Lesson: Playing in the wind

Instructor: Dave Kuhar, PGA professional, Chestnut Ridge

The one thing you want to do when playing in the wind is take a little wider stance, be more stable over the ball and move the ball slightly back in your stance. You also want to take a club or two more to hit the ball low into the wind.

The most important thing is to make sure you make good contact. You want to make sure the wind doesn't affect your tempo, which it can do. And you don't want to swing any harder. The harder you swing, the more spin you will put on the ball. More spin creates a "balloon effect" into the wind.

By playing the ball back in your stance, you will get a little lower trajectory. You want to keep the ball out of the wind as much as possible. If you keep the ball close to the ground, the wind is going to have less of an effect.

Remember, make good crisp shots. Don't get fancy in the wind.