Hitting Over Water

Stay focused		Select the right club
The right mental approach can pay dividends on this shot. It is important to remember that generally whatever the mind focuses on produces an outcome whether desired or not. Don’t focus on what you don’t want, focus on the positive outcome you desire. If you say to yourself don’t go in the water, your focal point is the WATER! Always focus on whatyou want and where you want the ball to go. The heart of the green would be a much moreproductive thought process and focal point.		When all of the trouble lies in the danger of finishing short of your target then always take the pressure away from hitting your best shot and take an extra club. When water lies in front of you the last thing you want is to worry that you may not have enough club and feel as though you have to force the swing. Generally when this happens the body, arms , hands and club are thrown out of sequence which in turn puts less pressure on the ball and in return less distance and a poorer strike. Take enough club and swing smoothly with a positive acceleration.

Know your distances
It is important to know not only how far you hit each club but to know the carrying distance of each club, that is the distance the ball travels in the air exclusive of any roll upon landing. This will help when playing over any hazard and especially water. The latest technology, such as the launch monitor device, Trackman, can assist measuring this for you.

Don’t forget to breathe!		Gauge grip pressure:

It is surprising how much tension can creep in when faced with such a shot. Visualise the shot you want to play, picture your landing area and once set up over the ball take a deep breathe out to release any unwanted tension. Feel tension release from your hands, arms and shoulders allowing a free flowing swing and maximising opportunities for a solid crisp strike.		Imagine a scale of 1-10. 1 is the lightest you can hold the club and 10 the tightest. Gauge which number you feel would match your grip pressure. I might guess when faced with water it could creep towards the 9 or 10 end of the scale! Try to get the number to around 4 for a tension-free grip.

Chipping over water
When pitching over water, particularly from the rough it is important to commit fully to the shot. The rough will naturally absorb some of the clubhead speed produced through impact hence it is important to swing positively towards the target.Ensure to make the backswing and follow through relatively equal in length and make a positive acceleration through impact.

Any deceleration or flicking motion with hands through impact will create a mis-hit and potentially the dreaded shot into the water. Any attempt to gain extra height over the water by flicking the hands through impact will encourage the top half of the ball to be struck with the bottom edge of the club which will in fact create a much lower shot. Trust the loft of the club and create a descending blow into the back of the ball squeezing the club into the bottom of the ball with a confident follow through.