My 10 worst lies in golf

Deep rough - surely the worst lie

They say there are lies and damn lies (and statistics) but in a golf sense on the course, the lie we get when we miss the fairway or the green usually dictates our state of mind and how focussed we are on our course management.

It struck me there must be dozens of situations that can occur during a round with various types of bad lie and it would be an interesting exercised to ask the Golfmagic forum, which lie proves most difficult (apart from those little white ones we tell when we're playing golf when perhaps we should be working or helping around the home).

Deep rough

We've all been there but what's the best way to extricate myself? Once I've found my ball do I aim for the nearest short grass, take my punishment and move on or do I try to muscle it forward in the hope of getting lucky?

Hard pan

A flop shot from this lie calls for confidence and skill to make perfect contact to slide the club under the ball and loft it on to the green. The fear is skinning it with the leading edge into possibly an even worse lie.

Flop from rough is so tricky

Greenside rough

Easier but still difficult. Danger here is sliding the club too far under the bar so it never actually exits the rough and merely leaves me red-faced.

Poached egg lie in a bunker

Do I try to be too cute to try to get the ball close to the flag and end up leaving it in the sand? Or do I accept that it's going to bounce and run when it comes out - and that I'm probably going to drop at least one stroke?

Ball half emerged in a water hazard

Surely this is one of the worst situations? Do I fancy playing the one-in-ten spectacular recovery - after putting on my waterproofs - or accept a one-stroke penalty and drop the ball, keeping the point where it crossed the hazard between me and the flagstick?

Ball played from water hazard

Ball below my feet

Does it always have to come out hot and right (as a right hander)?

Ball above your feet

I never seem to aim for enough to the right (for a right hander) to allow for the natural right-to-left ball flight.

Downhill lie

Most, like me, forget to use a club with more loft than I need for a normal shot to allow for natural de-lofting at impact.

Ball against the collar of rough around the green

Do I putt it, belly-wedge it or use a hybrid? The modern, fashionable way is to use a rescue club or a deeper-faced 3-wood rather than risk trapping your putter face in the grass or hitting the ball on its equator with the leading edge of your sand-iron. Decisions, decisions...

At least three options when playing from a collar of rough

Stymied by a tree, playing left-handed

As a right-hander, do I play it left-handed with a reversed wedge or lofted iron or stand with my back to the target and play it right-handed with the club positioned on my right-side?

The number of shots I've screwed up by making poor decisions from bad lies must run into tens of thousands during 30 or more years playing the game.

That's why (at last!) in 2008 my New Year resolution is to concentrate on my course management and not let my heart rule my head in tricky situations.

Tell us on the forum what's your worst lie. All or some of the above or some I haven't even mentioned. And talking of lies, tell us the worst untruth you've told to get in some golf.