Showing posts with label guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guide. Show all posts

Thursday 4 December 2014

How to Play Golf in the Rain the Essentials you need to know

 

Learning how to play golf in the rain requires a different approach than in normal conditions. 

The most important aspect is to keep both yourself and your clubs dry. 

A round of golf usually consists of around 4 hours, so to get wet at any stage is both uncomfortable and impractical. Why impractical? Well once your clubs become wet, especially the grips, you will find you tend to unconsciously grip the club harder as you are afraid of the club slipping.

A spare glove such as a TaylorMade Targa is always a handy additional piece of clothing to have in your golf bag. Learning how to play golf in the rain requires an understanding of how water affects your golf ball,club and equipment.


When playing golf rain results in a restricted swing in comparison to your normal swing

 

Normally this would be more fluid and relaxed. This will reduce both distance and cause problems with the return path of the club-head, or swing-plane, as you return to the ball during your forward swing. Of course this problem is also exacerbated by your golf-glove getting saturated. Again this will cause a tighter grip.

Waterproof Golfing Gear is a Must

It is essential that when you are playing golf in the rain that you have wet-weather equipment, including trousers, jacket, hat and of course a study large umbrella. Also you will want to consider a cover for your bag and trolley and a spare glove or two.

A decent hat such as the Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero Hat will help keep your vision sharp and allow water to run away from your clothing.

Rain and Golf Ball Flight

In dry conditions the dimples of the golf ball help create air-flow around the ball and make it fly further. If it is raining then the water in the atmosphere, and the rain that your ball hits as it travels will reduce this aerodynamic capability. Therefore it will be necessary to raise a club to compensate for this shorter distance. Say for example you hit a 7 Iron 170 yards, you will need to hit a 6 Iron or maybe a 5 Iron to get the same distance in the wet. Pretty amazing really!

Change your Type of Golf Shot to Deal with Rain

Another point to consider during rain-play is how short the ball will carry and the fact that your ball will not run as far as normal dry conditions would allow. Your ball will stick quicker and stop shorter. You may have to consider pitching shots up high and dropping the chip-shot from your repertoire, unless you can re-adjust your distances very quickly during the round.

How to Putt on Waterlogged Greens

Putting too will present problems, depending if the greens are poor draining. Putting across water on a green is like putting through syrup, you will need to be more aggressive but also of course if you overshoot the hole, in theory your ball will stop shorter which may be considered a bonus.

Turn on the Anger to Fight the Rain on the Golf Course

Indeed aggression is one of the major aspects in playing golf in the rain. Always attack the pin and do not be afraid, playing short in this type of condition is a sure fire way to score badly. Enjoy the round and try to smile it will help you stay in a positive mental frame of mind and increase your scoring opportunities.