Playing In The Wind...
 

Jeff (and others), It's spring here in Indiana, which means lots of wind. I'm curious about what kind of strategies you employ when playing in the wind - both a mild wind and the 20-30+ variety.

The course I usually play has small, fast, domed greens, and I'm having a hard time hitting them in a strong wind, especially from the scoring areas - 150ish and in. Outside that yardage, and I can punch in a mid iron or smooth a long iron and have actually been closer to the pin than when I'm approaching from inside that yardage. I guess I need to work on some softer, smoother punch shots with my wedges and short/mid irons??

Strong punch shots with short swings!
 

Hi Bambam.

My 2 cents on it:

It's pretty windy those days here near Paris and the greens where I play are pretty hard and rolling.

Under these conditions, the priority is to be consistent: to achieve consistency we must not allow the wind to catch the ball and play with it.
Therefore, the solution is to hit it low - Ok, sorry, everyone knows that!

But low trajectories on hard greens can only stick with tons of backspin applied to the ball.

So the solution for me is to hit strong punch shots :monky: - short backswing, short followthrough with a strong downward blow!

You talk about "doing smoother punch shots with the wedges" but I think you will still hit it too high with not enough backspin.
How about taking, say, a 9 iron instead of a SW and punch it strong with a half lengh stroke? Should do the same yardage but with a lower trajectory and lots of sticky backspin?

you nailed the problem I'm having. A hard punch with a wedge goes high enough that the wind plays with it, smooth shoots don't hold the small, hard greens. I like the idea of the hard, punched half strokes; I'll give it a try, thanks!

not really a conventionnalist, but i usually just take more club and dont change much of anything, maybe a tad smoother swing.

That's exactly what I do on a 'normal' course, but it's not worked well at all on the course I've been playing. The greens don't hold without lots of spin, and since the greens are mounded, running the ball onto the green is very unreliable. I can usually get away with that technique in a 10-15 mph wind; it's when the wind really starts blowing that I'm chipping onto the green all day.

Plains Talk about wind!
 

It blows like heck here in Oklahoma...with very little to break the wind. Monday the gusts were almost up to 40 mph. Trying to take the backspin off it as you say does not help in terms of holding greens so I approach wind shots a little differently. I hit controlled pull shots. Shut face...shaft lean = low and left...I just adjust to accomodate the pull. I hit low screamers with more backspin than I get from low speed knuckle-ball version. It feels like I am coming over the top of it with a closed clubface i.e. pretty easy move to make!

Pretty hard move to get me not to make...just ask Ted! :)

Do you fight any snap hooks doing that?

Sidespin or not?
 

Very interesting, I'll give it a try asap!
From your description I assume this will put a draw spin on the ball: Won't that make it roll more when it touches the green?
Why not using the fade version of this shot? A low punched cut? I should stick a lot better? :scratch:

However, if you really hit TRUE pull shots (ball going left with no sidespin) with 10-5-C (closed stance) why not using a less lofted club with 10-5-A (square) :scratch:?

Less is more
 

I have actually had some of my best success when it blows very hard because it makes me focus on rhythm and pace more than anything else. I never try to overpower the ball when it is windy because more speed equals more spin which is bad in the wind.

I think most players swing to hard into the wind AND downwind which gets them of their game. I use the less is more philosophy when playing in the wind. Less effort into the wind with less loft. Use more loft downwind with the same effort and you will see better results.

I don't have this shot. What's the pattern?

More From the Best
 

This is a Hall of Fame post.

We have a Hall of Fame, don't we?

Bambam . . .

Let's talk.

Jeff . . .

Thanks!

:golf:

Christy O'conner.....from 140 with a mashie......
 

Our friends on the Emerald Isle are experts at this. Hey, where are the Irish guys........St Patricks day was almost three weeks ago!

Hogan it is said would knock down his shots when hitting into the wind or down wind. Seve used to take three clubs too many and swing easy.

OB

Pull!
 

For ME, it is key not to overdo the closed clubface. The more left the face looks the more likely you are to put hook spin on it, and the tougher it is to come completely over the top of it. I believe this is the logic behind closed faced drivers. I am a bit obsessive about seeing the straight plane line. I do not pull the trigger until I can "see" it (OK I do on occassion but it ain't pretty) To have little or no sidespin (which is desirable into the wind) I focus on the leading edge of the club and then construct a line perpindicular to it i.e. my plane line. I then do my best to trace that line. It results in a lower pull shot...which I am aiming for. Yes, you absolutely can just hit it straight with a less lofted club, no doubt. I sheepishly have to admit to you that the OTT "feel" is easy to repeat. Of course I am not OTT of the plane line. Is is just something I figured out a while back. I do not yet and perhaps never will acquire the skill to amp down lag pressure on full golf shots...when it counts. Like Golfnome said most people hit it too hard up and downwind. The pull allows me to hit it hard and low. I do not think I play one round of golf without hitting at least 6 pully wind shots.

I agree totally, this past Sunday I shot a UnoCal (76) (gas station chain in Calif) with the wind blowing 25 mph on a course with a slope of 130 using the approach golfgnome mentions.

I would love to shoot a Phillips (66) :)

I lower my ballstriking expectations. I don't expect to hit 14 greens and shoot around par if my putter is hot or not. Instead, I start to accept the fact that I'll probably hit something like 9 greens and I'll have to make up for it with good chipping putting. Try and keep stuff out of major troubles and let the short game do its job. That and realize you'll have to hit a lot of half shots. Half shots into the wind, half shots with the wind.

And as they say in FLA, 'when it's breezy, swing easy.'




3JACK

Here is a favourite approach shot of mine when its really howling .....three club wind or so.

I use a stance and swing exactly like a super smooth 3/4 sand wedge shot......but with way more club than normal. So narrow stance, no release swivel, short ish back and through, a sweeping smooth easy tempo and a 5 iron or 6 iron or whatever will get me the required distance at such a light lag pressure. The ball comes out dead, with hardly any spin and just cuts through the wind.

I visualize the shot as if it is a 75 yard wedge shot despite the club in my hand or the distance Im going.

Its a great shot on par 3's. Your friends who try and fight the wind may call you by your wifes name for bit but you can often point who is closest to the pin.

Advice form Ireland
 

Some advice from Ireland where it is always windy:
1) Play the longest club possible - This keeps spin down
2) Keep your chest on top of shot to keep it low
3) Never hit a short iron 100% - Aim for 75% max
4) Don't get too handsy - Good pivot is key - Its easy too get way too much handsy in wind
5) Weight on left to keep ball down
6) Remember your acquired motion
7) Keep patient!

Great notes Sean. Thanks.

"Play the longest club possible". I love that advice. The guys who have it the other way around are great to play a match against when in strong winds.

Number 4 reminds me of Hogan's "arm shot". As in "Im going to arm me a little 7 iron". We TGM enthusiasts can also note that he didnt Swivel back onto the inclined plane at Finish and employed an Angled Hinge Action. No doubt leaving him with its associated "no roll" feel in the hands. One man's "arm shot" is another man's "no roll" sensation in the hands. Wind or no wind this is a good shot to have in the arsenal.


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