15 yards on the safe side, I have got a swing that I know is long enough to get over the water and I have got a nice consistent staying down approach. I have practiced my stroke, I stay down, I look up and I see the ball landing on the far side of the water nice and safe and I can take my putts from there. So be careful that you don’t choose the wrong club, you don’t choose the wrong landing area and you don’t get a bit anxious to see whether it went over the water and hopefully next time you get that shot you will feel it’s a good exciting challenge rather than get too anxious and feel too much pressure.