Gusty conditions can make for a heck of a challenge on the golf course. However, with a little understanding, you can learn to read the wind gusts to hit shots when they’re most likely to be unaffected.
As a general rule, gusts of wind last for about 750 to 1200 feet and can continue quite a bit longer. If you’re hitting into a headwind, it’s possible to choose an appropriate time. As a 25 MPH gust slackens against a flag 100 yards away, it will blow past you within about ten seconds. Because wind affects a ball dramatically more so towards the end of a ball’s flight than at the beginning, the ideal time to hit the ball is about six to seven seconds after you feel the gust. If you wait too long, the conditions may be still where you are, but another gust may have started by the time your ball reaches the peak of its flight.
Learn to read the gusts – and use the above as a general starting point – and you’ll score better in the wind.