10 Golf Tips For All Skill Levels: How to Play Golf in the Wind
The golf balls of today are designed to be affected less by the wind than their ancestors did. However, they are still liable to some adjustments if you are playing in the wind. You will need to adjust loft, the position of your hands on the club or the stance. Here are a few tips that we at RunRex.com think will help you with your golf when playing in windy conditions.
- Impart Spin
Johnnie Miller, who is one of greatest wind players, has an important tip for golfers. He once said that he used spin to cut through the windy. It just entails striking down on the ball in a manner that imparts spin. This spin helps to stabilize the ball as it travels through the air. When playing in the wind, simply tee high and hit solidly.
- Swing Easy when it is Windy
A huge mistake that people make when playing in the wind is that they imagine they need to hit the ball harder. They believe that it will help to compensate for the wind. However, this usually makes things much worse. When you hit the ball with more force, it develops more backspin. The result is that your ball will land short every time you play in the wind. Just take a smooth and controlled swing that is at about 80% of your total power.
- Choke Down in Windy Conditions
A driver generates more speed than a wedge. This is because it is longer, which means it has more centripetal force. With more speed comes more spin, which is bad when playing in windy conditions. Since you want to swing easier, carry an extra club with you and choke down somewhat. It will provide you with more control of your club and help to stiffen the shaft. A stiff shaft helps in reducing the speed, which causes the ball to spin less and keep it lower.
- Move the Ball Back in Your Stance
In places that experience windy conditions often, players tend to play the ball close to the ground and keep high shots at the minimum. When playing in the wind, low shots lead to low scores. When you move the ball back in your stance, it will help you hit the golf ball with a de-lofted club. Besides that, moving some of your weight forward will keep your hands ahead of the ball on impact, which contributes to less loft and lower flight for your ball.
- Ride the Wind
With a forced carry or when trying to get over a shrub, hitting low will not work. Thus, you will need to understand how your ball behaves in the wind. Where your ball will end up will depend on its spin and wind direction. You will need that your straight short does not go straight in the wind. The wind will drift your shot little or a lot. It all depends on how strong the gusts are. For instance, if the wind is moving from right to the left, try to hit a fade to the right of your target. The sidespin will help counteract the wind and ensures a straight short.
- Avoid Unnecessary Risk
A lesson that is crucial when playing in the wind is knowing when to back off. It is vital to get this right, or the wind will leave you exposed. Avoid chasing sucker pins or challenging fairway bunkers when conditions are terrible. Paly on the widest part of the fairway and the large section of the green and learn when to walk away when things get bad.
- Grip the Club Firmly
A ball hit with a solid strike is less likely to be impacted by the wind. The reason for this is that the wind extrapolates any minor errors you make in the shot, which causes any shot to veer a huge distance off the target.
- Look at the Treetops
When playing in windy conditions, do not simply rely on the feeling of your wind on your skin. Check the kind of effect it is having on the treetops to help you determine the wind direction and how strong it is. The reason for this is that your ball will lose all its momentum at the peak of its trajectory.
- Lower the Target Shoulder and Raise the Back Shoulder
This was a technique that Tom Watson, one of the greatest golf legends used at the pick of his career. Approach the short, especially when playing with iron as though playing off a downhill lie. You will also have to play it back in your stance. You can even play it behind with the rear foot using a short iron.
- Use the Driver Carefully
When hitting with the driver, do not tee too low, as that can encourage mishits. Additionally, downward ones that have spin can cause the ball to lose distance by ballooning.