Question:
So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind when you set it down it’ll blow over. Highlight of the 1/2 round was on the 7th hole, 400-ish yard par 4 dead upwind. I hit a "good" drive maybe 10-15 feet in the air but didn’t even get inside the marked sprinkler heads. Next shot was a very low shot with a 14 degree club that got me to 115-120 yards from the green. I pondered the situation briefly and decided that a smooth low 6 iron was the ticket. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a ball move quite like that … it went straight at the green nice and low for a while, then it must have gotten high enough that a different stream of wind got hold of it (the wind moves rather strangely across the mounds on this course), and it shot up and turned left like someone was steering it by remote control. Finished pin high just off the left though. I figure about a 5 club wind. Oof. Pace was great, no one on the course (fancy that) but I bagged it after 9 holes because I didn’t fancy getting caught out in hail/lightning/ torrential downpours, all of which were clearly present in the neighborhood towards the end. -joseph
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–So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked –up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you –have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning –and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind –when you set it down it’ll blow over. — –Highlight of the 1/2 round was on the 7th hole, 400-ish yard par 4 –dead upwind. I hit a "good" drive maybe 10-15 feet in the air but –didn’t even get inside the marked sprinkler heads. Next shot was a –very low shot with a 14 degree club that got me to 115-120 yards from –the green. I pondered the situation briefly and decided that a smooth –low 6 iron was the ticket. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a ball move –quite like that … it went straight at the green nice and low for –a while, then it must have gotten high enough that a different stream –of wind got hold of it (the wind moves rather strangely across the –mounds on this course), and it shot up and turned left like someone –was steering it by remote control. Finished pin high just off the –left though. I figure about a 5 club wind. Oof. — –Pace was great, no one on the course (fancy that) but I bagged it –after 9 holes because I didn’t fancy getting caught out in hail/lightning/ –torrential downpours, all of which were clearly present in the neighborhood –towards the end. — It’s never fun playing with a heavy breeze… I played one local course last year when the wind was about 50kph gusting to 60. First hole a 600 yard par 5 with the wind comming from the front-left. The fairway is incredibly large (something like 50 yds wide). I still had to aim to the left edge of the fairway to guarantee my ball staying in bounds! I too packed it in after 9 holes, with all the dust being kicked around it was difficult keeping an eye on your ball! 5 out of 4 Americans have problems with fractions. —Matt Willprecht
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So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind when you set it down it’ll blow over.
do you expect me to believe this crap? "Someone likes every shot" bk
Response:
The only times of late I’ve gone out knowing I’d be playing in very windy conditions was in Aruba. Fierce trade winds from the NE quadrant are the norm – often as high as 30 knots [about 35 mph]. Not only are you dealing with guessing for length up & down wind, but the shots with a dead crosswind are challenging. My rule-of-thumb is about 1 club per net 10 mph up & down and 5 yds aim left or right per 10 mph net crosswind. This level of wind also significantly affects putting. Getting back to the gentle breezes of Carolina is always a pleasure! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind when you set it down it’ll blow over.
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Next shot was a very low shot with a 14 degree club that got me to 115-120 yards from the green. I pondered the situation briefly and decided that a smooth low 6 iron was the ticket. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a ball move quite like that … it went straight at the green nice and low for a while, then it must have gotten high enough that a different stream of wind got hold of it (the wind moves rather strangely across the mounds on this course), and it shot up and turned left like someone was steering it by remote control. Finished pin high just off the left though. I figure about a 5 club wind. Oof.
I know the feeling Joseph. We have an elevated tee par 3 (155 yds) that I’ve hit everything from SW to 3 iron. Normally it is a smooth 8. The thing that makes it tricky (because it is a large target) is that the green is plateaued. If you hit the right edge it’ll careen out of bounds. Over the back and you have a high flop to a severely slope away from you. Left is high field grass. Have to learn the punch without pulling on occasion. 
Scott – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – -joseph
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: So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked : up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you : have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning : and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind : when you set it down it’ll blow over. : : Highlight of the 1/2 round was on the 7th hole, 400-ish yard par 4 : dead upwind. I hit a "good" drive maybe 10-15 feet in the air but : didn’t even get inside the marked sprinkler heads. Next shot was a : very low shot with a 14 degree club that got me to 115-120 yards from : the green. I pondered the situation briefly and decided that a smooth : low 6 iron was the ticket. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a ball move : quite like that … it went straight at the green nice and low for : a while, then it must have gotten high enough that a different stream : of wind got hold of it (the wind moves rather strangely across the : mounds on this course), and it shot up and turned left like someone : was steering it by remote control. Finished pin high just off the : left though. I figure about a 5 club wind. Oof. : : Pace was great, no one on the course (fancy that) but I bagged it : after 9 holes because I didn’t fancy getting caught out in hail/lightning/ : torrential downpours, all of which were clearly present in the neighborhood : towards the end. Sounds like a good day for a -10 degree one iron. cb
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Hell, if the course had been firm and dry it would have been a good day for a putter. But it’s not really suitable for stroke play in weather like this because it’s so soft and wet around the greens. It would make for a fun match though! By the way, it’s not a one iron, it’s a -6 iron, or if it’s Callaway or Cobra, a -5 iron. -joseph – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sounds like a good day for a -10 degree one iron.
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: By the way, it’s not a one iron, it’s a -6 iron, or if it’s : Callaway or Cobra, a -5 iron. Oh. Well, I had my irons set strong so that for me that’s a 1 iron. My lob wedge is 23 degrees. cb
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<evidence snipped Joseph H. Hall, for the unpardonable sin of admitting to hitting a middle iron less than 200 yards you are hereby stripped of your posting priviledges in the newsgroup rec.sport.golf. Due to the heinious nature of the violation, your penalty is doubled to the maximum allowed by the RSG Charter. Your posting priviledges are therefore suspended for a period of not less than 5 minutes. This kangeroo court is now adjourned. ;-D — Dan Driscoll Member USGA, NCGA RSG FAQ: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html RSG Roll Call http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/driscolld.htm
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Wow, if my lob wedge were like that I’d hit it 220 all the time. I had my bent a little weak so that it’s about 88 degrees. Handy for those steep sided bunkers. -joseph – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : By the way, it’s not a one iron, it’s a -6 iron, or if it’s : Callaway or Cobra, a -5 iron. Oh. Well, I had my irons set strong so that for me that’s a 1 iron. My lob wedge is 23 degrees.
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Have to learn the punch without pulling on occasion.
Well I swing lefty so this one was cut a little, if anything. But I can "pull my punches" with the best of them. :-[ -joseph
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Aha! finally a distance with which I can identify! (with no wind, though). ((I actually get a bit more than 115 with my 6, even in non-RSG yards, but what the heck?)) — Peter "Play each round as if it was your last." RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/straussp.htm
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Sounds like a good day for a -10 degree one iron.
My guess is that the -10* is best used in a -25 to -40 mph wind. — Peter "Play each round as if it was your last." RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/straussp.htm
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So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind when you set it down it’ll blow over.
I played in Ireland at Old Ballybunion and Lahinch in winds that were 40-50mph sustained, with higher gusts. I was hitting 3/4 punch shots (which I thought of as long "chip shots" mentally) with a two iron for approach shots. I was able to get about 125 with it on level ground, with maybe 15-20 yards roll. For tee shots I hit the same 2 iron shot, but I hooded it for lower flight and extra roll, and on a few fast fairways managed as much as 200 yards, with half it of on the ground. That’s versus around 225 on the fly for my 2 iron under normal conditions. So that’s what, about a 10 club wind 
— Doug Siebert If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
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So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind when you set it down it’ll blow over.
Oh, forgot the best part. My dad has one of those "stand up bags" (I still use the old fashioned kind that you just lay down) and he stood it into the wind like you say and it STILL blew down constantly. He had to give up and lay it flat like mine. — Doug Siebert If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
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I stay inside and drink beer on days like that. But–I’d love to play your courses when the weather settles down. Maybe you’d like to play with Mr Hall and myself out here in the desert when its 120 degrees and NO wind? Brad – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind when you set it down it’ll blow over. Oh, forgot the best part. My dad has one of those "stand up bags" (I still use the old fashioned kind that you just lay down) and he stood it into the wind like you say and it STILL blew down constantly. He had to give up and lay it flat like mine. — Doug Siebert If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
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I played Nairn once which is in northern Scotland. The wind was blowing 50 miles an hour gusting to 70. Even by Scottish standards, that was a little extreme. I just had to play 9 holes just for the experience. There were two parallel par 4s about the same length in opposite directions. Going downwind, I nearly drove the green. I turned around and hit driver, driver, driver and was still just short.
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14 Feb 2001: Joe, I enjoy your posts. I just got back from Phoenix and played Troon North (Monument) on Tuesday the 13th in the wind and rain. My playing partners quit after 12, but I finished and shot a 92. I tried to send you an e-mail, but your return e-mail address doesn’t seem to be working. Bill Hogsett
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14 Feb 2001: Joe, I enjoy your posts. I just got back from Phoenix and played Troon North (Monument) on Tuesday the 13th in the wind and rain. My playing partners quit after 12, but I finished and shot a 92.
I don’t know if that’s your first time around or not but 92 isn’t that bad even in decent weather. Most of the harder desert courses play 5-10 strokes harder until you have played them close to a dozen times. The weather Tuesday was vile and unpleasant but Wednesday late it got really ugly, with a pretty good light show …. -joseph
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damn, that’s a breeze!!!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I played Nairn once which is in northern Scotland. The wind was blowing 50 miles an hour gusting to 70. Even by Scottish standards, that was a little extreme. I just had to play 9 holes just for the experience. There were two parallel par 4s about the same length in opposite directions. Going downwind, I nearly drove the green. I turned around and hit driver, driver, driver and was still just short.
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I have a tough time empathizing with anybody that is golfing in February…Wah….you couldn’t break 200 on my course today…. Lorry, sulking in the frozen north – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 14 Feb 2001: Joe, I enjoy your posts. I just got back from Phoenix and played Troon North (Monument) on Tuesday the 13th in the wind and rain. My playing partners quit after 12, but I finished and shot a 92. I don’t know if that’s your first time around or not but 92 isn’t that bad even in decent weather. Most of the harder desert courses play 5-10 strokes harder until you have played them close to a dozen times. The weather Tuesday was vile and unpleasant but Wednesday late it got really ugly, with a pretty good light show …. -joseph
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This reminds me of the windiest day I played in. It was a Jan 1st and I was on a trip in the south of France, and I had a tee time on a course which is around the top of a hill. Wind was so strong that sometimes it was difficult to stand on the feet, and gusts blew our balls off the green in more than one occasion. I distincly remember a full 6-iron straight into the wind: it started OK, almost immediately was blew up and up by the wind, making a full loop back, and falling some 30 metres in front of me. Never experienced anything like that anymore. Luckily, not the whole course was such exposed to the wind, or we couldn’t have played at all. Punched 3 irons were the most common shot into the wind, from any distance. A friend of mine drove a 400 metres par 4, anyway . Ciao, Marcello – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind when you set it down it’ll blow over. Highlight of the 1/2 round was on the 7th hole, 400-ish yard par 4 dead upwind. I hit a "good" drive maybe 10-15 feet in the air but didn’t even get inside the marked sprinkler heads. Next shot was a very low shot with a 14 degree club that got me to 115-120 yards from the green. I pondered the situation briefly and decided that a smooth low 6 iron was the ticket. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a ball move quite like that … it went straight at the green nice and low for a while, then it must have gotten high enough that a different stream of wind got hold of it (the wind moves rather strangely across the mounds on this course), and it shot up and turned left like someone was steering it by remote control. Finished pin high just off the left though. I figure about a 5 club wind. Oof. Pace was great, no one on the course (fancy that) but I bagged it after 9 holes because I didn’t fancy getting caught out in hail/lightning/ torrential downpours, all of which were clearly present in the neighborhood towards the end. -joseph
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This reminds me of the windiest day I played in. It was a Jan 1st and I was on a trip in the south of France, and I had a tee time on a course which is around the top of a hill. Wind was so strong that sometimes it was difficult to stand on the feet, and gusts blew our balls off the green in more than one occasion. I distincly remember a full 6-iron straight into the wind: it started OK, almost immediately was blew up and up by the wind, making a full loop back, and falling some 30 metres in front of me. Never experienced anything like that anymore. Luckily, not the whole course was such exposed to the wind, or we couldn’t have played at all. Punched 3 irons were the most common shot into the wind, from any distance. A friend of mine drove a 400 metres par 4, anyway . Ciao, Marcello So I played 9 holes today in this weird little breeze that kicked up from the south. 25-40mph sustained, you know, the sort where you have to keep both hands on your golf bag to keep it from weathervaning and turning you around, or where if you don’t point it into the wind when you set it down it’ll blow over. Highlight of the 1/2 round was on the 7th hole, 400-ish yard par 4 dead upwind. I hit a "good" drive maybe 10-15 feet in the air but didn’t even get inside the marked sprinkler heads. Next shot was a very low shot with a 14 degree club that got me to 115-120 yards from the green. I pondered the situation briefly and decided that a smooth low 6 iron was the ticket. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a ball move quite like that … it went straight at the green nice and low for a while, then it must have gotten high enough that a different stream of wind got hold of it (the wind moves rather strangely across the mounds on this course), and it shot up and turned left like someone was steering it by remote control. Finished pin high just off the left though. I figure about a 5 club wind. Oof. Pace was great, no one on the course (fancy that) but I bagged it after 9 holes because I didn’t fancy getting caught out in hail/lightning/ torrential downpours, all of which were clearly present in the neighborhood towards the end. -joseph
To add to the nonsense of golf here, I have played where the club selection was anywhere from a driver to an 8 iron depending on wind into or with your drive. From the tee on a par 3. I think it was about 175. George
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–snip To add to the nonsense of golf here, I have played where the club selection was anywhere from a driver to an 8 iron depending on wind into or with your drive. From the tee on a par 3. I think it was about 175. George
BTW, when it’s windy, how does it affect one’s transition move – the fall back to the left in the final stages of the back-swing? — Felicity