Hitting pure golf shots into the wind

[bobbydazzlewazzler]

I was away last week and managed to play a couple of windy links courses here in the UK. Hitting shots into the wind was such a struggle to the extent that after a stretch of 4 holes hitting straight into strong 25mph  winds, i turned around to play the next downwind hole and realised my swing had changed where i had been to trying strongly manipulate the ball to keep it straight on the previous holes.

 

I was trying stuff like flattening my backswing, playing ball further back, trying to stay over the ball more through the shot and had only intermittent success - mainly falling back to horrendous bad habits where the wind had totally psyched me out and slicing or pulling the ball OB or into the deep cabbage.

Technique wise, it would be great to get some responses from wrx’ers used to playing in the wind and am interested as to how to play these shots - any setup or swing changes you do? I know the old adage of “swing it easy when its breezy” etc but doing that means the ball goes even less distance into the wind..

 

Hitting driver wasn't really the problem, it was mainly just trying to keep the second shot (typically 2 hybrids or 3 woods into wind on long holes) in play, or even hitting long or mid irons into greens.

 

Strategy wise into wind, do you abandon any hope of GUR and just hit lay-ups instead, accept making par or birdie is unachievable and try and make a score when the wind is hurting less?

 

Im off playing a week of links golf at rhe end of the month and would be keen to hear what the consensus is to playing in strong wind. I suspect it will be “sort your f***ing swing out” haha..

 

Thanks for reading my post and happy golfing!

[MattyO1984]

For me, there definitely had to be a lowering of expectations when playing into the wind, particularly the strength of wind you are talking about (and adding into that how bouncy our links courses are at the moment). Any mishit is going to be exaggerated.

 

I am not sure that these things are massively technical but when I am playing in the wind, I am thinking ball further back in the stance, 3/4 swing and a shallow divot. It can be easy to think putting the ball back in the stance you will need to take big slabs but that means being relatively steep and steep usually means more spin and more spin into the wind is generally to be avoided.

[SNIPERBBB]

Changing your swing isn't something you want to do just because conditions change.  Club up and hit 3/4 swings. It's all about predictability and trying to do funky things with your swing doesn't lend itself to predictability.

[mgoblue83]

Swing slower to keep spin off the ball and keep the height down. Club up to compensate.

 

Slow 5 iron instead of hard 7 iron every single time.

[thejazzmarauder]

2 hours ago, mgoblue83 said:

Swing slower to keep spin off the ball and keep the height down. Club up to compensate.

 

Slow 5 iron instead of hard 7 iron every single time.

 

Most people should do this whether it's windy or not. 

Edited August 4, 2021 by thejazzmarauder

[Krt22]

I'm not sure how you can hit pure golf shots making on the fly adjustments like that on the course.

[Nard_S]

Add two clubs, move ball back an inch, swing full but controlled,  at 90% of normal.

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

on so many levels, it's a "LOFT" issue.

[scooterhd2]

Last thing you want to do is just really pure the ball. One of those best swings of your life. Maxed out smash factor. You're just adding height and spin which is no good in the wind. You need to swing softer, less loft. Maybe choke down. Ball back. Take the ego out of it. 

 

And yes, you have to lower expectations for the overall round. There may be some holes that you cant reach because of the conditions and thats okay. 

[stingerfade]

When it’s breezy, swing easy. 

[stingerfade]

1 hour ago, scooterhd2 said:

Last thing you want to do is just really pure the ball. One of those best swings of your life. Maxed out smash factor. You're just adding height and spin which is no good in the wind. You need to swing softer, less loft. Maybe choke down. Ball back. Take the ego out of it. 

 

And yes, you have to lower expectations for the overall round. There may be some holes that you cant reach because of the conditions and thats okay. 

Actually if you do hit it pure the wind doesnt affect it as much as it enhances mishits much more especially into the wind. Tim Watson didn’t change his swing in the Amiens hit it high but just dead center. He won 5 British opens doing that. Unfortunately we don’t lure it every time. 

Edited August 5, 2021 by stingerfade

[Ri_Redneck]

Personally I just club up and swing smooth. I grew up in Texas playing a low running shot, so it's kind of normal for me. Most screw up by trying to hit the ball too hard and overcome the wind. It's not gonna happen, so don't even try.

 

BT

[SNIPERBBB]

1 hour ago, stingerfade said:

Actually if you do hit it pure the wind doesnt affect it as much as it enhances mishits much more especially into the wind. Tim Watson didn’t change his swing in the Amiens hit it high but just dead center. He won 5 British opens doing that. Unfortunately we don’t lure it every time. 

Yep. You dont have to nuke it.  Still gotta hit center face, just dont have to hit it at full speed

[DaveGoodrich]

All you can do is play lots of club and hit it solid. 

 

I disagree with those saying to play it back in your stance in order to hit it lower. That will tend to add spin, which is the enemy.   You hit it "under the wind" by playing less loft and swinging slower, not by hitting down on it. 

 

 

 

[Nard_S]

12 hours ago, DaveGoodrich said:

All you can do is play lots of club and hit it solid. 

 

I disagree with those saying to play it back in your stance in order to hit it lower. That will tend to add spin, which is the enemy.   You hit it "under the wind" by playing less loft and swinging slower, not by hitting down on it. 

 

 

 

You modestly move the ball back to remain in a more flexed position at impact, done correctly, you do not add spin. Too far back then you add spin because you're chopping at it.

[gators78]

Equipment is massively important. I couldn't hit a flighted iron to save my life until I found the proper shafts. 

[Lefthook]

I have played a lot on the scottish links. Wind reduces the precision massively. Into a strong wind I’m happy to keep the ball in play and get it inside short game range. 
 

Down wind can be fun for driving, but it is very difficult to control distance and what happens after it lands. 
 

*scrambling mode and lower expectations*

[naval2006]

The winds the OP is talking about are really serious. Definitely you have to check your real expectations in such a weather condition. 

 

Hitting low shots is about finding a way that you feel comfortable with without looking like a juggler in front of the ball and practicing it until the shots just go off low and solid. And taking a lot less loft is a real helper. 

[Lefthook]

It is very tempting to overdo the "work the ball low" thing when the wind is up. Some times 4 or 5 clubs extra and a regular swing will get the job done.

 

Tom Watson - which is the modern times most frequent Open Champion said that he used his regular ball flight when the wind was up. His reasoning was that if you hit it solid, it will drift less.