A buoyant, positive approach to the game is as basic as a sound swing.
Golf is like solitaire. When you cheat, you cheat only yourself.
The best advice I can give for playing a ball out of water is - don't.
If I had to cram all my tournament experience into one sentence, I would say, Don't give up and don't let up!
The man who runs from his office to the golf club, gulps a sandwich, belches and races to the first tee has no business howling in anguish when he puts his first two shots in the woods, then tops a 3-iron shot into the pond.
After a golfer has been out on the circuit for a while he learns how to handle his dating so that it doesn't interfere with his golf. The first rule usually is no woman-chasing after Wednesday.