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Playing in the WInd

• TarheelsRule 5,468 Posts

  Mon, Aug 30 2010 3:53 PM

  In real golf, I am considered a pretty good wind player, I can draw the ball and keep it low.  In WGT, I am a horrible wind player...while I am a master who has an average that hangs between 62 and 64, I find that I can not judge the wind well on this game.  I have actually had more success playing the wind, at St Andrews for example using the standard balls, instead of the higher spin balls.  It seems to me that downwind or into the wind is the same...bad.  I have had balls hit with a 30 mph wind, playing the 9 hole weekly that come up 7 to 10 yards short and other shots that miss that far long.  I had a large wind behind me on #5 today with 161 to the green.  Played a club that is rated at 160 with a spin ball.  Hit it 95% with full backspin and the ball went 140 yards didn't even get up the hill to the front pin placement.

  Any tips on this would be appreciated.  I am sure it has been addressed before.

• Sargenjd01 366 Posts

  Mon, Aug 30 2010 6:48 PM

  For me drawing the ball in on a cross wind has come with time and practice, personally I love a 20 MPH cross wind, I can draw it right in to the hole if I hit my mark. I have had the same happen to me tarheel and it can be a bit frustrating. Most of the time I find that if I had for example a 15 MPH wind to my back I at lets say 155, I will hit a 145 iron on full. But I do understand your situation. Of all the winds this seems to be the worst.

• TheZiggy 550 Posts

  Sat, Sep 4 2010 11:24 AM

  The biggest problem with the wind if you fail to ding the shot. The results can really throw things off badly. If you miss on the side the wind is coming from it can take a lot of power out of the ball, and on the other side, may cause it get carried a long way on the wind. If you're confident of doing these misses, you can use them to your advantage though.

  The second shot at hole 5 on St Andrews owes quite a bit to luck as it does to judgement. The big dip before you reach the green makes it a very difficult.

  If the pin is the position further back it is possible to try and fly a shot all the way onto the front left corner of the green and allow it run through and finish somewhere near the pin.

  However if the pin is right at the front, I use the punch shot quite a lot, as it's more likely to keep moving forward after the first bounce. The part though is judging it right, so you don't end up way down the far end of the green with a putt of over 150 feet.

  If the wind is really strong in your face making it hard to reach the green with the second shot, you're probably better off leaving the ball short, and giving yourself a nice wedge shot. Leaving myself 50 yards short works well for me, and barring a complete loss of coordination, usually gives me a decent birdie chance.

• Sargenjd01 366 Posts

  Sat, Sep 4 2010 12:05 PM

  here is what I mean by playing the wind and stopping at the ding line on the left or right side of the blue area's

  replay.aspx?ID=349c4ae5 bbb8 4c25 ba51 9dce00026e18

• trumpy959 99 Posts

  Sun, Sep 5 2010 12:32 AM

  Assuming you have factored the elevation changes correctly this adjustment is a good starting point for straight at you, or straight away from you. For crosswind's experiment taking a little more or less, depending on the direction.

    5mph = 2%

    7mph = 3%

  10mph = 4%

  12mph = 5%

  15mph = 6%

  17mph = 7%

  20mph = 8%

  Example's: 150 yards into a 20mph headwind is (150+8% = 162)

                       150 yards into a 20mph tailwind is (150-8% = 138)

                       150 yards into a 30mph headwind is (150+12% = 168)

                       150 yards into a 30mph tailwind is (150-12% = 132)

• saltiresfan 2,266 Posts

  Wed, Apr 11 2012 2:30 PM

  Hope it's ok to bump this but I've searched and not found a thread that really addresses the problem I'm having.

  Basically I'm finding it really hard to stop the ball on the green with tailwinds. It always hits and runs on through no matter how much backspin whereas with a headwind I can stop it dead. That means that I'm having to land it before the green and try to bump it on which can go wrong a lot. Obviously this is made worse by long irons.

  Do others have this problem? How do you stop the ball when hitting with the wind? Is it just a case of more expensive balls and clubs that can impart more spin?

• Bonez2k6 35 Posts

  Sun, Apr 15 2012 5:31 AM

  saltiresfan:

   

  Do others have this problem? How do you stop the ball when hitting with the wind? Is it just a case of more expensive balls and clubs that can impart more spin?

  Saltire,

   

     In headwinds, the ball will "balloon" up into the wind. On tailwinds, it gets knocked down, and will run on you. Once you get into the nike balls, its less of a run, but they still do. Level 11 Srixon balls, have literally no spin on them.

  
  Bonez

• chrisironsbones 3,524 Posts

  Sun, Apr 15 2012 6:57 AM

  This is my rough table i keep to for high lofted clubs: (R11's, burners)

  I've noticed different irons get effected more or less by wind, i.e a 180 yard shot taken with 6i might get effected by 7 yards per 10 mph wind, but if taken with 5i might get effected by 8 yards.

  60 yard wedge = 3 yards per 10 mph wind

  80 yard wedge = 4 yards per 10 mph wind

  100 yard wedge = 5 yards per 10 mph wind

  PW = 5 yards per 10mph wind 

  9i= 6 yards per 10 mph wind 

  8i & 7i = 6.5 yards per 10 mph wind 

  6i = 7 yards per 10 mph wind 

  5i = 8 yards per 10 mph wind

  4i = 9 yards per 10 mph wind

  3i = 10 yards per 10 mph wind

  On some holes my 180 yard 6i should go 188 yards with my nike balls so if i have 180 yard shot in 10 mph headwind i would use 180 yard 6i for 180 yard shot but if the wind was 15 mph, i would use the 5i with full spin, or a touch above full (knowing the 195 yard 5i is 190/191 with full spin)

  And also a punch shot wont get effected by the wind as much as a full swing

  Knowing how much extra yardage's you get from the Nike's are also a major factor in knowing what shot to use for that particular wind

• saltiresfan 2,266 Posts

  Mon, Apr 16 2012 1:32 AM

  Yeah, I've used up all my free Nikes and might actually have to buy some now...

  Thanks for the replies.

• Win1Soon 385 Posts

  Mon, Apr 16 2012 1:58 AM

  Always be mindful of loft and ball striking(dot) as well as ball brand.