Swing Easy when it’s Breezy
By Sean Fawcett
Playing golf in high winds is tough enough, but we only make it harder on ourselves when we do. That’s often the case when hitting into the wind. The natural tendency is to swing harder to get the distance we’re losing by hitting into the wind. The problem is that the wind will balloon the ball upwards into the sky making the shot come up short (and the harder we swing, the higher the ball will go). It’s why airplanes take off into the wind. The air resistance helps to elevate the aircraft. Airplanes need that air pushing back on them to create lift and lift off. Planes need resistance. The other thing which hurts us is that any spin we have put onto the ball, and most occurr accidentally, like with a slice will curve all the more because of the wind’s resistance. You really cannot muscle the ball through the wind by hitting the club you would normally hit from the distance that you are hitting from. You cannot hold back the tide. You have to play with the wind, and especially when it is against you. So, instead of trying to hit a hard pitching wedge from say 110 yards, like you would normally do when the wind isn’t against you, hit a nine iron and swing a little easier. Depending upon the wind speed, you might even have to choke down a little more and take an even longer club, like an eight iron, from that very same distance. Don’t let your ego get into your way. You might even need to use a driver on a 200 yard, or 180 yard, par 3 that’s playing into a three club wind, sometimes. I have had to do that many times, and I wouldn’t have reached the green, or carried the water, if I hadn’t taken the extra club. It’s just the way it goes.
Sean is a Linwood Country Club professional and college golf coach with twenty years of scholastic coaching experience. Sean teaches at Ronnie O’Toole’s Golf Hospital and Pro Shop. Lessons by appointment. Call Ronnie’s at 609-377-8128.
