Managing your game in the wind - Brief Article

When you watch the British Open (July 20-23), you'll see players trying to deal with the strong winds that come off the North Sea. Whether you're playing on that side of the Atlantic or this, learning how to play in the wind will improve your score.

Keep it low, even downwind

You're probably already familiar with the standard wind advice: Take a wider stance to provide a more stable base, and move the ball back in your stance to promote a lower ball-flight. Those basics are important, but they're only part of the picture.

Most players think you need to keep the ball low only when hitting into the wind. My goal is to have the wind affect all of my shots as little as possible, so I hit the ball lower even when the wind is helping or crossing. Wind can change at any moment, but you can estimate what the ball will do on the ground.

And give yourself more room for error. Forty feet away in the fat part of the green can be a good miss.

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