A few golf shots invite more than the second a ball sitting in water. This is especially true when just enough of the ball is above the surface, giving you enough false confidence to hit it. But this is when most golfers run into trouble.
The reality is that water doesn’t just sit there – it changes everything. Before you even consider telling one of these lies, it’s important to know how to do it read your lie. Understanding what water does to a blowout is often the difference between impressive and guaranteed disaster.
In a field test conducted by Cameron Robinson, chief professional at Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles, it became clear that the amount of the ball visible above the water is a reliable predictor of how much the shot will be affected.
For example, a ball that just grazes water behaves much like a heavy lie in wet sand. When tested with a 52-degree wedge, the ball launched predictably and held enough height to clear a steep bank 68 inches above the surface of the water. Simply put, the shot performed close to normal expectations.
But when a ball is partially submerged—even a quarter under water—the impact resistance is significantly more pronounced. The club no longer moves freely. Instead, it displaces the water and hits the ball almost simultaneously.
“The club encounters a lot more resistance, with the water and the ball absorbing energy,” Robinson said.
At these depths, Robinson found that a 52-degree wedge could still produce enough release to clear the bank, but only if he increased his speed and changed his swing to a cutting motion.
The most dramatic displacement occurs when the ball is fully submerged. Using a swing that would normally produce a 60-yard strike with a 52-degree wedge, Robinson saw the ball travel only about 15 yards—roughly 25 percent of the expected carry. The stroke simply could not transfer enough energy through the water to produce enough speed.
Loft, in this case, proved to be a critical variable. Robinson found that while a 60-degree wedge produced the most splash, it also produced the worst results. This is because the added loft increases water resistance and reduces shock efficiency. In contrast, switching to a 45-degree pitching wedge gave Robinson a penetrating ball flight and allowed the ball to launch higher and carry farther.
Technique, as Robinson discovered, is just as essential as club selection when it comes to hitting these tricky lies. He explained that golfers must generate maximum speed at impact while stopping the club suddenly immediately afterward—a move he calls “putting on the brakes.”
“This (movement) creates maximum speed at impact before the club decelerates rapidly after impact,” Robinson said. “The motion is similar to the technique often used when hitting through weed or heavy grass, where maintaining speed on the ball is critical to prevent the club from losing energy before contact.”
The lesson is simple: water lies are unforgiving, but not impossible. If there is a general rule for living in these scenarios, Robinson puts it best:
