How to get the most out of your tee shots on a windy day

At this week’s PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, the wind will be a huge deciding factor in just how tough the course will be. Luckily for this year’s players, the forecast for the tournament days is calling for much more mild weather than what ended up transpiring the first time the Ocean Course hosted, back in 2012.

Still, wind at Kiawah, whether it’s light and breezy or strong and gusty, is pretty much inevitable, so it’s important to be strategic. When you’re facing a shot into the wind, there are certain things you can do to encourage a lower ball flight to maximize your yardage and shot quality, and it all starts with your setup.

Use a wider stance

Setting up to the ball with a slightly wider stance than you’re used to will give you a nice and balanced base, because you want your swing arc to be a little bit wider.

Move the ball back in your stance

Setting up with the ball just slightly farther back in your stance — about one ball’s worth — will encourage a lower ball flight.

Take a three-quarter swing

Taking a three-quarter swing instead of taking the club all the way back will also encourage a lower ball flight, because taking the club up higher on the backswing will make you hit it higher through impact. Try to visualize your club taking a more shallow path back and through the ball.

If you follow these three steps, you’ll likely find that your follow-through is naturally abbreviated after impact. That’s good! Keep these keys in mind to sharpen that stinger off the tee and maximize your drives on windy days.

To add more pop to your swing, get a driver fitting from the experts at 8AM affiliate True Spec Golf.