Playing golf in breezy conditions is a challenge. Playing golf in windy conditions can be downright puzzling and frustrating. If you play golf regularly, you better get comfortable playing in both types of conditions.
Here are some tips to play better and have more fun in the wind.
- Read the trees first, then the flag – if the limbs and leaves are casually moving, you’re likely playing in a one-club wind, which means you should take one more club; for example, instead of hitting a stock 8-iron, you should hit a 7-iron. If the limbs are rocking, be ready to hit 2-3 more clubs all the way through your utility/hybrid/3-wood.
- Take more club and swing smoother – Feel as if you are swinging 90%. You’ll never overpower the wind. If anything, if you overswing, your move will get out of sequence or you’ll impart too much spin. Fades turn into slices, and for better players, backspin can become unmanageable.
- Move the ball back in your stance – You’ll need to test this a bit. But right out of the gate, try moving the ball back in your stance one full ball.
- Make sure that 60% of your weight is on your front foot (left foot for righties) – If you’re doing this correctly, you will not only feel more weight on your front foot, but you’ll also feel the weight in your front thigh.
- 3/4 backswing, 3/4 follow-through – This is all feel and seeing your swing on video or in a reflection will help shorten things up. More than anything it’s a “feel.” Feel as if you are taking it back less at the top and finishing lower through your follow-through.
Below is a nice complimentary video to our lesson above.
Practice our tips on the range and then take out to the course a new, intentional approach to making better strikes in windy conditions.