Ball flight vs wind direction

i've never really figure out how wind direction affects ball flight/distance vs shot shape.

of course i know headwind u need to up club, and tailwind, u can afford to take 1 or 2 less.

but what if there is some cross wind? how would it affect fades, draws, slices, hooks, and straight balls, either against or in the direction of the wind? how would you expect the ball to react?

someone explain pls?

my view...thnk of cross wind as viagra....

if cross wind (left to right), then fade become power duper fade
If cross wind (right to left), then draw become super duper draw

On an episode of a compilation of 'Playing Lessons With The Pros' here, Nick Price demonstrated something very interesting:

It was shown that if ur ball flight is working with the wind ie L-R fade into a L-R wind, you should club 1 less, If u are fighting against the wind, club 1 more.

He also mentioned that if you always try and hit a type of shot against the wind instead of riding it, you will always have less curve than u normally do and most of the time, it will be short.

Also, where u tee up on the box is also very impt in determining the club to use. He had an eg on a par 3:

190yds and wind was coming L-R.

He can hit a 5i with a fade teeing up from the right side of the tee

Or he can hit a 6i with a fade from the left side of the tee

He reasoned that because from the right side, the curve will start off into the wind initially before being helped with the wind so the longer club is needed.

From the left side, riding on the wind all the way, less club will be needed.


Confused u yet?

I don't actually change clubs (except for #3 below) when it's windy but I can appreciate why there's a need to do so. In my case, I take into consideration the following issues:

1. Loft of the club. If the club is a short iron, then it is more likely to get caught in the wind so playing the wind is necessary.

2. Accuracy. If I'm aiming for a particular spot (whether it be on the green or on the fairway), I would prefer to expand the radius of the target spot and try to avoid the wind by playing a lower shot. Hopefully, I can land the ball closer and have it run to the target spot but in this situation, I will close the clubface and take a half swing much like a punch shot (is this a cut shot?) rather than opt for a shorter club with a full swing.

3. Distance. The only time I actually swap clubs is when the wind is coming from behind or the front, i.e. where the wind will actually give the ball more or less distance. In such situations, I'll gauge the strength of the wind and use a shorter or longer club as may be needed.

There is one trick which Quinike imparted to me which is to beat the wind by flying the shot under, i.e. to punch it out similar to #2 above and this can be done even with drivers etc. Pretty effective if done correctly as it gives the ball a lot of distance without risk of having it swayed by the winds.

thanks.
i can't really work the ball at will yet, only works occasionally, but still it helps to understand how the ball might react. just hate it when i see my ball dying in the wind and falling way short.

s70b, 1 club btw teeing from L and R side of tee box is a lot of difference, i guess these pros can really wack the ball, and probably play in more windy conditions. (altho i did have a round at MBGC couple of weeks back where the wind was also quite strong by local stds)

for now, i guess i will go with the flow and club down if the wind is in my favour or otherwise hit a punch.