3 Steps To Hitting A Golf Ball Over Water

I know all of us at one time or another have dreaded hitting their golf ball over the water. I'm sure even the PGA pros have those negative thoughts of going into the water. Don't believe me... I bet you close to 50% of those golfers who played in this years TPC were thinking "don't hit it into the water" when hitting their tee shot on the 17th Island green.

Ok, here are the 3 steps to hitting your golf shot over water.

1. You want to first pick a landing spot. This should be a distance that you're comfortable hitting and that you can hit consistently. Now this may not be a distance that can get you to the hole, but it is a distance that will keep you dry. This is important because it might get in the way of your pride of not going for the green, but I can guarantee you at the end of the round you'll be glad you did. Don't try to pull of the 1 in 10 golf shot of carrying it 200 yards over water.

2. Now you want to take one more club than you usually use to hit this distance. So if you need to carry the ball 150 yards with an 8-iron then plan for a 160 yard shot with a 7-iron. This is very important because we're talking about carrying the ball that distance not coming to rest at that distance. A lot of golfers don't factor this in and end up hitting it short into the water.

3. The final step is to think positive. I know that sounds cliche, but you'd be amazed how true it is. If you've done the first 2 steps then there's no reason why you shouldn't feel confident about pulling off the golf shot. You want your last mental thought and image to be positive with the ball landing on the spot you selected.

I hope this helps you out on your next round of golf. Let me know if this golf tip saved you a stroke or two.