Although nobody wants their ball to end up in a hazard you have to agree that it is the fact that there are hazards on the golf course that makes the sport so stimulating and challenging. Who has not followed a tournament and savored the spectacle of seeing a player negotiate his way out of a thorny situation?

Having said this, it is one thing to see others attempting to hack themselves free of the thorn bushes but it is not something which you really to experience yourself. Therefore, how can you at at the very least reduce this possibility?

The answer comes from and ability to read the course and plan ahead.

Before playing each hole you must think very carefully about where the particular hazards for the hole are and assess how each is likely to affect your game should you fall foul of it. Having done this you have to then determine how to play the hole so that you can minimize and damage if you are unlucky enough to finish up in one of the traps.

So, what are the common hazards you will find on most golf courses? Well, essentially, there are 6 hazards that you are likely to encounter:

1. The Rough. Although awkward the rough is possibly the easiest of the problems which you will come across and it is usually fairly easy to get your ball back onto the fairway.

2. Hilly Terrain. Having your golf ball in a good position on the fairway for your approach to the green is always better than getting distance and thus, if you are looking at a substantial uphill slope along the fairway, you might wish to think about hitting short of it rather than going for distance and merely having your ball roll back down the fairway and away from its intended target. This is particularly true when the slope falls away to one side of the fairway so that your ball is likely to not only roll back down the fairway but to roll off into the rough or another form of hazard.

3. Bunkers. Bunkers are essentially a hazard for novices rather than for anyone else and, with a little practice, it is usually not too difficult to hit your ball out of the sand and in fact you can often make some excellent shots from the sand. Having said that, not all bunkers are the same and getting trapped under the lip of a particularly deep and steep sided bunker could present you with considerable difficulty.

4. Bushes and Trees. Bushes and trees can be very nasty and even when you cannot play your ball and have to take a drop you could well discover that the lie within the regulation two club lengths is not a lot better than your original lie.

5. Water. Ending up in the water will generally mean that you have to accept a penalty and reposition your next shot. Having said this, it it may be possible to hit your ball from the water if you can get to it and it not lying too deep, but these occasions are few and far between.

6. Out of Bounds. Firing your ball into an 'out of bounds' area is possibly the worst of all the hazards because you will need to take the shot again and will also have to take a penalty stroke. This is something that you certainly want to avoid because there can be nothing worse than finding yourself driving off into an out of bounds area and then being forced to walk back to the tee again and begin all over again with what will in fact be your third shot to the hole.