Wind is at least as much a golfer's enemy as him/herself. Mark Twain may have had some insight when he said, and I paraphrase, "If you want to interrupt your breathing, just think about it." The same thing can hold true for golf.
As we set up for a tee shot when the wind is blowing it's likely that we're going to get some ideas about how to compensate for the wind that will not lead to a positive outcome. We either feel a little stronger or we think that something should be done differently. Andy Podolak, the PGA professional at Fire Ridge GC begs to differ.
"Swinging harder when facing the wind on a tee shot will very likely result in a tee ball which will spin more with a resulting loss of distance. The most productive thought that you can have is to throttle back your effort and concentrate on making sure that the ball contacts the middle of the clubface", Podolak says.
"Making a swing at 80 to 85% of full effort is likely to produce a straighter, longer tee shot than to overswing....which usually results in a loss of balance and the negative consequences which are likely to follow."
Podolak also suggests that teeing the ball lower when hitting into the wind will enable the golfer to avoid the popups which we all dread. A narrower stance is also appropriate.
Conversely, when hitting downwind, we should widen our stance, tee the ball a little higher than the top edge of our drivers and play the ball somewhat more forward in the stance. This will likely result in a higher shot which will ride the wind making good use of the power which the wind provides. Again, the 80 to 85% effort will enable the player to maintain balance and tempo....perhaps the two most important elements in a swing which makes the best use of our physical resources.
Loss of distance puts pressure on other aspects of our games; whether because of the wind or because of our own faulty thinking. Podolak suggests the following: " Work on the parts of your game which shine. Your weaknesses are areas which have great potential for improvement but many of us somehow neglect the strongest aspects of our overall skill sets."
A friend who was suffering from an injured shoulder decided that rather than to stop practicing altogether, he would focus on chipping and putting as those skills didn't prolong the effects of the injury. As a result, he became one of the best short-game players in our group...despite his inability to hit the long ball.
Andy Podolak believes that if we are able to take what the game gives us, we can become improved players able to record the scores that we dream about.
Andy may be reached at Fire Ridge GC; 262-375-2252.
