You're Reading: The Fitness Demands of Playing in the Wind
Spring is here and the warmer weather and sunny days are approaching. With the warmer temperatures come blustery and windy conditions. In the northern hemisphere, the months of March and April are the windiest of the year.
Any experienced golfer or golf fan knows that playing golf in the wind presents a whole new set of challenges to the game. The answer to how to play golf in the wind often centers on clubbing up or down and largely keeping the ball low and below the tops of the trees.
However, the physical stamina and endurance required when playing golf in the wind is perhaps equally as important.
When you’re outside on a windy day, your body must exert additional effort and energy in order to stabilize and fight the resistance created by the wind.
Your body must also use energy to fight against the annoyance of the wind gusting and the feeling that the wind is pestering and poking at you. Additionally, the wind may carry any set of uncomfortable energies such as cold, dampness, and heat.
For allergy sufferers, the spring can be a particularly difficult time when spent outdoors and on the golf course. Unfortunately, warm and windy days are usually the worst for allergies.
For these reasons, simply walking on a windy day can prove to be quite a workout in itself. Depending on the strength of the wind, walking in windy weather can challenge your body similar to “walking uphill, hiking or even jogging.”
What does all this mean for your golf game?
It means that it will be much more challenging to maintain your usual level of strength and mental focus when it is windy than when it is calm. Ultimately, this will lead to frustration on the golf course and a higher score.
Furthermore, if you do not have sufficient stamina to sustain for hours outside, you will likely experience an inability to complete 18 holes without losing your level of performance.
You may be able to battle the wind and blustery conditions on the front nine. However, by the back nine, you may begin to lose concentration and physical ability, leading to bad holes and big numbers.
For most amateur golfers, and even professionals at times, a few bad swings are prone to snowball into more bad swings. By the time the golfer recovers, if he does, his or her round will already be ruined.
This trend is pronounced in tricky conditions, and it is even more difficult to regain any momentum or confidence. These are the circumstances of windy weather. Therefore, a loss in stamina on the back nine may exponentially deteriorate your confidence and score.
It is always important to have physical fitness and endurance as well as mental fortitude, which is clearly evidenced by the attention given to the gym and sports psychologists by today’s top players. In preparation for the 2023 Masters, Tiger Woods talked about how important his “endurance” is in his ability to play his best golf.
Tiger Woods said his right leg “will never be the same” after his 2021 car crash, but he thinks his endurance has improved as he gears up to play his 25th Masters.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 4, 2023
Woods will tee off Thursday in Group 12 at 10:18 a.m. ET.https://t.co/gy2s8s4JWj
It is even more important to have these assets on a windy day due to the greater number of factors one must consider when hitting a shot: direction of wind, strength of wind, timing gusts, adjusting landing spots, etc.
An added difficult here is that many golfers are more accustomed to playing in the summer when winds are calmer and conditions are optimal.
Those from across the pond who are used to playing in the elements and on unsheltered links courses, the adjustments will be less of a concern and more routine. Norway’s Viktor Hovland, currently ranked no. 11 in the OWGR, is a prime example of this.
Hovland has been able to thrive in difficult weather. At the Masters tournament a couple weeks ago, Viktor Hovland, who was part of a group of players who undoubtedly faced the worse side of the draw on Thursday and Friday in terms of the weather, recorded a T7 finish. This included a stretch of five straight birdies in cold, damp, and windy conditions on the back nine of his third round.
His performance was not great going into the Masters either, failing to miss the weekend at the WGC Dell Match Play and finishing T59 at the RBC Heritage. Furthermore, at the 2021 Farmers Insurance open, amidst rain, wind, and hail, Hovland bested the field average for round 2 by nearly 8 strokes.
If this is not you, you will need to be on top of your game in order to make the appropriate adjustments and not falter in the challenges of the weather.
From our discussion, it is clear that windy conditions require more physical and mental energy –mental energy for both ignoring peskiness of wind and added considerations in course management.
Naturally, the only way to ensure that you have the energy required in the wind is to consume more food. This is important both before and during your round of golf.
This is not an excuse to stuff yourself, though. The added consumption can probably be satisfied with the equivalent of one extra meal than playing golf under normal conditions. The size of the meal is dependent on the strength of the wind and your specific BMR.
Furthermore, before your round, be careful not to have a heavy meal that will weigh you down and prevent you from swinging freely. Ideally, you will have a knowledge of what meals work best for you and which ones you should avoid when playing golf.
Nevertheless, it is best to spread your calories out so that you have some extra food before playing and then the rest over the course of your round. Keep in my mind, that in the wind, the round will likely take longer given the additional strokes taken and longer time walking.
Golf Surfer™ provides a great and detailed resource on what to eat during your round of golf to achieve great and sustained play.
Jon Rahm was sure to eat regularly throughout in route to his Masters victory.
Jon Rahm winning the most prestigious golf tournament in between eating sandwiches. What a man. #themasters pic.twitter.com/PDZHKsTgAi
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) April 9, 2023
It worked for him, it can work for you.
One last note is that through a process referred to as thermogenesis can increase your body temperature. As you might expect, some foods have a greater thermic effect than others. Take advantage of these to stay warm on a cold day on the golf course.
Hydration is important in any physical activity as well as any cognitive activity. Of course, golf requires a combination of physical and cognitive excellence.
The amount of hydration required depends on several factors. Notably is your body weight, which will largely determine your necessary water intake on a typical inactive day.
Two other important factors are your activity levels and climate. When you exert energy, you increase your body temperature, causing you to sweat to return to your optimal body temperature.
Concerning climate, for the most part, the literature suggests that hot and humid environments require greater amounts of hydration. However, there is also some that asserts that dry air (less humidity) will dry you out faster.
Dry wind will strip away the moisture from your skin. To reconcile the two claims, it is possible that at cooler temperatures, where sweat is less likely to be the cause of fluid loss, say 60 to 70 degrees, less humidity causes dehydration whereas at more mild temperatures, more humidity intensifies dehydration.
Unlike certain animals, humans are unable to get enough water from food. Therefore, fluids, primarily water, is the best bet.
Therefore, make sure to either buy some water at the golf course or bring some with you if the course allows.
Ideally, there will be water jugs spaced out on the course to assist; however, some clubs do not bring those out until the summer months. So be prepared.
Do not feel obligated to load up on water or other fluids because you expect the wind to dry you out. Your body will let you know when you are thirsty. As long as you are prepared with something to drink when that happens, you will be fine.
Furthermore, the human body does its best to balance levels of water and electrolytes. By drinking when you are not thirsty, you will just find yourself going to the bathroom.
On the topic of electrolytes, you should be able to get enough electrolytes from food. However, if you find that electrolyte-infused sports drinks help you to hydrate, drink those in addition to water. Just be careful of the sugar levels in those drinks.
Lastly, most people probably are aware that alcohol is a diuretic, which will lead to dehydration. Interestingly, there was a study that showed that beer was a more effective tool for rehydration than water.
Bear in the mind that the subjects in this study were exposed to extreme heat and intense exercise. Furthermore, the study determined that the optimal beer consumption for men was roughly 500 ml a day – about 16 oz.
Water is still the safer bet.
Sunglasses are great on the golf course for protecting your eyes from the Sun’s harmful UV rays and allowing for better sight on sunny days. Nothing surprising here.
However, they are also useful in serving as a physical barrier to the wind, dust, or sand, which could certainly be helpful when hitting out a bunker.
Even if it is not a sunny day, wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the wind. The wind has a drying effect on your eyes. When your eyes are dry, your body naturally will cause them to blink to produce tears.
Watery eyes are annoying and can blur our vision.
The less exposure your eyes have to the wind the better.
If you wear sunscreen, particularly if you do so on your face, be careful around your eyes. The chemicals in sunscreen will act as an irritant if they enter your eyes.
You can prevent this by avoiding touching your face or rubbing your eyes. Preventing watery eyes is key, as you will be inclined to rub your eyes to remove the tears.
If you follow the tip to wear sunglasses and you still have watery eyes, just make sure you have a clean tissue or clean hands.
Another sunscreen tip is to use stick sunscreen. Stick sunscreen can be more water and sweat resistant and thus be less likely to enter your eyes.
To prevent the wind from stripping moisture from your skin, make sure to use a moisturizer. Not only will dry skin be uncomfortable, it may mess with the feel of your golf grip.
As golfers, the goal should be to maintain consistency in your game of which the grip is a key part.
Moisturizer will lock moisture in your skin. Some sunscreens may serve as a sunscreen and a moisturizer. The determination of what products to use will depend on each golfer’s skin type.
Expectations play a large part in a golfer’s performance. Golf sports psychologist Bob Rotella discusses the role of expectations on the golf course in his book Golf is Not a Game of Perfect.
There is a fine balance between confidence and acceptance.
Meaning, to play their best, golfers should simultaneously have the confidence to know that they will hit the shot that they intend while accepting the fact that the ball does not go as imagined.
This may appear an enigmatic way to approach the game. However, golfers are all to capable of forming unrealistic expectations (similar to having confidence). Most of them just struggle to maintain their emotions when things happen in accordance with reality.
In fact, Rotella suggests that, if you have any expectations, expect to have some bad shots as well as the good ones.
Having this mindset is even more important on windy days when conditions will naturally be tougher.
As you prepare for your round, be optimistic and accept the challenge. Prepare yourself to know that low scores will be harder to come by and prepare yourself to know that the round will be tiring.
If you have this mindset while still maintaining a positive outlook, you will not be surprised or taken aback when things do not go your way.
Earlier in the article, we touched on the importance of having endurance, and exercise is a great way to improve your endurance.
Any form of exercise will be beneficial. Yet, since we are talking about the demands of playing golf in the wind, it only makes sense that any exercise is performed outdoors, especially under similar windy conditions that you will face on the golf course.
Great options are running or hiking. These exercises/sports are perfect since they encapsulate the individuality of golf as well as the concept that you are not competing against another opponent.
Sports like tennis, football, and soccer can all be played outdoors. However, the level of competition and difficulty will be largely reduced by the opponent who will also be struggling.
The goal should be to make the focus on overcoming the elements, which running or hiking allow.
For golfers with bad knees, running and hiking may not be an option. Instead, try biking, which has been shown to impart less force on the knees than walking.
Ultimately, your motivation is to improve your level of endurance based on your current level of fitness and physical capacity. Start out with what you feel comfortable. This could be a 30-minute walk or it could be 13-mile run.
Also, golf is a mental game, so do not forget about mental stamina.
Physical exercise can be beneficial in this area. To focus on concentration and sustaining peak concentration, try playing chess.
Note: Technically speaking, there is a difference between stamina and endurance. Stamina is about performing at or near maximum capacity for a period of time. While endurance is performing an action, not necessarily at maximum capacity, for the maximum possible time.
Golf combines these two. The walking required throughout the round (even if you are using a golf cart) resembles endurance, while the high level of mental and physical performance required when preparing for and hitting each shot resembles stamina.”
Practice in the wind makes perfect (or at least better) in the wind. In other words, play golf in the wind to become more comfortable playing golf in the wind.
If you are going to be playing in a golf tournament, do your best to mimic the conditions of that round. Will you be provided a golf cart? If not, make sure that you practice walking all 18 holes.
If you are not a competitive golfer, the point of practice is a little less important since there is less of or no distinction between practice and competition.
If this is the case, perhaps you may find it best to avoid playing on windy days all together. However, if you happen to play on a windy the rest of the tips in this article will improve your game which should hopefully boost your enjoyment on the golf course.
We love that golf is an outdoor sport. However, its outdoor nature also can be challenging and unpleasant. Playing golf in windy conditions is not ideal and cannot be confused for optimal conditions. Nevertheless, with a solid preparation that instills confidence and optimism, you can win out over the conditions.
