Windiest day you have ever played? Wind stories?

[GoletaGolfer]

For me, Vacaville CA about 1998.  Sustained 50 MPH winds (Found out when I got home and watched the news). Trees down, the whole nine. I just thought it was a windy golf day, not a STORM.

 

Par 5 downwind, straight hole.  12 or so HC.  Normal drive was about 245-250.  519 yard hole.  Driver hit exactly 350.  169 left to the pin; don't know what to hit. Can't make myself hit PW so I hit 9 - 30 yards over the green. Did I say it was a bit breezy?

 

Par 3 - 125 yards, left to right wind.  Hit my 7 iron (150 club) nut flush. Started it a little left of the green. Ended up in a field to the right, off the course by 50 yards, next to a cow.

 

Breezy.

[Steele47]

Las Vegas.  2001-2007.

[b.mattay]

Played a 2 day tournament on an exposed course in winds sustained at 80km/h with gusts topping 100. It was impossible. I remember 3 things:

 

1.) Hit a 5 footer uphill and into the wind and it horseshoed on me. Ball rolled past my feet and I ended up 25 feet away on the same line.

2.) Hit a 560 yard par 5 in two with 4 iron (340), 8 iron (220).
3.) Pured two bullet drivers into the wind on 9 (445 yards) and still came up short by 10 yards. I swing 118-120mph. 
 

I was happy to shoot 80-81. Winner was 78-77.

Edited April 6, 2021 by b.mattay

[seis]

About 10 years ago at a local muni course NorthwestSuburban Chicago . Branches were blowing off trees, sustained winds 25to 30 mph with gusts up to 50. We finished our nine without incident, but that was the first time I ever saw sand blowing out of the bunkers.

[Abh159]

The State Am a few years back was at this course in an area of my state that is extremely flat and notoriously windy. It's the type of place where the trees literally grow sideways because it's so windy all the time. I'm not exaggerating on that.

 

On a few holes that ran side by side you'd be downwind on one and could hit a drive close to 400 yards, and then on the next you'd be into the wind and you were lucky to hit a driver 210 yards. Everyone was hurrying to hit their putt as soon as they picked their mark up out of fear that the ball would start rolling on the green due to the wind. The average score was close to 80 a day for the 4 rounds and +5 won the tournament. Usually the scoring average in the low 70s with - 10-15 being the winning score.

 

It was a miserable experience and I'll never go back...

Edited April 6, 2021 by Abh159

[dokex]

We were playing in wind so strong that it was causing DOWNWIND shots to be knocked from the sky before reaching their targets. My buddy hit a huge slice into the wind, and the ball actually appeared to move backwards after the apex.

Edited April 6, 2021 by dokex

[gioguy21]

couple years back in the state open -- greens were rolling between 12-13 and we had breezes (lol) up to 35+ mph. had on 2 separate occasions in the round where my ball was within 10' of the hole only to be pushed off the false fronts and back down the fairway 30y.

 

sigh. lol i hate that kinda golf. 

[caeye0710]

Last month on our Spring golf trip in Pinehurst. I would say that it was consistently 15-20mph sustained with 35-45mph gusts according to the weather forecast. 

 

If it was a casual round, I would've never went on the course. Since it was a trip, we had no choice although several of us wanted to stay at the rental house and pass a bottle of bourbon back and forth all day. 

 

Myself and one other guy were the lowest handicaps and pretty solid players with him taking the edge on me. 

 

Normally, I carry an 8i about 160, and I would guess he hits his about 175. 

 

We both had 140 directly into a wind that I would guess was cruising at about 35 mph and we both pulled 8i. 

 

I hit mine right on the sweet spot and basically watched it go vertical in the air and drop 30 yards short of the green. 

 

He just about died laughing, then took his swing and his ball ended up right next to mine. 

 

Another hole was about 185 and I absolutely blistered a 4-iron to 25 feet short of the hole, which I normally carry 210. 

 

The next par 3 was 185 to a back pin, and my teammate hit PW that flew about 200 to the back rough. He normally carries a PW about 130. 

 

I pray to the golf gods I never have to play in that crap again. 

[MtlJeff]

Probably gusts of 40mph if i'm trying to be as realistic as possible.

 

I would imagine many of us probably imagine we played in much stronger winds than we did, for one it's very hard to measure unless you have meteorological equipment out there with you...And two the wind needed to make it difficult to even walk or stand upright let alone play sports is probably like 60-70mph sustained. 

[Pepperturbo]

Some years back I was in AZ playing at Tubac (has 3-nines) and reached the back holes of Rancho 9, #6, #7, #8, #9.  As we made the turn hitting tee box of 6, the wind was up to about 4-5 clubs, in our face gusting hard.  It was 464yd Par 4, a pure driver then 2i short of the apron, bump & run to a tap in.  Next was a 254yd Par 3 into the wind.. my playing partner decided to set out these holes.  I hit driver to short of apron, baby pitch to tap in par, and was very happy.  Then we turned, paralleling the riverbed - down wind 651yd Par 5.  By this time the wind was gusting well over 50mph, making it a challenge to properly swing even get the ball up, but I hit the ball as hard as I could, lots of spin, seems like it flew forever, over 375yds to finish right side of fairway.  I then hit the best 5i of my life, over a large pond, carried over 210yds, and came up 30yds short of the green, PW got away from me, long - and 2 putt back for par; #9 was relatively easy away from the wind, 430yd Par 4, driver, iron in, but three putted for a bogie.  The fact that I made that nine in 1 over boggled my mind.  My buddy congratulated me just for sticking with it, he couldn't believe it.  Frankly, I was exhausted and happy the round was over.   It's in the memory banks, forever.

[J_Tizzle]

My old course's front 9 is VERY exposed to the elements and it is always windy.  Hole 3 is a par 5 that you tee off at the highest point of the course, over a huge pond to a fairway about 30ish yards below where you tee off.  It ALWAYS plays directly into the wind and the carry over the pond is probably in that 200ish yard range, and I have played with enough people who have not cleared it, or hardly cleared it and been probably 30 yards short of the fairway.  And I mean this occurrence is really common as it consistently blows 2-3 clubs out there in the fall/spring.  Sometimes it blows 3-4 clubs and we move up a set of tees lol.  

[BIM_Monkey]

Being from Northern England I'm well used to playing in windy conditions. But two rounds have stuck in my mind

 

Played a course called Whitby on the coast which was a couple of hours drive to get there.

We had a mid morning tee time and had planned to get there early and have breakfast. When we got there the wind was howling. Had we not driven all the way there, we wouldn't have played. 

 

Went into the pro shop, where the pro told us the green staff had removed all the pins because they were worried about them blowing out, and they didn't think any one would be mad enough to play. He didn't charge us a green fee. 

 

After we had breakfast we wondered off to the first tee. The pro and steward came to watch us tee off. 

 

I air mailed the first green with a 3 wood, and from that point onwards it was a case of getting round without losing all my balls. Somehow my father in law scored 36 stableford points of a mid teens HC. And is still to this day one of the best rounds I've witnessed. 

 

 https://www.whitbygolfclub.co.uk/

 

The second was in a scratch comp at Baildon GC. 

 

I think I hit a drive and two 3 woods up the first. And couldn't reach the par 3 2nd with a driver. Just as I was about to reload the club captain came over as he had called the comp off as no one who teed off earlier that day had completed 18 holes. 

 

I've just joined a club that is windy pretty much all of the time. Its very exposed in the East England fens and a constant 10 to 20 mph wind most days.

 

 

[North Butte]

It was my second-windiest round (as far as I can recall) but I had one shot directly into about a very steady, hard wind coming off the Pacific Ocean. I'd been taking more and more club as the wind picked up hole after hole and I kind of did the mental math and decided that I needed to hit 7-iron from 90 yards. Tried my best to commit to a full swing but sort of short-circuited on the way down and topped the ball. Just couldn't make myself swing at so much club when the flag looked like it was right in front of me.

 

So I tried again from 85 yards and this time managed to complete the swing and make contact. The ball barely made it to the front of the green and stopped immediately 20 feet short of the hole. Remarkable. No idea what wind speed that works out to but it was my 140 club from 85 yards and I came up short.

[golfgirlrobin]

Sacramento area course, gusts to 60 mph.  Could barely stand up.

 

My husband made a hole in one on a 125 yd. hole with a 3-wood.  He begged me not to, but I submitted it to the Sacramento Bee newspaper with the yardage and club.  People made fun of him for weeks. 

[shaneyank]

1 hour ago, golfgirlrobin said:

Sacramento area course, gusts to 60 mph.  Could barely stand up.

 

My husband made a hole in one on a 125 yd. hole with a 3-wood.  He begged me not to, but I submitted it to the Sacramento Bee newspaper with the yardage and club.  People made fun of him for weeks. 

 

Your husband should be proud of:

1. His hole-in-one
2. Having the guts (and presence of mind) to rip a 3-wood at a 125 yard target

 

Overcoming nasty conditions trumps the supposed embarrassment of that club selection. I'd be bragging about that, not hiding from it.

 

Now, if you tell me he hit his 3-wood to 125 yards DOWN wind, I might take some of that back 😆

 

[natemac42]

Played last year on a links course in about 40mph. It was tough. But then on #7 we started getting hit with dust that made our eyes red. I was chatting with the super afterwards and he said "oh yeah, the farm next to 7 just treated their soil to get ready to plant". So we got hit with a dust storm of some agriculture chemicals. My eyes hurt for days. 

[mark174ace]

A couple of weeks ago in Vegas I played two rounds on the Snow Mountain course at Paiute and the wind was blowing a steady 20 with gusts 30-40. Par 3 16th hole with an elevated tee box playing about 174 that day with the wind going left to right into me.

 

I aimed for the left edge of the green and hit a 3 wood straight as an arrow and it barely cleared the water on the right of the green lol. It went straight most of the way and went HARD right on the descent. I was on vacation otherwise I wouldn't have played if I was at home.

[2bGood]

9 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

Probably gusts of 40mph if i'm trying to be as realistic as possible.

 

I would imagine many of us probably imagine we played in much stronger winds than we did, for one it's very hard to measure unless you have meteorological equipment out there with you...And two the wind needed to make it difficult to even walk or stand upright let alone play sports is probably like 60-70mph sustained. 

Don't know the numbers, but played a round in Ireland once where we had trouble standing when a big gust came up. We would goof around by seeing how far you could lean back into the wind and have it hold you up without falling. I did not break 100 (off a 5cap), but it was a memorable round.

[b.mattay]

9 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

Probably gusts of 40mph if i'm trying to be as realistic as possible.

 

I would imagine many of us probably imagine we played in much stronger winds than we did, for one it's very hard to measure unless you have meteorological equipment out there with you...And two the wind needed to make it difficult to even walk or stand upright let alone play sports is probably like 60-70mph sustained. 

Lots of it depends on where you live too. Prairie regions can be brutally windy! My course has been open less than two weeks and we already have had a day where the afternoon sustained 65 km/h winds.

[the bishop]

Desert Dunes in Desert Hot Springs in steady 35-40 mph.  Anybody from the area or any of our Canadian friends that winter there and have played it in windy conditions will understand.  Absolutely 100% not enjoyable.

[Stinger83]

Legend has it that every spring day in Texas is windier than the one before. It laughs at your low spin driver and mocks your tour balls. The prophecy states that another Hogan will be born again and he will defeat the wind with his mighty stinger. Until his return the wind shall continue to rule over the Texas golfers with it's stiff headwind. 

 

I'm so bored. 

[farmer]

Texas Panhandle, every day.  If you can get a day with less than 20 mph, it's a good day.  Hundreds of miles of open country in every direction, high plains, it can get brutal.  I've been caught out when a front blows through, caught in outflow boundaries from thunderstorms, but now I pick my days.

[dmecca2]

One of my college tournaments I was hitting my driver terrible. So my coach and I decided to remove the driver from the bag and throw in a 2 iron. Next day, the wind was blowing about 40-50mph sustained. Hats were unwearable, forget trying to stand your bag up, and have fun trying to hit a 2 iron into the wind. I remember hitting a shot in left to right wind that would have been OB left without the wind, but ended up OB right. The 18th green borders water, and I wish I got to sit and watch it all day, because on average, 1 kid in the group would putt off the green into the water. 

[Hawkeye77]

When in Dornoch we played the Struie course on a glorious morning, except the wind was constant at 40-45 mph and gusting from there. No protection. It was sunny and warm most of the round so we just went out and did the best we could. My swing was toast after a few holes, lol. No, I didn’t need to push the cart!

Edited April 7, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[Tupperwolf]

I hit a 4-iron into one of the par-3 greens at Bandon Dunes that plays about 130 yards and came up 30 yards short.

[RSinSG]

16 hours ago, the bishop said:

Desert Dunes in Desert Hot Springs in steady 35-40 mph.  Anybody from the area or any of our Canadian friends that winter there and have played it in windy conditions will understand.  Absolutely 100% not enjoyable.

Having lived in Palm Springs for most of my life I knew which courses we could play when it was windy, and Desert Dunes was not one of them. If the forecast was for any kind of wind we wouldn't go near the place. 

 

One year I was playing Mission Hills (used to be called the Pete Dye course - across Diana Shore Dr.)  when there were no houses on the course. We lasted 3 holes before giving up. One of the reasons I play golf is to have fun and I wasn't having any.

[XeroState]

Well living in the Canadian prairies I don't really know what it's like to golf without wind. 15-20mph winds are pretty normal here (I mean right now it even looks 'calm' out and there is a 20mph wind lol).

 

But the windiest I've golfed in would've been last year with wind gusts in the 50-55mph range (constant wind was around 45mph). It was oddly more fun than one would expect.

On more than one occassion both myself and my playing partner took stumble steps while standing still from the wind blowing us around.

There is a ~170 yard par 3 that is a 7-8 iron most days (I mean, it's wind direction/speed dependent 6 and 9 irons are not uncommon).

 

On that day, it was a 3 wood that ended up being 20 yards short.

 

(From Weather Canada's historical climate page.. 82kph is 51mph, and the golf course is on the side of a valley that is generally windier than the surrounding areas.. Prairies are fun!)

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by XeroState

[phizzy30]

Played in Vegas many years ago.  Winds must've been gusting in the 60 mph if I had to guess.  The ball was flying side ways and what looked to be backwards.  I also played Willowick in Santa Ana earlier this year.  Everything was fine until we got to the back nine.  It got really bad at the 17th hole.  The winds were howling.  I hit one 50 yards off line to the right into the next fairway with my 5 iron.  It can get pretty windy over here that's for sure. 

[elwhippy]

Emporda in Catalunya. This was European Tour final qualifying for many years. A Von Hagge design and really challenging. Wind gusting from 40 to 60 mph. Made a two on a 160 yard par 3 by nailing a 3 wood. Downwind 600 yard par 5 was reachable in two. I chipped the ball onto a par 3, over the upslope. Put my wedge in my bag and then saw may ball rolling back past me. The combined hcp of our fourball was 12 shots and nobody broke 80. Other players were walking off but we enjoyed the battle. Next day was flat calm. 

[iNeedMoreGolf]

It wasnt super windy but my brother hit a pitch shot about 20 yards and not even high... and the ball started straight but at its peak blew about 10 yards left... it was hilarious. We burst out laughing because the shot was low and we never seen wind effect a pitch like that before.