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Play Golf In The Wind Like A Pro As golfers, we look forward to our next tee time the way school kids obsess over summer vacation. Constantly checking the weather forecast for our round of golf is just part of the routine. But what do you do when you see that gust-of-wind icon clouding your precious golf hours? Some golfers fear playing in the wind, but you can learn how to master the wind and "blow away" your opponents just by applying these few tips to your game: PLAYING INTO A HEADWIND First, this saying might sound a little cliché, but it's true… swing easy when it's breezy. Which means, resist the urge to swing harder just because you're hitting into the wind. That'll throw off your timing and balance; two things you don't want to sacrifice in windy conditions. A harder swing also increases your spin rate. Spin causes a ball hit into a headwind to balloon high into the air, destroying distance. The truth is most people can't beat a strong wind just by swinging harder. It only makes the shot worse. PLAYING INTO A TAILWIND On the flip side, when you're playing into a tailwind, you need to put some spin on the ball to keep it in the air. Since your ball flies a little farther with the help of a tailwind, this is a perfect time to club down, hit a Pitching Wedge instead of a 9-iron, for example, and make a full swing. The spin will ensure your ball stays in the air and help it land steeper and stop faster. PLAYING INTO A CROSSWIND Wind swirls, and golf courses zigzag. That means you're likely to find yourself negotiating a crosswind much more often than a direct headwind or tailwind. Similar to a headwind and tailwind, a crosswind has a greater impact as the wind speed increases. Learning how to negotiate a crosswind can seriously help you succeed on a windy day. If you tend to hook or slice the ball, a crosswind will exaggerate that miss. If you have the ability to shape the ball in either direction (hitting a draw or fade on command), your ideal option when hitting into a crosswind is to hit the shot shape opposite of the wind. If you hit a shot that rides the wind, that ball flight will get exaggerated and you're more likely to lose control of the shot. BY THE NUMBERS TrackMan University presents some very interesting findings on how headwinds and tailwinds impact the flight of a golf ball. TrackMan University: Wind Impact on 140 Yard Shot Wind 5 MPH 10 MPH 15 MPH 20 MPH 25 MPH Headwind -5.4 -11.9 -19.6 -28.4 -38.4 Tailwind +4.4 +7.7 +10.1 +11.7 +12.5 There are two main takeaways from this information. First, a headwind hurts your distance to a greater degree than a tailwind helps. Second, the greater the wind speed, the larger percentage of hurt or help the wind will have. BLOW AWAY THE COMPETITION If you're playing golf on a windy day, the chances are good that most of your opponents are frustrated, unconfident, and psyched out because of the conditions. Now that you know how to attack a round of golf in blustery conditions, you will have the confidence in your game that you can still post your best round. By preparing for how much wind you will encounter, knowing how to read the wind on any given shot, understanding how different winds affect different shots, and how to hit successful shots into all wind types, you're ready to "blow away" your competition. Good Golfing! ~ Brian Garlington, PGA | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | APRIL 2023 | 23

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