I don’t hit the ball low, which would help in the wind. The key for me is solid contact. On shots off the ground, I move the ball back in my stance to strike the ball squarely. This isn’t a bad idea in general, especially from poorer lies. It also lowers ball flight.
It’s easy to lose your balance in the wind. I widen my stance for extra stability. That shortens my turn and makes it essential to keep a good rhythm in the swing. Gusty wind tends to create gusty swings. Rhythm should be the final thing you think about before you take the club back. Maintain an even rhythm in your swing on every shot.
Strategically, the common mistake is not to compensate enough for the wind. Know how far you hit it into the wind and downwind. A headwind hurts distance more than a tailwind helps. John Calabria, a Golf Digest technical advisor, says you lose about 18 yards of carry and roll for every 10 miles per hour of headwind. You gain only about 10 yards for every 10 mph of tailwind.
Always think two shots ahead. Ask yourself: Where is the easiest place from which to proceed if you miss the fairway or green? You don’t want to be pitching up a steep embankment to a pin that’s cut very close to you downwind. But you might not mind that shot into a strong wind.
Crosswinds accentuate the curve of your ball and affect your distance. For example, a slice with a left-to-right crosswind will carry farther and then roll farther after it lands at an angle. With a right-to-left crosswind the ball will slice less and go shorter.
By Calabria’s calibrations, we should aim 5 percent of the distance of the shot to the left or right of the target for every 10 mph of crosswind. The longer the shot, the more the crosswind will move it.
Remember that all principles of wind play apply to short shots as well as long shots. When I putt in wind, I widen my stance, bow my knees and crouch some for balance. You must stay steady over the ball. When chipping into the wind, think it’s easy to stop the ball. Chipping downwind, think it’s easy to make the ball roll.
