Playing the wind

One wind for the day

Each course has a wind for the day, and every hole takes a version of it — the direction shifts a little from hole to hole and the speed moves by a few miles an hour either side. On a calm day you may see 4 or 5 mph; on a blowy one, holes in the high teens. Because holes bend in different directions, the same day's wind can be helping on one hole and against you on the next.

The wind shown on the hole is the one that applies to every shot you play on it, so read it on the tee and keep it in mind for the approach.

Headwind and tailwind

The part of the wind blowing along your line changes how far the ball carries, by about 0.4% for every mile an hour. A 15 mph wind straight into you takes roughly 6% off the carry: a driver that would fly 278 yards flies about 260. The same wind behind you adds about 6% — and it adds a little extra roll after landing too.

On short shots the difference is small in yards, but it still matters. A 140-yard par 3 into a 15 mph wind plays like 149 yards, which can be the difference between an 8 iron and a 6 iron.

Crosswind

The part of the wind blowing across your line pushes the ball sideways, and the push grows with how far the ball flies. Each mile an hour of crosswind moves the ball about 0.3% of its carry. A 200-yard shot in a 15 mph crosswind lands nearly ten yards off the line you aimed — enough to turn the middle of a fairway into its edge.

That is why a crosswind matters most on long shots. Aim into it by the amount it will push you, or pick a shorter club on a narrow hole so there is less carry for the wind to work on.

Gust bands are different

Some holes have a gust: a band of much faster air across a stretch of the hole, drawn as moving streaks. It only affects a ball that passes through it, so you can fly over the top of it or stay underneath with a shorter shot. It is a separate hazard from the hole's ordinary wind and has its own guide.