[Kim Haneul's FunFun Golf] "Is the Wind Blowing?" One Club, "The Wind Is Blowing!" Two Clubs

③How to Easily Read the Wind

The wind has been particularly strong this year.

Due to the strong wind, I paid extra attention during rounds. Both professional players and amateurs find the wind an unwelcome guest. When the wind blows strongly, your body tends to tense up. This causes your swing to speed up and you try to hit harder. When the spin amount increases, the ball tends to rise. In the case of headwinds, this results in a loss of distance. When it's windy, you should choose one or two clubs longer and swing lightly. A three-quarter swing rather than a full swing is advisable.

When facing a headwind, it is important to produce less spin. To emphasize again, hitting harder is a no-go. It only makes the wind affect the ball more. Calculating the headwind is not easy, and it can be confusing which club to choose. In such cases, a commonly used method is: if "the wind is blowing," add one club; if "the wind is blowing stronger," add two clubs; and if "the wind is very strong," add three clubs.

Tailwinds are also challenging for players. Although you might expect the distance to increase, it does not go as far as anticipated. A tailwind does not mean the ball will travel more than 20 meters farther. If you choose a shorter club because of the tailwind, you might face difficulties such as landing in hazards. When there is a tailwind, you should calculate that there will be more roll than carry. This is why controlling distance with a tailwind is more difficult.

When strong winds blow, you can also adjust the tee height to strategize. If the headwind is strong, tee the ball slightly lower. Do not finish the swing fully. For headwinds, move the ball position to the right and swing. However, amateur golfers might experience adverse effects when adjusting tee height and ball position. It is not easy to hit the sweet spot if you suddenly change these. You should practice teeing the ball lower or practice knockdown shots regularly.

A Sportainer and former 14-time winner on the Korea-Japan Tour

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.