A Better Way to Play in the Wind

This is my 4th version of a wind formula and for this one I recruited Chris Broadie, engineer with PING, for his insights and ability to model shots in windy conditions. Please note that we did not merely come up with an idea and throw it out there. We both put a fair amount of our expertise and understanding into this. I hope you take the time to watch this video and learn from the formula…

Wind Data:

•  Gauge the wind by deciding if it’s 5, 10, 15 or 20mph. There is no need to be overly specific. Practice with an anemometer/wind meter will help calibrate the accuracy of how you gauge the wind. I use this model from Kestrel which I purchased on Amazon. Most golfers typically overestimate wind mph, but a quick weather app check will often serve as a good guide.

• Headwinds: the mph of wind will be the yards to add to distance. For example, 10mph of wind adds 10 yards to the distance the shot will play.

• Tailwinds: take half the mph of wind and make it the yards of distance to subtract. For example, 10mph of wind will subtract 5 yards from the distance the shot will play.

The above wind formula was created using fairly standard launch and spin conditions for everyday golfers. Keep in mind that wind performance is highly sensitive to trajectory and a higher trajectory will always lead to greater wind effect. Also, please keep in mind this is a rule of thumb to help you make better informed club selection choices. I am confident in it being fairly accurate for most golfers.

How to Deal with a Headwind

Controlling your golf ball in the wind is one of golf's greatest challenges. For quite a while now I have been asking my junior players to hit a 140 yard approach shot directly into whatever wind might be blowing that day and none of them have ever reached the flag! Now, part of this is ego and another part inexperience, but being a curious coach I wanted to do what I could to help them play these headwind shots effectively. At Savannah Harbor we have a double sided range and in the spring we can experience some strong winds. The double sided range means that I can hit shots into and down the same wind. Having TrackMan is a huge help here as it tracks the ball accurately throughout it's flight. Watch...

After quite a bit of testing on and off the golf course I have found that this formula produces positive results. Please keep in mind that hitting any shot in the wind is not exact science and there will always be a subjective side to selecting the appropriate club and shot.

1. Determine how many MPH of wind are blowing in your face
2. If its 12 MPH then add 12 yards per 100 yards of distance required
3. Determine what club you would need to hit the ball that distance
4. Take one additional club and play a knockdown type shot

Example scenario: For a 140 yard shot into a 20 MPH headwind. I would add 28 yards (20 yards per 100) to 140 to get to 168 which is a full 7 iron for me. I would thus take a 6 iron and hit a knockdown for this scenario.

You might wonder how you'd come to recognize the wind speed...? Experience certainly helps, but there's nothing against checking a weather app on your phone prior to going out to play to help you gauge wind speed. And remember - there is no such thing as a one club wind!

Thanks for reading and I hope this information helps you better control your ball in challenging windy conditions.