The answers for playing in the wind
It was great to have the sun shining on Memorial Day at Ivanhoe Club on Monday.
Temperatures were in the 70s, but unfortunately for the members their scores were not. The wind was a constant 20-25 mph with gusts better than 30 mph. Unusually high scores were the standard.
Ivanhoe Club member Joe C. stopped into the golf shop and suggested I offer some advice to Daily Herald readers on playing golf in windy conditions. Great idea Joe, and here's my advice.
1. When hitting into the wind and depending on how hard it is blowing, take at least one more club and choke down on it (this promotes a shorter, more compact swing). Choking down on the club will lower the ball flight and will not let the wind affect it as much. In addition, and especially when hitting an iron shot, playing the ball back in your stance will aid in lowering the ball flight.
2. In crosswinds, adjust your aim either more to the right or left to allow for the wind, but still choke down to keep your ball flight lower.
3. On shots downwind, take at least one club less as the ball will carry farther. Also on downwind shots, the wind actually keeps the ball flight slightly lower than normal, so that needs to be factored into your pre-swing calculations.
4. Putting in extremely windy conditions can cause the ball to roll offline when it's blowing from either the right or left. It also can cause putts to come up short into the wind and roll out past the cup downwind. Making adjustments in your putting strategy when windy is vital to help eliminate possibly three putts.
Finally, I know everybody has heard the phrase “when breezy, swing easy.”
You know what? It works.
Ask the Pro:
If you have a golf question, please submit it to golftips@ivanhoeclub.com for future consideration. While I can't answer every question, I'll include ones of general interest in future columns.
• Jim Sobb is the PGA director of golf at Ivanhoe Club in Ivanhoe, IL. A member of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame, Sobb is a three-time winner of the Illinois PGA Championship, with eight major championships in Illinois PGA events overall, and is a two-time Illinois PGA Golf Professional of the Year. For more on Jim and Ivanhoe Club, the home of the 2017 Rust-Oleum Championship (June 5-11), visit ivanhoeclub.com.