This summer has brought a good amount of rain. Rain makes the golf courses we play wet. When a golf course is wet it can exaggerate miss-hits, cause the ball to plug and not roll, and may even make our feet slip during our swing.
How can we make the best of these conditions and still score well?
The first thing we need to do is play as if it is a normal day. Many golfers will try and change their swing or move the ball position and this will alter how they play golf for the day. Although it may be ok to move the ball slightly back towards your rear foot you should only do this a very small bit. No more than a half of a golf ball. Keeping the ball where you normally play it in your stance increases your chances of playing your normal game. Only move it back a bit if you are struggling to catch the ball first and are hitting some fat shots.
Swing smoothly. Making a smooth swing and not trying to hit the ball hard will do two things. It will help keep your feet from slipping and It will give you a good chance of making better contact with the golf ball. You may need to take an extra club and swing 80% instead of your normal club at 100%. With wet conditions, you will not have to worry about the ball rolling out too much if you have too much club and hit it a bit long. Of course, if the greens are still somewhat firm and only the fairways are wet you will have to adjust to that.
When it comes to the short game we need to play different types of shots. Playing more lofted shots can be a challenge as the leading edge of a wedge can dig into the ground more and cause fat shots. Playing a putter or a bump and run shot in wet conditions the ball will not roll through the fringe as much. Play a shot that will carry to the green and run the rest of the way. This could be a 9-iron. If the pin is close to you and there is not much green between you and the hole you will have to determine what is best for your game. A pro may play a more lofted shot with the face open using the bounce on the club. If that shot is not an option for you then determine if the ball is rolling on top of the grass or will bounce through the fringe. Whichever shot you play the idea is to take the wet fairway turf out of play as much as possible.
Putting is similar to the sip of swing smoothly. When the greens are wet they are slower. There are many golfers that end up with a quick putting stroke trying to hit the ball harder. Take your normal putting stroke except you may want to hit a 5ft putt as if it is a 10ft putt. Keep a good rhythm and make good contact for speed control. If you try to hit it too hard you may get quick and see inconsistent results.
Lastly, and this is something you should do during any round of golf, focus on your carry distances. When the course is wet you can carry the ball closer to the hole. You may hit a 7-iron 170 yards on any normal day but that more than likely is the total distance and not how far the golf ball flew in the air. If you have to carry the ball closer to the hole you need to know how far each club is carrying. Just like if you had to know how far it is to carry over a bunker you need to know how far it is to carry to the pin. If you have 150-yards to the middle of a green and the pin is another 10-yards past that a club that only carries 150-yards might leave you 10-yards short or with a 30ft putt. If you hit a club that carries 160 yards you have a better chance of being a few feet away. The opposite is if the green is firm where the ball may bounce and roll out another 10-yards.
Playing golf when the course is wet can improve your game simply from the feedback you get on each shot. Since a wet turf calls for more precision you will see if you are hitting behind the ball or making good, ball first, contact. The more you play in these conditions you will be training yourself for ball first contact that will carry over to a normal drier day.
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