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Six key thoughts for mastering a gusty British links
Weigh the wind First off, even when the wind is light on British links courses, you may well need to club up or down. Sea air is humid, which is easy to forget because it doesn’t make you feel muggy and uncomfortable. And remember, this is true sea level. Because of the altitude—the lack of it, actually—a 20 mph wind in Scotland has more effect than a 20 mph wind where I live in Florida, a hundred feet or so above sea level.
Befriend the breeze In general, the mistake most players make is to treat upwind shots like punishments and downwind shots like free rides. You have to think of it another way: You’re always using the wind. When it’s blowing hard in your face, take two or three extra clubs and thank the wind for guiding your ball down onto the green. If it’s blowing aggressively left to right, hit a ball left and let the wind bring it back toward the flag.
Assess the trajectory You should be thinking about trajectory as much as or more than you’re thinking about yardages. If you spent a whole round deciding how high to hit your shots before you select the club, you really might be on to something. Remember, you can hit different clubs the same height by choking down a little, moving the ball back in your stance or softening your arms. Experiment in fractions at first, not by making major adjustments.
On the tee, hit the three Into the wind you may need everything you’ve got, but when playing downwind don’t assume that the driver will give you the distance you normally generate plus bonus yardage—the wind can actually knock a drive down before it reaches its natural crest, cutting off carry. The three-wood produces more underspin and sends the ball higher. Your ball will keep its spin and stay up high, where the wind can extend its flight and push it down the fairway. Again, the wind is your ally.
Upwind, try soft arms One great tip for playing into heavy wind is to soften your arms. Feel yourself bending your left arm on the way back and your right arm on the way through. It’s something you have to experiment with, feeling very soft arms and a supersmooth swing action. The ball comes out like a plane taking off, and against the wind it will look like it’s in slow motion. In fact, it is holding its trajectory until it falls straight down.
Downwind, stay aggressive On downwind approach shots, don’t just lift the ball up in the sky and let it float forward. You’re better off playing these shots aggressively rather than passively. Hit a lower, driving type of shot and let it bounce short and run up. If you’ve nipped it properly, the ball will bite on the second hop and settle nicely.
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