Effects of wind on shot distances!

[funkyjudge]

I track all of my data (shot distances, clubs used, fairways hit and direction of misses when fairways are not hit, GIR, number of putts, penalty strokes, etc.) using my Garmin GOS watch, and I just upgraded from a Garmin Approach G-62 to their G-70 model on Saturday.  During setup of the new device, all of my saved data migrated to the new G-70 (a fantastic GPS watch, with an exponentially better and faster processor, far more powerful battery, better graphics and much more functional data provided, PLUS it has a lot more health and exercise-related functionality than even the Approach G-62, which was Garmin’s “state of the art” golf and fitness watch just 2.5 years ago when I got it.

In the transition to the new Approach G-70, all of my saved statistical data from the end of 2021 through last week’s tournament round transferred over to the new watch, and I was looking at the stats from my rounds in NW England and Scotland from the summer of 2022 (and other more recent rounds, where there was significant, and sometimes very strong, wind during the rounds. I know that wind plays a big role in shot distances, but until I analyzed this data, I didn’t realize how much impact it has. In particular, looking at my rounds at Royal Troon (nice warm day in July, but fairly strong wind that was blowing in a rain storm off of the Irish Sea that would have a huge effect on the next day’s round at Turnberry’s Ailsa Course (more on that later).

During my round at Royal Troon, I had two downwind drives of 345+ yards (347 & 356), but my shortest drive was just 187 yards, and I had two other drives between 195-203 yards into the wind. In addition, on the 186-yard par-3 5th hole where the wind was helping very slightly (mostly quartering from left-to-right), I narrowly missed an ace, leaving me a 5’ birdie putt, which I made. Three holes later, the famous par-3 “postage stamp” 8th hole was playing only 113 yards, slightly into the wind (quartering again, but this time against us and pushing to the right. I hit my 8-iron (normally my 135-138 yard club) and struck it well, but hit the front left of the green (barely on the fringe) and rolled off into a front left greenside pot bunker.

The following day, when we played at Turnberry, the storm front had definitely arrived, blowing sideways rain off the Irish Sea and with gusts up to 30-35 MPH for the first 20 holes. Until we got to #10, where the wind was helping slightly, but mostly pushing everything to the left, I had zero drives even close to 200 yards, with most of them in the 175-190 yard range. On #10, the rain had let up and even stopped briefly, and the wind was down to about 20 MPH and pushing tee shots to the left. I hit a 221 yard drive here, right down onto the beach but playable. Only one more drive on the back nine here travelled more than 230 yards (a 237-yard drive into the left rough on #18). Thankfully, the wind had let up to about 15 MPH by then, and sunshine was making intermittent appearances.

Three and four  days earlier, in nicer and less-windy conditions (steady winds, but nothing above 15-20 MPH), we played Royal Birkdale and Royal Liverpool in NW England. My driving distance ranged from 215-255 yards depending on wind direction, and I even managed to hit a couple of 4-woods off the tee that travelled 245+ yards, with one that went 261 yards (my normal distance off the tee with that 4-wood is 225-240 yards).

I looked at my stats from the last three tournament events that we played on the winter golf tour, where shot distances are generally about 10% or more shorter than in the warmer months. We had no winds of greater than 15 MPH in any of the 4 rounds that we played in these 3 events (one was a 2-day tournament), but into the wind, I hit no drives of more than 225 yards, while I had at least 5 downwind drives of 268 to 290 yards in winter conditions, and I don’t hit the ball more than 260-265 yards unless I have a significant wind assist…..even in the summer!

Edited February 26 by funkyjudge

[cnosil]

Amazing the impact wind has on our shots and probably one of the weaknesses of shot tracking systems since wind generally isn't factored into our distances;  just like elevation isn't factored.  

Your example makes it even worse as you have travelled to different locations and courses where wind is the courses primary defense.