Any suggestions for playing in high winds?

[onthehunt526]

I don't know what it is, but in gusty winds (15-20 mph sustained, gusts in the 25+ range) I'll hit a great shot, I'll hit it very well... And the wind just have it's way with it.... Any tips on playing on windy gusty days? 

Thanks.

[Buckeyebowman]

Well, this is kind of a tough one! The wind is what it is. It affects everybody. I might ask what kind of ball you're playing. If it's a high spin, "player's" type of ball it will get shoved around by the wind more than low spin balls.

[onthehunt526]

1 minute ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Well, this is kind of a tough one! The wind is what it is. It affects everybody. I might ask what kind of ball you're playing. If it's a high spin, "player's" type of ball it will get shoved around by the wind more than low spin balls.

Currently I'm testing the Taylormade Project [a]. I've been playing the NXT Tour and Tour S, with messing around with the Pro V1x. The Project [a] I only have one round in with and the verdict is not in yet.

I was more looking into maybe suggestions/tips I can use to play on windy days... I don't have a knockdown shot really. (I've tried the ball still goes high)

[Buckeyebowman]

Well, kind of sounds to me like those are "high spin" balls. I'll tell you something I said in another thread. My buddy found a spanking new ProV-1 on the course and decided to play it to see how it performed. Off the tee, no big whoop! About the same as his usual ball. On approach shots the story was entirely different! He hits his irons high as a matter of course, and the ProV's would just balloon! Especially if there was the slightest air against him. His approaches wound up going everywhere, especially short!

Are those type of winds common where you play? If so, you may need to consider another type of ball.

[onthehunt526]

1 minute ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Well, kind of sounds to me like those are "high spin" balls. I'll tell you something I said in another thread. My buddy found a spanking new ProV-1 on the course and decided to play it to see how it performed. Off the tee, no big whoop! About the same as his usual ball. On approach shots the story was entirely different! He hits his irons high as a matter of course, and the ProV's would just balloon! Especially if there was the slightest air against him. His approaches wound up going everywhere, especially short!

Are those type of winds common where you play? If so, you may need to consider another type of ball.

We have typical Westerly winds in Upstate NY... we don't usually have winds in the 15-20 range... mostly 5-10 out of the W, NW or WNW... So it's not the ball... I've heard distance balls are good on windy days.

[Patch]

We have some pretty high winds out here. Has something to do with hot air and SoCal according to our weather lady. 

First thing I do on high wind days is pick a course with lots of tall trees that can act as windbreaks.

Second thing I do is toss out distance, and hit lower trejectory ball flights to keep the ball away from those high winds as much as possible. Under the tree tops. This is especially important to me when facing a head wind, or cross winds. 

Third thing, depending on the situation, I will use 1 or more club than I normally would, while using a lot of punch shots. If conditions are a 3 club wind, I will usually hit the 19th asap. 

Fourth and probably most important, I always use my normal swing. I don't add or subtract any swing speed. When close or on the green, I will add the wind to my read as needed. 

Last, if the playing conditions are really poor, I never worry about my score. 

[bubble]

sliced shots are more affected by wind than others.

when you really crack the ball it's a lot less.

so the technical aspect of your game is tested and can probably improve.

you still need to take wind in account on the flight to the target.

you may shape your shots to resist the wind effect but this is not easy. you can hit it low pretty easy to avoid wind effect. 

[Piz]

Let the wind have its way...you'll only exhaust yourself trying to beat it into submission.

[boogielicious]

8 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

I don't know what it is, but in gusty winds (15-20 mph sustained, gusts in the 25+ range) I'll hit a great shot, I'll hit it very well... And the wind just have it's way with it.... Any tips on playing on windy gusty days? 

Thanks.

Club up into the wind. In a 20mph wind, that could be as much as 2-3 clubs. But think of it as a % change versus distance change (LSW discussing this a bit). Example: My league course has a short par 3 that plays around 120. That is PW for me. But a month ago we had sustained 20mph winds with gusts to 35. I used my 8 iron with normal flight, which is my 140 club, and put the ball to 8 feet pin high. So that is a 20 yard adjustment. 140/120=1.17 is now and adjustment factor. On a hole playing in the same direction, I can expect to have the same change. So for a 150 yard shot (7 iron), I would have to use my 150x1.17=175 yard club (4 iron is my 180 club) into the wind. 180, 210 (3W). 

Downwind, it doesn't help as much. If I was downwind on the 120 yard hole the same day, I would have just used my gap wedge (110 club).

Cross wind is more about guessing right. If you play with friends that you know their ball flight, watch the effect on their ball and estimate how much push the wind had. Then adjust your aim accordingly.

Constant wind is not bad. Variable wind can wreak havoc. One course I play has a downhill par three that is 170 to the center. I usually play my 160 club (6 iron). We had those same 20mph winds with gusts and it was in our face. My playing partners all ended up short so I used my 5 iron (170 club). The wind died as I was hitting. The ball landed on the back third of the green and rolled off into the Merrimack River. Lesson here is to know where you absolutely cannot hit the ball and choose your club for that. I should have stayed with the 6 iron and just expected to be short, but safe.

[DaveP043]

I see lots of good advice, so I'll just add one more thing.  When its windy, especially when its gusty, you're going to be wrong sometimes.  Its unavoidable, and its not your fault.  So you have to try not to let yourself get upset when what seems like a perfect shot ends up in a bad place.  Even more than normal, you have to stay "even-keel" when playing in the wind.  You may also need to make much more conservative choices, as @boogielicious suggests, because the variable wind can expand your shot zones significantly.

[natureboy]

In all terrain, lower in significant wind is better. More club (less loft) with easier or shorter swings and lower finish (knockdown / punch).

On tee shots tee ball slightly higher for bias to impact higher on face for less backspin due to vertical gear effect.

[anthony]

Definitely take a club or two less, and adjust your backswing length to compensate for the distance. Standard knock down type of shot. However, as DaveP043 suggests, gusty winds can be unpredictable. A week or two ago, the wind started picking up big time on the back 9. On one hole, distance called for a 6, I hit a 5. It was 20 yds short! on a par 3! I didn't strike the ball poorly either (although it did go a bit higher than normal).

The wind is hard, but sometimes really fun to play in. Especially when you're standing over a putt and you can see the ball rocking back and forth.

[TourSpoon]

"When it's breezy, swing easy" is an old adage that comes to mind with the thought being don't try to overpower the wind. I see a lot of people just tighten up in the wind and swing for the fences. This puts more spin on the ball and exasperates swing errors with sometimes disastrous results. Stay loose, avoid trying to "pound" it and play sensibly. Days like this, you want to make sure the short game is sharp, because you will need it!

The best advice is to get a good knock-down shot in the arsenal. The knock-down is probably the most satisfying shot to hit when done correctly. Whether its into the wind or just something to do with an odd distance between wedges, get this shot in your bag.  

[rehmwa]

swing harder

always swing harder