What's to know about golf in the wind

Ballesteros slashes a ball through the wind

Modern golf balls are made to be less affected by the wind than their traditional 'ancestors' but they are still liable to require adjustment in loft, the position of the hands on the grip or the ball in the stance.

We know - or should know - that playing a shot into the wind, demands taking 'more club' (one with less loft), while playing with the wind, requires you must hit less club (more loft). But it's not always as simple as that as we know from the average scores in pro tournaments - they're always higher when it's windy.

While golfers are usually able to make a rough measurement of the speed of the wind at ground level - usually sprinkling blades of grass at eye level - they don't always realise that the speed of the wind varies with height above the ground.

The golf ball tends to move more in the air at a higher point where wind speed is greater and gusts can add even more uncertainty to a golfer's calculations, while spin and trajectory have to be taken into consideration, too.

Golfers talk about a 'one, two, three or even four club wind' but what does this really mean? And has anyone scientifically made a study of the difference in yards between a driver, for example, hit downwind in a 10 mph breeze or into a 10 mph headwind?

Obviously there are sophisticated trajectory simulation programmes available but as a rule, a head wind will tend to hurt the flight of your ball a little more than a tail wind will help it.

Take a 250-yard drive for example. A 10 mph the tail wind will usually increase distance (as opposed to a still day) by about nine yards but a 10 mph headwind will hurt by 13 yards with a normal trajectory.

However, as many of us have found, this can change, depending on the spin and trajectory you put on the ball. I've played into a head wind at Royal Portrush on Ulster's Irish Sea coast where the ball has almost blown back over my head because I've got it airborne too quickly into a headwind.

The trick is to de-loft the club - ball back in the stance hands a little forward - to keep the ball low and reduce the wind's effects.

Wind turbulence at 50 to 100 feet can also be a factor, and difficult to quantify when playing a spinning short iron. There might be a head wind when you launch the ball, but when the ball reaches its peak three to five seconds later, it may experience a tailwind. Any of you who have played a short hole where the green is protected by tall trees, will appreciate how difficult it can be to hit the right club because of the quirky gusts that can prevail.

Norman easy when it's breezy

One of the greatest wind players Johnnie Miller once told me his secret for driving into the wind was not, as you might expect, to tee it low to keep it low.

"That causes a tendency to strike down on the ball and impart spin which can really effect the ball through the air. My best tip is to tee it high and hit it solid, " said the multi-major champion.

Greg Norman had his own saying "in the breeze swing with ease," which amounts to similar advice.

So what about cross winds?

Playing a crosswind is the most condition a golfer faces - it will magnify any spin on the ball and greatly reduce distance - especially if you're one of the 85 per-cent of golfers who slice the ball.

Try to use these winds to your advantage. If you want the ball to land softly, try to curve or fade the ball into a right to left crosswind. If you want more distance, ride the wind by curving it in the same direction as the crosswind, allowing a little more lee-way down the left-hand side. The opposite applies if you're a drawer or hooker of a golf ball. Try to hold it up against a left to right wind or aim a little more to the right and play your normal shot if you want the ball to run with the wind.

Most important in any windy situation is to grip down a touch for better control and hit the ball solidly. A well-struck ball will be much less affected than a miss-hit shot with side spin.