The Wind Game

ZWExton

I live in Texas now, moved from NY a few years ago. I'll never get over the temperature being 80* in early February. If anyone lives in Dallas, we've got two slots available for guests.

I've set up a tee time for Saturday afternoon, but Texas is almost always served with wind, especially in the first third of the year. Sustained winds of 18mph and gusts of up to 40mph are forecasted.

If not for the clear skies and sun, sounds like I've signed up for Open conditions. How do you guys adjust for this? I'm expecting that it's going to be about scrambling for pars, as any approach shot might as well be a prayer.

Thinking that I'll decide if I'd rather miss long or short, left or right, then try to play a knockdown that'll land middle if I calculated correctly or miss in my favored location if I'm wrong. Off the tee, aiming at the edge of the fairway against the wind.

Any thoughts?

Typhoon

I hate the wind. That being said, I know going in that there is going to be a lot of getting up and down for par.

Big thing to remember is the harder you swing, the more spin u impart and you will come up stupid short. Take more club and a normal or slower swing. Keep your rhythm. I run into problems with knockdown and punch shots because my tempo gets quick and I'm out of rhythm....I end up all over the place because I'm hitting shots I don't normally hit.

Release

Love the variety of playing in different condition, including windy condition as long as it does not go to hurricane speed.
One time I was looking at the golf ball on the green- oscillating - that was, a bit too much for serious golf.

I'm more worried about falling object in a windy day on the golf courses, especially large tree branches.

ZWExton

Release

Funny you mention that - last year on this course we saw a tree inexplicably split in two and fall down. Looked pretty beat upon close inspection. Might be taking my life into my own hands out there.

rsvman

I play in a lot of windy conditions here in SE Virginia. At first it was really hard for me. Over time I've gotten better.

I agree with cutting down the spin as much as possible. As they say "When it's breezy, swing it easy."

For iron approach shots, take a lot more club and use an abbreviated backswing AND follow-through. That tends to keep the ball low. I've gotten to the point where I'm proud that I get on the middle of the green on a 135-yard par 3 using my 6-iron or my 5-iron.

Downwind, tee it high and enjoy it.

For strong side winds, use AIM exclusively; never try to use SPIN to counter a side wind. In other words, if the wind is blowing right to left, don't try to fade a ball into it. Just aim up the right side. In general, provided you don't apply sidespin to the ball, the wind doesn't move your ball sideways as much as it seems like it should, especially on mid- to short-iron approach shots.

Have fun. Try not to fight the wind too much or get too worried about it.

Release

ZWExton

No golf on a windy day on a forest golf course, no golf when lighting is in the forecast.
Live to play more golf in the future...........
We have lots of trees here in the Northwest. Some of the trees are old and some are deceased. These are like a time bomb waiting to explode . We have arborists going around the golf courses and the parks to mark the trees to be taken down every season. But still, not enough people use common sense these days. Just recently some tree fell in the "dog park" and one owner walking his dog was seriously injured.
This just happen last month at our Olympic National Park http://q13fox.com/2017/01/01/child-dead-4-injured-when-tree-falls-on-suv-near-lake-crescent/

professor

Or, you could get short and chunky. Limits ones turn and if done well shortens the backswing to three-quarters - nice low ballflight for some of us. LOL

PS I hate what wind does to my tempo and swear it's all in my ears. Yeah, I stated, "ears".