Utah can get windy.
But it usually isn’t bad.
Because of this, a buddy of mine recently noticed how much he and I complain about even the tiniest inkling of wind when tackling 18 holes. But that’s not the extent of it – we get paranoid.
Off the tee, blades of grass are tossed, meaningless numbers are crunched and disc-selection becomes a science of sorts. Yet, when a frisbee finally gets the nod, nine times out of 10, it makes no difference. Par for the course with my game, this is me overthinking things.
It’s worse when putting.
When there’s a six or seven mph headwind or tailwind, adjustments are made that do nothing but take an already shaky, hot-and-cold putting stroke and bury it headfirst in the dirt below.
My point is this …
And if you hail from the likes of the Bible Belt or a scenic coastal town, you’re likely hardcore rolling your eyes that this is even something that needs to be said, but yes – wind matters. If it’s less than 10 mph, though, it doesn’t matter all that much. And if it does, for the untrained amateur arm, attempting to account for it is guaranteed to do more harm than good.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. If you normally hyzer-flip a Rollo to turn on a 275-foot, left-to-right shaped hole and suddenly find yourself staring down the barrel of a consistent, 10-mph headwind, you’d be better served finding a different tool for the job.
Putting uphill or downhill might impact strategy, as well. The same can certainly be said for elevated baskets. Otherwise, stick with what you know tends to work for your game.
When there’s a mega-mild (oxymoron) wind on the course, I try to do what I see on the Disc Golf Network. If there are sustained winds of 25-plus mph, the commentators make it known. They don’t need to, though. The on-screen play clearly accounts for it – it’s tough to watch.
But with five-, six- or seven-mph bursts, nobody pays any mind to what Mother Nature’s doing. Gannon Buhr stands over a 22-foot putt with the equivalent of a sneeze in his face and practically smashes chains with a mid-toss yawn. I’m trying to learn to do the same.
Screw the blustery Hundred-Acre Wood.
Fake it until you make it.
Have anything to add? Take to X to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
Editor’s Suggestions:
- More public disc golf courses need practice baskets
- Disc golf: Why you should start flicking understable discs
- Glow disc golf: This product idea is brilliant (thanks, Reddit)
Real quick, if you happen to buy something through a link in this article, there’s a chance we’ll get a small share of the sale. It’s how we keep the lights on. To learn more, click here.
My home course is mostly open holes with some scattered obstacles. It’s generally pretty still here in the south but wind can really blow across the field sometimes. I would rather play the tightest wooded poke and hope course than play my home course with a stout wind. It’s usually swirly wind too. It’s been so bad where I’ve had to putt with a firebird. There is one raised basket and you can just forget about anything circles edge or out with the wind up. It makes for some totally frustrating rounds. When putting into a head wind do you aim lower or do you still shoot for your normal spot?
Yeah, that’s tough …
Because nobody wants to lay-up under the basket from 30-ish feet.
But in some winds, for amateurs like ourselves, it’s not the worst idea in the world.
In a five-ish mph headwind, I wouldn’t change anything – that’s the basic premise of this piece.
For something stronger and more sustained, however, a headwind will cause the disc to rise, so you’d want to aim lower.
In theory, of course …
Winds have been known to do weird, inexplicable things, though.
Go figure.
So here’s a thought…. Maybe your over thinking is working and that’s why you feel like the wind has little impact? If you just ignore the wind, i bet you’ll see the impact more?
Plus isn’t the fun in golf….. The process of choosing the disc and the throw for each required shot?
Embrace the exercise in thought. Over analyze! Just so it quickly.
Hmmm …
This is food for thought.
And I’m going to take a bite.
I’ve got a weekly round with a buddy here in a couple of hours …
I’ll report back.
Thanks, Fletch!
(and yes, there’s a breeze out and about today)
And?????
Not enough wind.
Like …
ZERO.
The weather report said there’d be 7-ish, but nada – at least at the course we played.
Will have to postpone the experiment.
Just asking for a friend…
Does anyone putt upside down when playing in the wind? It just gives less of a chance for the wind to get under the disc to lift it far and away.
And is it legal according to current PDGA Rules?
There are people who totally do this.
And apart from feeling awkward in the hand, it DOES work …
Worth a shot.
We’ve written about this, too: https://tinyurl.com/5c7m7zn2
(and yes, it’s totally PDGA-legal, so no worries on that front)
I’ve recently come to this realization as well… Seeing as I just played through my first winter as a disc golfer I got a brutal education in how to adjust to wind. Now the Summer stillness is here and I found myself over adjusting to mild winds. Although, it does depend on the shot. My TL3 won’t turn over and die if thrown flat in a 8 mph headwind, but my Colt will.
And a 10 mph tailwind might not justify discing down but it definitely means a need to change the release angle of the higher speed driver.
So I definitely agree with you and judging wind is one of those skills that I think good golfers just build over time/experience. Kind of like judging distance and terrain (I’m talking to you rangefinder guy!).
Couldn’t agree more, Matt!
Thanks for your first-hand experience.
Also, hope you enjoyed your first winter as a disc golfer …
There will be MANY more where that came from, I’m sure.