When the wind is blowing, beginner golfers will often consider how this will change the direction of the ball when playing off the tee. However, many do not think about the impact the wind will have when playing wedge shots.
What can seem like an easy wedge shot to the green can become a lot more difficult in wind and does not always need a strong wind for the conditions to become a problem. A breeze can also cause an issue when playing wedge shots.
Hitting wedge shots in the wind is challenging but can be dealt with if you know how. Today, we have some tips for playing wedge shots in the wind.
If you are playing a wedge shot downwind, in other words the wind is blowing away from you, towards the green, there is a danger the ball could travel beyond the green and into the trouble behind.
Try positioning the ball far back in your stance and closing the club face. Hit the shot aggressively and this should see the ball travel on a lower trajectory, eliminating much of the impact of the wind yet the spin on the ball will prevent it from travelling beyond the back of the green.
If you are playing a wedge shot to the green against a strong wind, try using a pitching wedge, 9 iron or 8 iron but play the shot with an easy swing. This should produce a lower ball flight and the spin on the ball will be minimal. By flying lower, the wind will not have as much impact on the ball and even though the shot will land ahead of the green, the lack of spin means it will roll on to the putting surface.
Clearly there cannot be a hazard between you and the green when playing this shot but it is a great way to control the ball when playing wedge shots into a strong wind.
Sometimes the wind will be blowing across you and when playing a wedge shot in a cross wind, the ball will turn in the wind all the way to the green, including the bounce. You may be surprised when playing a shot in a cross-wind to see how much trouble the wind can cause even after the ball has bounced.
You need to use your own judgement when playing a wedge shot in a cross-wind. If the wind is coming from left to right, you will need to aim more to the left than usual to account for the wind and vice-versa. Remember to account for the fact the ball will continue to be affected by the wind even after the first bounce and you will avoid any nasty surprises.
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