How do you read wind and uphill/downhill distances?

[London424]

The bit I’ve struggled with most is committing to hitting a normal power shot accounting for the wind. 
 

Standing over a 155 yard shot with a club that goes 185 and a car park 30 yards long often leads to a 3/4 swing that inevitably comes up the 30 yards short that you’d allowed for. 
 

Silly brain. 

[larrybud]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:27 AM, RoyalMustang said:

Club selection is something that I need to work on. I know my carry distances and they are consistent. However, how can I gauge wind and elevation? Is there a rule for, say, a green that's 5 yards above the fairway? How about a wind rule? Sure, 10mph may equal a loss of 10%, but how do I know I'm facing a 10mph wind and not 15mph? 

 

The reason I ask: I had 160 to the pin last night, the green is a bit elevated (probably 3 yards) and I had a bit of a headwind. I played a full 8-iron (carry 171), flushed it, and landed it 5 yards short of my target. Another yard got me a decent birdie look, but instead I was buried in a bunker lip toward a short-sided pin. In effect, my 8-iron carried 155. 

 

Looking back, I probably had the wind short (I bet it was roughly 7 mph into my face, probably more like 10) and forgot about the elevation. Together, they cost me at least a stroke on what was a really good round till that point. 

 

Wind: 

Into: Add 1% per 1 mph

Into quartering: Add 0.7% per 1 mph

Downwind: Subtract 1/2% per 1 mph

Downwind quartering. Subtract 0.35% per 1 mph

See this:

https://www.golfleaguetracker.com/glthome/tools/windandtemperaturecalculator

 

Eg. You have a 160 yard shot into a 10 mph wind, add 16 yards. The shot plays as if it were 176 yards.

Into quartering 100 yard 10 mph wind.  0.7% per mph = 7%, so 100 + 7% = 107.

 

Works well up to winds of about 20 mph, then the formula breaks down a little. 

 

Check the wind speed on your phone before you play. It's generally consistent, and you'll learn wind speed as you do it more.

Edited September 16, 2023 by larrybud