Galvin Green Links Masterclass: Driving in the wind

Challenge Tour professional Reeve Whitson shares his best tips for driving the ball long and straight in windy conditions

Driving the ball in the wind can be a unnerving prospect, especially since the majority of amateurs spin the ball more than they should, which means the ball will curve more through the air.

The first thing to consider is where the wind is coming from. I like to use the wind off the tee, golfers that try to fight the wind will tend to lose out on distance. So if the wind is off the right-hand side I'll aim a long way off line and won’t be afraid to let the wind do it’s job.

I close the shoulders at address to ensure everything is aligned right and working from the inside and let the clubface turn over through impact. Setting my weight slightly more on my right side will help this feeling.

To fade the ball off a left-to-right wind I’d aim down the left side and move the ball further forward in my stance to give the clubhead more chance to exit left through impact to get the fade spin.

When hitting into the wind with a driver I see people make the mistake of teeing the ball high and trying to hit it as hard as they can. I like to tee it lower and hit the ball softer to keep the spin down. I have my weight slightly more on my left side and ball slightly further back.

Then downwind, tee the ball high and hit it as hard as you can which means it will go higher and use the wind more to travel further. I set my weight onto my right side at address and tilt my spine away from the target. The goal is then to keep it there during the swing to hit more up on the ball and launch it higher without much spin, maximising distance.