Being a Texas resident, playing golf in the wind comes with the territory. A lot of our courses resemble European links style courses – flat, open, and very windy. If you’ve never played links golf, you may not know that it takes a different style of play, especially on those days with wind gusts up to 25 mph.

The first thing you must learn if you expect to keep your scores under the triple digit mark is to hit a low-ball. The wind will not only take your golf ball wherever it wants, it’ll also dry out the fairway in a hurry. So, playing your shots low does two beneficial things. First, it keeps the detrimental effects of the wind to a minimum on your ball flight. Second, low shots run when they hit the ground, so with a dry fairway from all that wind, you may well end up with your ball laying as far down the fairway as it would have been with a regular shot – maybe even farther.

The other aspect of golfing in the wind that differentiates it from playing under normal conditions is your stance. The wind will be blowing you around as you attempt to address and strike your golf ball. By taking a wider stance, you give yourself a more solid base, reducing the wind’s effects that might otherwise move you just that tiny bit to wreck a good swing. It takes a bit of practice to perfect, primarily because a wider stance puts you a bit closer to the ball. Most golfers find that moving the ball back in their stance accomplishes what they need. First, it makes ‘ball first’ contact more likely, which is important because the tendency will be to hit the ground just behind the ball first when you take that wider stance. Second, you want the ball farther back in your stance anyway, in order to hit the low-ball.

If you’re frustrated by the wind where you play, a good tip is to practice on days when it’s especially bad. Get right in there and figure out what works for you in those conditions. Instead of fighting it and having a lousy time on the course, adapt and beat the pants off your playing buddies!