Wet conditions

[Hmcgee25]

I have a question about playing golf in wet conditions. It might sound stupid but I keep reading and hearing opposite answers, so it's possible that I'm understanding something wrong. I'd say around 80% of the articles I've read say that water getting between the ball and the club face will reduce spin and cause a flier. The other 20% say the opposite. I also saw an interview with Phil Mickelson, and he says that it causes more spin and less distance. So which is it? Seems with all the technology there should be a simple answer.

[klineka]

It is my understanding that water between the ball and the clubface will reduce friction and thus lower spin. Although spin is so dependent on strike, you can have easily 2000+ RPM difference of spin between two shots with the same exact club and conditions so strike is very important and one of the most overlooked things when it comes to spin in my opinion

[NM Golf]

I cannot see how adding a substance like water between the club face and the ball would do anything but reduce spin. I mean anything wet is more slippery than it is dry. More slippery would mean less friction, which would in turn mean less spin. This seems like the old misbelief people have who think letting their wedge rust increases spin, well it doesn't.

[iacas]

It reduces spin, but if the greens are soft, they often plug or spin back.

Also, if your ball just lands in the fairway and you strike it cleanly, there may be no more water between the clubface and the ball than there normally is.

[Hmcgee25]

I agree with your comments. I just find it odd that one of the best players in the world claims different. Makes me second guess it... 

http://www.golfchannel.com/video/feherty-phils-scientific-approach/

[Keith White]

Jeepers, Phil should have been an aeronautical designer not a golfer !! 

It's hard to argue with big Phil, but I just can't see how either.  Dry equals friction and wet equals less friction surely.  Then again they say golf is a game of opposites so I wouldn't be that surprised if this is another one !

[Patch]

The score lines on the face of the club help to reduce the amount of watery debris between the club face and the ball. Much like the tread of a tire when driving in wet conditions. Helps to create better contact between the two surfaces.

When I play in wet conditions I tend to use more fairway clubs. Distance does suffer do to wet condition, but fairway woods reduce the possibility of hitting fat shots. 

[retoid]

Forgive me if resurrecting this thread is wrong, but I think this is still relevant to the topic.

Yesterday I played at a local public course and it had been raining the past few days prior. It was extremely wet and soft ground, multiple areas of the course, my foot would sink into the found at least an inch. The traps were mostly flooded and converted to water hazards. I lost 4 balls to being plugged into mud on the fairway or just off the edge of the fairway in the shorter rough.
I did notice that the wet conditions affect distance quite a bit, I was having to club up twice in some occasions. 

But what I am curious about is how to properly look at approaching shots. I am still a novice at best but with these really wet and soft conditions, I felt like there was virtually 0 bounce from my irons and it was giving me such a hard time hitting the ball correctly. I don't normally take divots but yesterday I was hitting most shots pretty thick and probably getting like 3/4 the distance I normally would from my irons. Maybe it's best to just avoid playing when conditions are like this? Unfortunately I live in a very wet area.

[GolfLug]

1 hour ago, retoid said:

Forgive me if resurrecting this thread is wrong, but I think this is still relevant to the topic.

Yesterday I played at a local public course and it had been raining the past few days prior. It was extremely wet and soft ground, multiple areas of the course, my foot would sink into the found at least an inch. The traps were mostly flooded and converted to water hazards. I lost 4 balls to being plugged into mud on the fairway or just off the edge of the fairway in the shorter rough.
I did notice that the wet conditions affect distance quite a bit, I was having to club up twice in some occasions. 

But what I am curious about is how to properly look at approaching shots. I am still a novice at best but with these really wet and soft conditions, I felt like there was virtually 0 bounce from my irons and it was giving me such a hard time hitting the ball correctly. I don't normally take divots but yesterday I was hitting most shots pretty thick and probably getting like 3/4 the distance I normally would from my irons. Maybe it's best to just avoid playing when conditions are like this? Unfortunately I live in a very wet area.

For starters, you gotta manage your expectations knowing that in wet conditions you are behind the 8-ball all day. 

Here's what I think happens from my experience (I play in all conditions unless it is pouring down or the ground is frozen). Unless you are hitting tour quality strikes (ball first) your club will loose energy to the wet ground leading up to impact. Additionally, wet ground will also add more friction to the ball taking off (the very opposite of what happens when you get a fluffy flyer lie) even if you strike it cleanly. The reduced spin off the wet clubface will not add sufficient distance to overcome the wet ground effect.

In summary, I suggest take more club, then add one more club to it and then strike it as cleanly as you can.

[saevel25]

If it is soggy out, you need to have pretty good control of your low point. You can get away with taking larger divots, if you hit the golf ball first. That is going to be a struggle for higher handicap golfers due their lack of low point control. 

When it comes to game planning. 

1) No roll out with the driver. So, you may worry less with the ball rolling into areas (hazards), but you can probably expect to lose a good % of your distance. If you get 5% roll out with dry conditions that is significant loss. 

2) Greens can be tricky. Sometimes it can amplify the ball spinning back, and other times the ball just sticks and stops. You probably see little to no roll out. It is going to be all carry. If you plan for the ball to land short and roll 20-FT, it probably will not. 

3) I hate when it is soggy when it comes to pitching. You just need to pick it. When I use the bounce, I can get away with hitting it slightly fat because the club glides. When it gets really soggy, that doesn't happen. It is just an adjustment in low point. 

Courses play longer. Low point control is key. You got to just adjust your shot zone or club selection. 

[retoid]

I appreciate the feedback and information, this is very helpful. I definitely need to practice and work on my low point control, I can see that making a huge difference, specially in these wet and soggy conditions. This seems like a pretty tough thing to learn but I can see it being an excellent thing to be able to control.
And on top of that, more club or clubbing up seems like it should help a lot as well. I wasn't even thinking about the roll out distance. That did seem to make a very noticeable difference.
Some of the longer par fours were extremely challenging.

Thank you!