Playing downhill into the wind - a light bulb moment

[Maninblack4612]

I play regularly at a course in my area which has a severely downhill par 3. It almost always plays into the wind & each time I play it I am short of the green - until yesterday. My practice has been to add one or two clubs for the wind & deduct one for the downward slope. It then occurred to me that, hitting into the wind, especially from a height, the ball goes up & forward, eventually stalls in the wind & drops vertically downwards. Because of this the green could be any distance below the tee & the ball wouldn't go any further.

So, yesterday I determined that the club, under still conditions, would be a 7 iron, took a 5 iron & finished pin high, just off the green & not in the ditch in front, which is where I usually am.

It only taken me 60 years plus to work this out. Doh!

 

[Deleted member 23344]

Better late than never! ?

 

[jim8flog]

If you are talking about severe downhill lies my technique has always been to take on or two clubs more not less then hit a smooth controlled shot which helps to retain balance.

 

[Maninblack4612]

If you are talking about severe downhill lies my technique has always been to take on or two clubs more not less then hit a smooth controlled shot which helps to retain balance.

What made you think I was talking about downhill lies? On most courses the tees are pretty flat. I'm talking about where the green is a long way below where you're hitting from.

 

[Carpfather1]

We got a down hill par3 200yard hole on the links i play at and is always into the wind and being above the green accelerates the wind too.
I’ve recently purchased a srixon u85 3iron for this type of shot and yardage into a strong head wind!it’s worked a well for me the last few Games .

 

[HomerJSimpson]

On a similar theme, out 13th (186 off the whites) it usually plays into the wind and has a huge dip in front of the ground and so any ball pitching on that tends to get killed on landing and won't bounce onto the green and can when it is dry roll back to the bottom of the hill. I've got into a bad habit of going more on the yardage/wind and hit a 3H which unless I strike it pretty well comes up short or I hit it right trying to force it. Lightbulb moment and take the 5W (goes about 200 yards so with the wind takes that back to around 185) and swing easier. Hitting the green more often, the ball missed the big dip and as I've it better it lands on green and checks up nice and quick

A well designed par 3 and one that after years of playing I've become lazy with and one of those holes where I simply pull the same club week in week out. Having changed up I've been far more consistent