How to Play Golf in the Wind

Mark Oswald
General Manager
The Highlands at Dove Mountain in Marana, AZ.
Marana, AZ
oswaldpga@gmail.com

More Information

Most golfers have a difficult time playing in the wind. Here are some tips to help you play better on those windy days.

• Play the ball back in your stance for lower iron and fairway wood shots. Any shot that is played off the ground will go lower in the air if you move it back more to the center of your stance. By moving the ball back in your stance you will hit the ball with less loft on the clubface. This relates to a lower more boring shot into the wind.

• Play the tee shot more forward in your stance. This is just the opposite of the ball played on the ground. The reason the tee shot is played forward is that the ball is struck on the upswing. The further back you play this ball the more under the ball you hit and the higher it goes.

• Widen your stance. Balance is the key to any good wind player. Poor balance directly relates to missing the clubface at impact. Widening your stance widens your base to swing from. This larger base allows you to maintain your balance and strike the clubface more solidly.

• Work on your tempo. Slow your swing down, take more club and play the wind. Don’t fight the wind! Most golfers will speed up their swing to compensate for the loss of distance the wind will create. In speeding up your swing, you change your tempo and balance again is lost while swinging the club.

For lessons, please contact Mark at moswald@orovalleycountryclub.com or acceleratedgolfacademy.com.

Correction: In last month’s article on shaft fitting, I made a mistake in referencing the flex point of the shaft and how this will affect trajectory. I apologize for this error, I have written on this topic many times over the past 25 years and this time I reversed the affects that the flex point has on the ball trajectory. If you are looking for a higher ball flight, look at shafts with lower flex points to help launch the ball higher. If you want a lower ball flight you will want a higher flex point to help keep the ball lower.  Check with the manufacturers and your PGA Golf Professional to assist you in finding the right shaft for you. Thank you to the reader who brought this error to my attention.