3 Tips for Playing Golf in Windy Conditions
As golfers, we have all had to play under windy conditions. The wind changes directions from hole to hole and always seems to be blowing in the wrong direction.
Playing golf in windy conditions can be a very trying experience for many golfers, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Growing up in Ohio, we had to deal with hills and trees more than the wind. When I moved to S. Florida I discovered a whole new challenge because of the windy conditions. When you live near the ocean, there is always wind to contend with.
Here are a three tips that I learned for playing golf under windy conditions.
Keep the Ball Low – this may sound like a no brainer, but unless you have had to play into 25 mile an hour winds you don’t really appreciate how important this really is.
I found that by choking down on the golf club about a half an inch and shaping my swing with a shorter follow thru that I was able to keep my golf shots on a low trajectory.
Choose you Golf Club Wisely – it is natural to want to pull out the driver when you are teeing off. You want to drive the golf ball as far down the fairway as possible. Under windy conditions this may not be the correct choice of golf club.
The most important thing is keeping the golf ball in play. If you get the golf ball in the air off the tee and there is any fade or hook, the wind will exaggerate that movement. This will usually end up with your next golf shot being out of the rough, in the trees or worse, out of play.
Play the Wind – throughout your round, the wind will be blowing in different directions. Take time to assess wind direction.
If the wind is against you, then you will need to play more club than you normally would. What I have found, is that we tend to underestimate the effects the wind will have on the golf ball. Play one more club than you think you will need, choke down a bit and shorten your follow thru.
If the wind is with you, then you will need to play less club than normal. In either case, most amateur golfers will miscalculate the effects of the wind. When the wind is to your back, take one less club and shorten your follow thru to keep the golf ball from getting up in the wind.
When you are out playing golf under windy conditions, give these tips a try.
For more simple golf swing tips to improve your golf game, sign up for our FREE Newsletter
You certainly deserve a round of applause for your post and more specifically, your blog in general. Very high quality material.
Anybody else super fired up seeing that Tiger Woods is back? I for one hope he and his family can put this all behind him and get back to the effort of tearing up the golf course once again. Could he win the Masters … I am kind of doubtful .. however you can never turn your back on a tiger, haha.