10. The more you fight the wind, the harder it seems to blow. Learning how to hit longs clubs with quiet swings can help turn gales into breezes

The British weather can change not only day to day but also several times a day. The variety of changes this throws up on the golf course requires us to change our tactics and sometimes our technique. Obviously, warm sunny calm weather suits the majority of players as they take advantage of the fact that golf balls fly farther when the temperature rises. Warmer weather usually means more run on the fairway and players very soon adapt by dropping their approach shots shorter and letting the ball bounce up on to the green. If we encounter a warm but wet spell of weather, again, we soon readjust by taking more club and fly the ball into the softer more receptive greens. These are the conditions favored by many better players as they can attack the flag positions without the fear of hard bad bounces.

Another weather condition we all too often encounter is cold weather. A drop in temperature also sees a drop in performance from the golf ball. A cold ball does not compress so easy resulting in poor dynamics and a loss of distance. This is before we see the limiting effect that cold temperatures have on our physical capabilities. No one should consider using a 100 compression ball in the cold and many male players may actually do better by using a ladies compression ball as it could enable you to squeeze a few extra yards out of a drive. It is a good idea to keep your golf balls indoors at room temperature for at least 24 hours before a game in cold weather and change it every 6 holes during the round.

Windy weather sees most players throwing their arms up in surrender including many in the Pro ranks. In a field of a hundred players in a club medal on a windy day, as many as 80 will have conceded defeat before they have completed 3 holes, most before they even tee off. Many of these players come off the course exhausted, not only with the exertion of walking in such conditions but also the extra effort they have put into their shot making. It really need not be as hard work or futile as players think.

Last year, I happened to be giving a playing lesson in a strong westerly when we came to the 9th hole. At just over 150 yards from the yellow tee, I would normally hit say a 7 iron but in the wind, I was thinking 4 or an easy 3 iron. The pupil chose a club I knew was never going to be enough and I asked him why not take a club that you can easily get there with? I went on to demonstrate the point and replaced my 4 iron with a 3 wood. I went down the grip slightly and with little more than a half swing put the ball on the back edge of the green. I went on to explain that I could have used a Driver, 5 wood, 1 iron, 2 iron and a 3 iron without breaking into a sweat.

Club players usually prefer hitting full out shots rather than half shots. Hitting full out creates maximum backspin causing the ball to climb too high at the expense of forward motion.

Do yourself a favor and practice hitting not only one club extra in strong wind but two, three, and four clubs more with ever decreasing lengths of swing. On the practice range hit a 3 wood with the swing you would normally make for an easy wedge and see the distance you can get. The more you fight the wind, the harder it seems to blow but understand that learning how to hit longs clubs with quiet swings can help turn gales into breeze's.