[mrodock]

I have often heard it said that a player should try to work the ball away from the hazard. If there was a lake down the left I should aim a little to the right of it and hit a fade. I question whether this is the best play. It seems to me that I would lower my percentages of hitting it in the lake if I aimed just right of the fairway and hit a draw. Even if I hit a pull draw (snap hook is a different story) I'm still not in the lake. A push and I'm still safe. If I try to hit the fade if I pull it and don't get much fade I'm in the lake, and if I am trying to put left to right spin on it my swing path is probably toward the lake.

I guess if this post establishes nothing else it is that the conventional wisdom in regard to working the ball away from hazards may not work best for you.