WIND!!!!! How to deal with it?

[Mark Robertson]

Hey all,

My home course is Aberdeen Scotland is a open links course with no tree cover and recently I've been really struggling with the wind were not talking just a breeze were talking about heavy wind.

I'm just looking for some pointers from off the tee to iron shots, its starting to really hit my scoring.

Hope some of you guys can help a guy out.

 

[saevel25]

1. Look at the forecast before the round and note the direction and speed of the wind. Terrain can influence how you feel the wind versus what the wind is actually doing. 

2.  A 10-15 mph wind would be about 10% on a headwind and 7% on a tailwind. If that jumps to 25 mph it goes to about 25-30% on a headwind and about half of that on a tailwind. 

3. On crosswinds you just have to learn how much the wind pushes your ball. On a shorter shot it might not be pushed as far offline as with a driver. 

It's mostly getting a feel for it. I tend to club up and hit easier into head winds to control the spin and reduce balloon shots. On a tailwind I just take into account the ball will not go as high and will not land as softly. 

 

 

 

[Mark Robertson]

Thanks Saevel,

It was tough going yesterday I'm just not that used to playing in it some have told me to play with the wind but unless the alignment is right its a fight for sure.

I'm planning on using some punch shots next time I play and maybe lower the tee a bit for the drives.

[Patch]

In addition what has already been posted above, don't forget that the wind can be also used in golfer's favor. 

I play in some sort of wind at least 20% of the time. Sometimes, if the wind is moving in the right direction, I can get a little more distance on some shots, using easier swings, with shorter clubs. 

When ever possible it's a good thing to get some practice in when it's windy. Knowing what some clubs will do in the wind helps keeps on course surprises to a minimum. 

For the most part I just keep my ball flights lower, while knowing my distances are going to suffer to some degree.

Putting in high winds is where I see a lot of my problems when golfing. Again,  a few practice sessions on the green, on windy days helps. 

[DaveP043]

Playing in a truly heavy wind is tough, no question.  Into the wind, spin is the enemy, so smoother swings with lots more club is a good option.  If I think its two more clubs, based on carry on a full swing, I'll take even one more club longer and try to swing really smooth.  I don't generally like a hard swing with the ball back in the stance, that can produce extra backspin, making the shot harder to control.   With a cross wind, I still like a smooth swing with a longer club, mostly to fly the ball lower.  Downwind, its important to understand that you won't get the normal "lift" from the backspin, so the ball will fly lower and roll even further than normal.  On your links course, you probably have fairway turf that supports rolling the ball, learn to use chip-and-run shots, even from 50 to 100 yards.  A half-swing 7-iron might only fly 50 yards, but would probably roll 50 yards more, that's not a bad choice with really heavy winds. Anything that keeps the ball on the ground, even a long putter from the fairway.  The last thing, try to change your expectations, to manage your disappointment if a shot doesn't work out.  You're going to have more bad results in the wind, accept them, think of it as a challenge.  

[David in FL]

When it's breezy, swing easy....