Written by GOLFTEC
It can oppose your instincts, but swinging harder is NOT how to hit shots into the wind
When it comes to common golf advice clichés, there sure are some beauties floating around, aren’t there?
“See it, feel it, trust it.”
“Read it, roll it, hole it.”
“It’s all in the hips.”
“Keep your head down.”
Of course, the list goes on with many of these suggestive phrases that may encompass the best of intentions, but hold little water when it comes to the impact on your game.
One such phrase, however, can go a long way to helping you hit more greens on windy days: “When breezy, swing easy.”
Like many aspects of golf, there are multiple ways to approach hitting shots into the wind. One is channeling your inner Tiger and the “stinger” shot to flight the ball on a piercing trajectory that cuts through the breeze nicely. Another, perhaps easier method to hitting solid wind-beaters is pulling a longer club and swinging easy.
Because, when many golfers are faced with shots into the wind, their first instinct is often to hit the same club as they normally would and swing as hard as possible. That can add unwanted spin to the ball and more directional variability, however, meaning it immediately balloons up in the air and lands short and likely offline.
So, by taking one or two more clubs (a 5 or 6 iron, instead of a 7), moving the ball slightly farther back in your stance at address (the width of a ball or two) and maintaining a smooth swing instead of going all out, both spin and launch will remain low and the shot will be less affected by the wind.
The simple point? Instead of swinging for the fences when it’s windy out, force yourself to pull a longer club and swing less than full to keep the ball below the breeze!
It shouldn’t take more than a few successful shots to convince you to employ this course management strategy in your game for good.
In the video below, Brad Skupaka demonstrates the proper way to play shots into the wind, centered around the simple idea of taking more club and swinging easy.
GOLFTEC Canada is the Master Franchisor for GOLFTEC in Canada, currently operating 20 Improvement Centres across the country, from Vancouver to Ottawa, including in select Golf Town locations. In Canada, they teach more than 25% of all private lessons, with 70 Certified PGA of Canada Instructors as full time coaches across the country. In their private lesson facilities, they teach all levels of golfers, from beginners to aspiring tour players.