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Hitting from Water Hazards


Pretzel
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Inspired (read: stolen) from the ice shot's thread I saw earlier, I wanted to share two stories of mine about hitting from a water hazard and hear from other people of their similar situations.

The first time I hit from a water hazard I had pushed my tee shot just barely into a lake running the length of the fairway. The lake had been partially drained, however, and my ball was sitting only about 1/3 of the way submerged in the water in a bit of mud. After assessing the situation, I determined (since it was a tournament) that the best course of action would be to simply club up by one club and play a knockdown shot as though the ball were slightly embedded.

This assessment, however, did not take into account that I was wearing a white pair of shorts at the time. Black mud went flying everywhere, staining and nearly ruining (it took a lot of washing to fix) my shorts, but I managed to still hit the green!

The second time was when I didn't take enough club on a par 3 with a water hazard short of it, and I ended up with my ball in the edge of the hazard. The ball was approximately half-submerged and I was right next to the green. I rolled up my pantlegs (having learned from my previous mistake) and removed my shoes to play it like a water hazard. I didn't get up and down, but I saved an easy bogey (as opposed to a hard one if I had re-teed the ball) by getting it on the green for a simple two-putt. I had to make my putts barefoot though, to allow my feet to dry out, and I ended up dipping them in the towel bucket to rid them of the dried mud on the next teebox. I got quite a few laughs from my playing partners and the people who were around the green watching, and it was a fun time that helped me out with a good round.

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I once played a strokeplay tournament and after 3 shots on a par 5, still had 60 yards to the green. Instead of making an up and down or a bogey, I shanked my bump and run into the waterhazard. :~(

But it was playable from there and I managed to get it out of the water onto the green in one shot. Only to threeputt and write a snowman on the scorecard. :-(

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4 hours ago, Pretzel said:

Inspired (read: stolen) from the ice shot's thread I saw earlier, I wanted to share two stories of mine about hitting from a water hazard and hear from other people of their similar situations.

The first time I hit from a water hazard I had pushed my tee shot just barely into a lake running the length of the fairway. The lake had been partially drained, however, and my ball was sitting only about 1/3 of the way submerged in the water in a bit of mud. After assessing the situation, I determined (since it was a tournament) that the best course of action would be to simply club up by one club and play a knockdown shot as though the ball were slightly embedded.

This assessment, however, did not take into account that I was wearing a white pair of shorts at the time. Black mud went flying everywhere, staining and nearly ruining (it took a lot of washing to fix) my shorts, but I managed to still hit the green!

The second time was when I didn't take enough club on a par 3 with a water hazard short of it, and I ended up with my ball in the edge of the hazard. The ball was approximately half-submerged and I was right next to the green. I rolled up my pantlegs (having learned from my previous mistake) and removed my shoes to play it like a water hazard. I didn't get up and down, but I saved an easy bogey (as opposed to a hard one if I had re-teed the ball) by getting it on the green for a simple two-putt. I had to make my putts barefoot though, to allow my feet to dry out, and I ended up dipping them in the towel bucket to rid them of the dried mud on the next teebox. I got quite a few laughs from my playing partners and the people who were around the green watching, and it was a fun time that helped me out with a good round.

This is why I wear black shorts. :-P

Scott

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Only tried it once.  About 10 years ago I was playing my 17th hole on the last day of a 3-day/54 hole tournament.  Up to that point my results were just meh.  I didn't quite get all of my tee shot on the par 3 and it hit the bank and rolled back into the fronting pond.

That July it had been dry and the pond was down from its normal level.  The ball was sitting in 1/2 inch of water, about 3 feet from the bank and maybe 20 feet from the hole & green. My choices were re-tee, hit my 3rd from the drop area or play it,  I decided what the heck, let's play it,  Took off my shoes climbed into the gooey slimy water & mud and gave it a whack.

At first, all I saw was a great deal of water and mud fly up toward the green.  No ball!!  For a split second I panicked and thought maybe I had just pounded the ball into the bottom of the pond.  Nope, the ball had made it up the bank and trundled on to the fringe.  Two "putts" later I saved bogey.

Would I do it again?  Frankly, I hope I never have that decision to make again.  ;)

Brian Kuehn

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I never tried it. In most cases it just seems too much of a hassle to try. I never could really find a situation where I wasn't sure I wouldn't be falling into the water ;) 

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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Only ever had to do it once or twice. I think on the same hole both times. Both times just to get back into the fairway. Less than halfway submerged on a soft sandy bottom. Just like a long bunker shot. I played out with a PW a little back in my stance. I had shorts on, and had taken off my shoes. Just a bit of a splash on my legs, but no real splatter up into my face or anything. 

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I tried it one time in a stroke play tourney.  My 3rd shot ended up on the edge of a hazard, more in mud than water.  I was still about 40-50 yards short of the green and a good bit lower.  I opened up my sand wedge and swung pretty hard.  It sprayed a lot of mud but ended up about 15 feet from the pin.  Of course, I 3-putted from there.  But I was pretty happy that I actually pulled it off (got lucky!)

DJ

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If I don't have a fairly dry lie in a hazard, I won't try it.  One stroke isn't worth wearing mud for the rest of the day, not to mention that there is no guarantee that I will save that stroke by risking a shot from a dicey lie.  I've failed to extricate myself from hazards two or three times in the past, and that has taught me to take my medicine and drop out if the lie is too bad.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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This one should have taken a drop.

02-26-15-mcneill-hazard.gif

Julia

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3 hours ago, DrvFrShow said:

This one should have taken a drop.

02-26-15-mcneill-hazard.gif

The thing is, he's at least nearer the hole after his shot, and a drop would've put him (best case scenario) on that awkward side-hill directly behind him. After the shot he has a lie that's less sidehill and more uphill, as well as being closer to the hole than if he dropped.

All in all it's a net neutral outcome, though I would prefer the outcome that he ended up getting to a drop simply because it's a bit closer to the hole and has a decent lie. It had the chance of the ball rolling back into the hazard (it didn't), but it also had the chance of getting all the way onto the green if played properly (it didn't) so I would say that it was a smart move to hit out of there. He played it terribly though, he hit it with a square clubface when he needed to clear that lip, he should've opened the face and played it similar to a bunker shot (that's what worked very well for me when my ball was half submerged by the green).

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I had an unusual stat in my last tournament:  I hit into a water (or lateral) hazard 4 times, but only needed one penalty stroke. :-P

The first was a par 3 where I hooked my tee shot enough that it hit the bank and rolled down into the hazard but not quite the water.  It was sitting on some lily pad type stuff and it was a pretty good lie.  Unfortunately, I psyched myself out enough that I bladed it over the green and under a tree.  My chip back onto the green was a little too heavy and it rolled across and back down into the same hazard not 5 feet from where it was two shots previous.  This time my pitch was decent enough that it stayed on the green, and two putts later I walked out of there with my triple bogey.

Later on, another hook, this time a 3W on a short hard dogleg left par 4 and my ball found a thick patch of grass and twigs.  This was a mostly dry hazard, so the water didn't get in the way, but the lie was nasty enough that were I playing better, I'd have taken a drop.  Instead, I said what the hell and blasted out of there, ending up on the back of the green.  Miraculously, I made about a 90 foot putt for birdie coming back. :beer:

As far as actually trying to hit out of water, all I have to show for it is my feeble attempts in the "one foot challenge" a few years ago.

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6 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

As far as actually trying to hit out of water, all I have to show for it is my feeble attempts in the "one foot challenge" a few years ago.

Those attempts can only be described as heroic. It was like the grandfather to the (apparently neglected) communal mirth project threads. 

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I've played out of water hazards many times. Most have been successful and other times were not. I'll evaluate the percentages which most likely the gamble/results be better than the options of taking relief. I've made remarkable recoveries without getting a drop of water/mud many times, but have had times where I've worn the elements. I've never stripped down to my skivvies like Henrik Stenson displayed competing, but have put rain gear on at times.

One of the memorable recoveries was playing from a greenside stream and three golf balls flew upon the green. Mine and two others which were embedded. That day, I did wear a little mud after the shot.

Johnny Rocket - Let's Rock and Roll and play some golf !!!

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13 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

I had an unusual stat in my last tournament:  I hit into a water (or lateral) hazard 4 times, but only needed one penalty stroke. :-P

The first was a par 3 where I hooked my tee shot enough that it hit the bank and rolled down into the hazard but not quite the water.  It was sitting on some lily pad type stuff and it was a pretty good lie.  Unfortunately, I psyched myself out enough that I bladed it over the green and under a tree.  My chip back onto the green was a little too heavy and it rolled across and back down into the same hazard not 5 feet from where it was two shots previous.  This time my pitch was decent enough that it stayed on the green, and two putts later I walked out of there with my triple bogey.

Later on, another hook, this time a 3W on a short hard dogleg left par 4 and my ball found a thick patch of grass and twigs.  This was a mostly dry hazard, so the water didn't get in the way, but the lie was nasty enough that were I playing better, I'd have taken a drop.  Instead, I said what the hell and blasted out of there, ending up on the back of the green.  Miraculously, I made about a 90 foot putt for birdie coming back. :beer:

As far as actually trying to hit out of water, all I have to show for it is my feeble attempts in the "one foot challenge" a few years ago.

I thought you were going to say that you hit it into 4 water hazards, but because of the Cali drought they were bone dry!

Scott

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Given my coordination, I always consider the possibility of falling in.

Julia

:callaway:  :cobra:    :seemore:  :bushnell:  :clicgear:  :adidas:  :footjoy:

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8 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I thought you were going to say that you hit it into 4 water hazards, but because of the Cali drought they were bone dry!

This is frequently the case and has been since even before the "official" drought started.  We've basically always been short on water and relying on outside sources so it's always common for lakes to be low and streams to be trickles. :~(

Gonna rain tomorrow though.

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Note: This thread is 2963 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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