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I'm going to muddy the waters here a bit.
IMHO, prop walk is caused by the prop being close to the hull. As the prop swings, it takes water with it and the water close to the hull pushes against the hull - the water away from the hull pushes on the ocean. This is usually a problem in reverse as the prop wash aft is NOT pushing against the rudder and causes an uncorrectable course deviation. It does not cause a problem going forward as the prop wash goes against the rudder and is correctable.
Folks have suggested that going from 2 blade to 3 blade propellers helps, but I suspect that this is only the case if the 3 blade prop is smaller and has more hull clearance - giving less push against the hull.
I formerly had a Tartan 30 with a 2 blade propeller. Propeller was very close (1/2") to the hull, but was right behind the keel. The close clearance would tend to cause prop walk, but the close proximity to the keel tended to minimize it (small lever for the force to act on). I had to back into my former slip, so learned to deal with the prop walk: First, get the boat moving slowly in reverse, then shift to neutral. With the boat moving backward, the rudder would work, and I could control direction. If speed became too slow, I'd give it another shot in reverse. Key is to limit your speed to that at which you don't mind hitting something (can I fend off?).
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