PLAYING GOLF IN THE WIND
W L
GOLF
PLAYING GOLF IN THE WIND
BY TOM ATKINSON , PGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL
This is something that we all face , seemingly more and more in the UK these days so we could do with knowing the best practices .
Start with this little nugget “ don ’ t hit it harder , hit it better .”
I guess you ' ll be thinking , if I could just ' hit it better ' then I ' d be a great player . This is of course true but what I mean is you need to play shots in the wind that are struck better , therefore shots that are easier to hit , making the right decision is vital .
It is important to know how the wind affects the ball , it ' s essentially down to the spin that is imparted on it , the ball speed and the trajectory but here ' s a rule of thumb to go by
In a headwind , add 1 % to your distance for every 1mph of wind and downwind add 0.5 % to your carry distance for every 1mph of wind . Hitting the ball lower will reduce the effect of a head wind , conversely hitting it higher will increase the effect .
Let ' s learn to keep it low then , and reduce the backspin to make it easier to control your ball . make a shorter swing , by taking more club , a 6 where you ' d normally use a 7 for example , you won ' t need to make as long a swing . Place the ball further back than normal to increase the likelihood of hitting down on it , choke down the grip of your club , tee it a little lower when using your woods , you can squat a little more in set up for stability , try to get your nose ahead of the ball at impact to trap the shot against the turf , finish lower in your follow through to control spin . Swing it easy not hard .
And now Downwind . Clearly you will need to hit less club if the wind is helping and off the tee you ' d really like to ride the wind , tee it up a little higher , push it up in your stance and set up to get it more airborne with some spine tilt away from the target . Height when using the wind is good so don ’ t be shy to hit it high .
So how about the crosswinds ? One of the most important things to consider here is to use your best guess as to your start line for the relevant shot , Billy Foster - caddy to Seve , Tiger and now Fitzpatrick once told me that your initial instinct is always the right one .
Using the wind is much easier than trying to fight it although remember that if you want to use a right to left crosswind to access the flag then the initial starting direction will be into that wind , so club accordingly .
Wind will also affect chipping and putting but to a much lesser extent due to the balls proximity to the ground but make sure you still factor it in .
Start with the club selection , a club swung further around your body is more difficult to return back to the same spot , i . e harder to strike well , we already know how important the contact is going to be so let ' s
Use windy days to your advantage when you haven ’ t got time to get out on the course , go to the range and experiment with the ball flights
Lessons are available at Heswall golf club , call 0151 342 7431 .
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