The prospect of attempting to clear a water hazard can give golfers of all abilities plenty of anxious moments. Since it is difficult to find a course without any water hazards, it is advisable to learn how to master this shot.

The best way to execute a shot over water is to try hitting the ball ?down into the water? rather than ?up and over it.? Most golfers with this problem try to help the ball up and over the water by lifting. This is a natural reaction as in most round ball sports or games in order to get a ball ?up and over? something, we must lift it.

In golf, the loft of the clubface does the lifting. Therefore, any lifting on our part totally defeats this purpose. When facing something like a water hazard, where we want the ball to get up and over, we instinctively feel this need to lift and automatically do it. However, when we lift, we lift all of the club including the club face and head, which then hits only the upper portion of the ball, resulting in a topped shot. Consequently, a topped shot goes downward and directly into the water.

The opposite of lifting is to feel like you are hitting the ball downwards and into the water. When you do this, you actually drive the clubhead down under the ball and the lofted clubface lifts the ball up and over the water.

On your next round, try to hit the ball directly into the water. Once you successfully do this, you will know it works, and your fear of water hazards will be over.