Golf is played in all weather conditions and golfers are faced with challenges that differ every single time they step out onto the golf course. But given the choice most golfers would prefer to playing under clear blue skies and mild temperatures, with little or no wind. But I feel that you should actually embrace the wind and rain and learn to enjoy playing in these far from ideal conditions.
Playing in the wind and rain makes the challenge we face harder, more unpredictable, but if we shy away from playing in such conditions, we never really get to test ourselves, or prepare for the fact that we may have to play a competitive match in such conditions. Without having taking the time to train or play in similar or worse conditions we are likely to find it difficult to adapt our games.
It is the ability to adapt that ultimately makes us better golfers, but playing in the wind and rain is no fun, I hear you say! Forget that, I go back to something I read in a Harvey Penick book “You don´t have to play, you get to go and play”. Approaching the courses in the same manner regardless of the conditions will immediately put you in a commanding position over your opponents who are thinking that they would rather be somewhere else than trudging down the fairway, crouched beneath an umbrella. They are already negative and preparing for defeat.
When I was a junior golfer, I loved practicing in the wind and rain, I felt the additional challenge the weather conditions presented were fun, and generally not the norm. Club members would consider me crazy or stupid when I headed out on the course to play when the rain was teeming down, but I loved it and deep down I knew that days like those would hold me in good stead when it came to tournament rounds in less than ideal conditions.
To this day, even though I live in a country that suffers less than 30 days of rain a year, I would still head out in the rain or wind if I had planned to play. It shouldn´t stop you, if the course is open, then it is safe to play, so go play.
There are few tips that I can give for playing in horrid conditions, but there are a few that will make it much easier;
1 – Take extra gloves and towels (stored in a plastic bag)
2 – Swing easy
3 – Keep a towel under the umbrella and put the umbrella down before each shot (you don´t want to have to run after it when a gusts takes hold)
4 – Keep warm
5 – Wrap a towel around the hosel of the clubs in the bag (it helps to keep them dry)
But the biggest piece of advice is to embrace the wind and the rain, don´t hate them, enjoy them.
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