Crazy Wind Holes

[False hopes]

There is a 185 par 3 that I play regularly. Because of the wind I've played everything from a gap wedge to a 3hybrid. What is the hole you play that drives you bonkers because of wind?  Side note, I've only birdied this hole once, with a 3 hybrid into a ferocious wind.

[billchao]

20 hours ago, False hopes said:

There is a 185 par 3 that I play regularly. Because of the wind I've played everything from a gap wedge to a 3hybrid. What is the hole you play that drives you bonkers because of wind?  Side note, I've only birdied this hole once, with a 3 hybrid into a ferocious wind.

I’m having a hard time picturing a hole and wind conditions that would allow me to hit a GW 185 yards.

[darthweasel]

On 9/6/2021 at 10:48 AM, billchao said:

I’m having a hard time picturing a hole and wind conditions that would allow me to hit a GW 185 yards.

I was playing in Las Vegas a few years ago at a course called Stallion Mountain if I recall correctly. . .looking at my ball collection, that is where I believe I played this particular day.

Wind was so stiff that trees were being knocked down on the main strip. The wind was a HUGE factor. I would aim tee shots 100 yards left of the fairway, stripe them...and miss wide right without slicing. Two holes in particular illustrate the kind of wind you are trying to picture.

 

First, downhill 133 yard par three. I used my 165 yard club and absolutely striped it. My fear was it would be over the green, over the hill behind the green and have a tough comeback. Reality took over as I watched the wind bring the ball almost all the way back to me, leaving me about 100 yards in. I lost well over 100 yards to wind.

 

At the time my driver was pretty short, probably around a 210 average. With that same wind behind me and downhill, I overdrove a green and GPS measured it out at 429 yards. About 230 of that was wind...

 

Now, if I got a gap wedge into the air in that wind, I could see it going 185 easily. Not sure what degree that would be, but I hit my 50 degree 125 on a full swing. Adding 60 yards in that wind with a high shot in the wind would not have surprised me a bit. Landing on the green? pure luck for me if it did, I am just hitting and hoping in the wind...but I don't doubt the OP could have had it happen based on the wind

[Never3putt]

3 minutes ago, darthweasel said:

I was playing in Las Vegas a few years ago at a course called Stallion Mountain if I recall correctly. . .l

Loved playing Stallion Mountain!  And, yep, it can get pretty windy in Vegas.

I lived in Fargo, ND for a couple of years and the wind there was pretty much always a major factor.  But, it did force me to learn how to keep a lower flight on the ball.

[phillyk]

Sheep Ranch at Bandon Dunes, pick a hole, it’s all stupid windy. 

[DeadMan]

There's a 210 yard 3 par that I play that is frequently windy. I've hit anything from an 8 iron to a 4 iron on that tee box. It's a downhill hole, so my usual club is a 6 iron. That's about the widest range of clubs that I see.

[pganapathy]

Holes that really bug me are par 3's where you have all carry (generally over water) and a headwind.  It makes it very difficult to pick a club.  I tend to use a 4 hybrid for a lot of these holes and adjust my swing according to the distance I want to hit

[sjduffers]

#7 at Pebble Beach: from the back tees, it's just over 100 yards and the pros typically use some sort of wedge, but I've heard Sir Nick Faldo talk about using up to 6 and 5 irons with the wind into coming from the ocean. I haven't played that hole (yet), but I believe him.

[RyanG94]

The par 3 3rd at my course in Scotland is 195-205 depending on tees being moved. Depending on wind I’ve hit everything from a 7 iron to a 2 iron into it. The 14th is a par 4 that’s 330 and really open and exposed to the elements, with the wind at your back and firm fairways it’s possible to green it, into the wind I’ve seen myself hit driver and a 5 iron into it

[Esox]

#14 at Manistee Golf & Country Club.  With it's 176 yd length and generously sized green, one would think this hole would be fairly simple. But the green is on a 120' bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Prevailing W-SW winds in the summer keep you hitting into or quartering into the wind and guessing which club and shot shape to use. Autumns Northerly blows love to feed the bunker on the left for me....