Playing golf in the UK during the winter time can be tough. The cold, rain and wetter golf courses can certainly make our much loved sport more testing. However the wind is arguably the most difficult condition to play in. As well as severely punishing mis-hit shots, courses play longer, your ball gets blown further offline and it can even become difficult to address the ball at times.
I am going to highlight some key strategies that can help you improve your score next time you take to the course on a blustery winters day.
A common error I see from amateur playing partners is teeing the ball down and lashing at the ball when hitting into the wind. Although teeing the ball down can help to reduce the launch angle of the shot, it will often encourage a steep angle of approach which can create excessive backspin causing he ball to rise up more vertically into the wind and dramatically reduce carry distance.
Next time you play, try teeing the ball higher and focus on making a smooth swing and a solid strike. This will encourage you to hit upwards more, this may slightly increase the launch angle of the shot but, (providing the strike is good) it also tends to reduce backspin which helps the ball to hold its flight more and run out when it hits the fairway.
It can be a cruel game at times, even more so when the wind blows. We have all started a round by making a run of bogeys and this can be immensely frustrating. However the chances are a large portion of the field probably has too. Keeping your cool and focusing on the positives gives you a much better chance of rectifying the mistakes where other may not and plus, you have plenty of time to make those shots back
When you get to the course, check the wind direction and understand which holes will be playing easier and more difficult due to the conditions. You can then start to devise a strategy in your mind of which holes you can afford to play more aggressively and which you should perhaps approach with caution.
Having a plan allows you to let go of the early dropped shots and stop you from playing aggressively when you perhaps shouldn’t as you know how to get the shots back later in the round.
Having the ability to flight the ball lower in the wind can be a huge advantage. Keeping the ball lower often helps it bore through the wind for longer and stops the wind from buffering it around too much. Plus, a lower shot will often hit the ground sooner, which is a good thing if the shot is going offline!
A couple of tips of how to play the knock down shot
Allow 60%-70% of your weight to favour your left side. This will encourage a slightly steeper angle of approach which is good for decreasing loft.
Take extra club, you are much better off taking more club and swinging slower as this will help to reduce the amount of backspin on the shot stopping it from ballooning into the air.
Keep the back of the left hand facing the target for as long as possible through impact, this will help to reduce the amount of dynamic loft presented which is good for reducing launch and spin.
