Short Golf Shots in the Wind, Adapt to Conditions (Video) - by Pete Styles
Short Golf Shots in the Wind, Adapt to Conditions (Video) - by Pete Styles

I always feel that one of the greatest challenges as a golfer is going on the golf course in one of those windy days, at such, the golf course looks so differently. You're asked so many different questions of the shots that you're trying to play, particularly when you get short shots on a very windy day, three different types of wind directions normally, into the wind, down the wind where it's helping you and then side wing shots.

Now generally, the more you can keep the golf ball down and rolling across the floor, the less the wind will have an impact and an effect. I think the one thing I see amateurs often doing and club golfers often doing on the golf course is underestimating the hit of the wind. They're hitting their ball too high in the wind, expecting the wind not to have much influence. They always come up short playing into the wind, they always go over the back of the green playing down the wind and the side wind will always blow the ball into a bunker.

If you can play the ball lower for all three of these shots, the wind will have less an effect. So, play the ball back in your stance, take a less lofty golf club, grip down and play the ball a little bit softer. So, rather than hitting pitching wedges and throwing them up in the air and it blowing around too much, play the ball back and down, a less lofty golf club, take the height out of it, the wind will have less of an effect.

If you're playing from left to right, winds are right to left winds, allow a little bit of curve on the ball flight, almost like the ball is breaking along the green. You would aim a bit left, normal swing, let the ball move, right to left, same thing, aim right, let it move a little bit. But generally keep the rule, don't underestimate the strength of the wind, keep the ball down, play it safe and get it rolling across the floor, the wind will have less influence if the ball flight is lower.

 2012-12-03

I always feel that one of the greatest challenges as a golfer is going on the golf course in one of those windy days, at such, the golf course looks so differently. You're asked so many different questions of the shots that you're trying to play, particularly when you get short shots on a very windy day, three different types of wind directions normally, into the wind, down the wind where it's helping you and then side wing shots.

Now generally, the more you can keep the golf ball down and rolling across the floor, the less the wind will have an impact and an effect. I think the one thing I see amateurs often doing and club golfers often doing on the golf course is underestimating the hit of the wind. They're hitting their ball too high in the wind, expecting the wind not to have much influence. They always come up short playing into the wind, they always go over the back of the green playing down the wind and the side wind will always blow the ball into a bunker.

If you can play the ball lower for all three of these shots, the wind will have less an effect. So, play the ball back in your stance, take a less lofty golf club, grip down and play the ball a little bit softer. So, rather than hitting pitching wedges and throwing them up in the air and it blowing around too much, play the ball back and down, a less lofty golf club, take the height out of it, the wind will have less of an effect.

If you're playing from left to right, winds are right to left winds, allow a little bit of curve on the ball flight, almost like the ball is breaking along the green. You would aim a bit left, normal swing, let the ball move, right to left, same thing, aim right, let it move a little bit. But generally keep the rule, don't underestimate the strength of the wind, keep the ball down, play it safe and get it rolling across the floor, the wind will have less influence if the ball flight is lower.