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Wet Conditions. ..What's your strategy?

GenErr said:
If its really soggy, we play "lift, clean and place." Figure if its good enough for the pro's, its good enough for us. Other than that, if its just wet and not "plug wet," we try and sweep the ball, use at least one more club, and putt firm on the greens.
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Why try to sweep? Why not just make a normal swing.
 
HuntGolfVols said:
It has rained almost 4 days straight here. Sunny today but I'm going to play. What is your strategy for playing in conditions like this. I tend to get to much under the ball and hit it fat. I usually take a divot under normal conditions and compress the ball a lot

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I'm not sure what ball compressing has to do with any of it. But for me I try to pick it a bit more clean (little or no divot) but have had a face full of mud now and then lol.
 
Being from Washington I feel qualified to answer. I really change nothing, it doesn't matter the condition you need to hit the ball first. Wet conditions may just affect miss hits more.

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rollin said:
I'm not sure what ball compressing has to do with any of it. But for me I try to pick it a bit more clean (little or no divot) but have had a face full of mud now and then lol.
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But why try to pick it all?
 
blugold said:
But why try to pick it all?
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My guess is that the fear of fatting it and getting covered in mud is there. Or they are trying to cover the loss of compression against the ground by basically thinning it.
 
Playdough said:
My guess is that the fear of fatting it and getting covered in mud is there. Or they are trying to cover the loss of compression against the ground by basically thinning it.
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I would think it's more of the former. I have only once had a ball embed because of contact. Losing distance, maybe a little but I have not noticed.
 
blugold said:
I would think it's more of the former. I have only once had a ball embed because of contact. Losing distance, maybe a little but I have not noticed.
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I lose about a half club in wet, soggy conditions.
 
blugold said:
But why try to pick it all?
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Playdough said:
My guess is that the fear of fatting it and getting covered in mud is there. Or they are trying to cover the loss of compression against the ground by basically thinning it.
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Yea its mostly just concerning with the mud all over thing. Its not fun when that happens. Its funny, but not fun,lol... But I don't try to get fancy. If I am not striking good balls at the time I just try to take my normal swing and if I get mud its oh well too bad for me.
The compressing thing I don't get. The ball doesn't compress against the ground anyway unless its mishit or topped very poorly or something.
 
Playdough said:
I lose about a half club in wet, soggy conditions.
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I've been lasering my distances in meters since the start of April. So I have no idea how I'm playing our damp courses. I'm sure it's similar. But I would still imagine further than picking the ball.
 
Playdough said:
I lose about a half club in wet, soggy conditions.
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blugold said:
I've been lasering my distances in meters since the start of April. So I have no idea how I'm playing our damp courses. I'm sure it's similar. But I would still imagine further than picking the ball.
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I don't know for certain or if technically right or wrong but if I make a good strike I don't believe I loose anything. I am guessing here but If the ball is struck just right just before the bottom of the arc wouldn't it go the same distance regardless of the ground softness? I think the difference is when we hit a tad fat we then get away with it more on firmer ground where as if very soft ground we the club gets stuck in and offers no or little bounce at all. Kind of like (to exaggerate) getting away with fat shots from a range mat. But if the ball is well struck I would think the distance is the same. no?
 
blugold said:
I've been lasering my distances in meters since the start of April. So I have no idea how I'm playing our damp courses. I'm sure it's similar. But I would still imagine further than picking the ball.
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What's the logic with using meters?
 
tgtt said:
What's the logic with using meters?
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It was an oops. My rangefinder sat against its trigger too long and reset the readings to meters. It has been a baffling few weeks.
 
rollin said:
Yea its mostly just concerning with the mud all over thing. Its not fun when that happens. Its funny, but not fun,lol... But I don't try to get fancy. If I am not striking good balls at the time I just try to take my normal swing and if I get mud its oh well too bad for me.
The compressing thing I don't get. The ball doesn't compress against the ground anyway unless its mishit or topped very poorly or something.
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So you don't think that as you decend into the ball from an angle and strike against the back of the ball as the club head continues on a downward angle that you aren't compressing the ball slightly against the ground? There has to be a slight squeeze against the ground that the ball experiences in that situation. And a firmmer ground will result in a little more squeeze than a soft or soggy ground.
 
mmaynard11 said:
I am in the same boat of you. I have been working on not digging trenches around the course. With that being said I tend to take an extra club and put a smooth controlled swing on the ball.
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This is good advice^....

I tend to follow maynard's example, but i'll add one more thing.

I tee off with my 3 wood on days like this. With 15* loft I tend to get nearly the same amount of carry, and it I'm a little more likely to find the short stuff. Some rough can be murder when it's wet!!!
 
Playdough said:
So you don't think that as you decend into the ball from an angle and strike against the back of the ball as the club head continues on a downward angle that you aren't compressing the ball slightly against the ground? There has to be a slight squeeze against the ground that the ball experiences in that situation. And a firmmer ground will result in a little more squeeze than a soft or soggy ground.
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No, I don't believe it does. The ball is still being struck at or below the equator is it not? and the club face loft is always slanted up. Unless its a mishit, the ball goes up right from contact. This is how I understand it.
Firmer ground only would offer more club bounce.
If a ball was struck where it was first forced down towards the ground we would loose so much energy our distances would be nothing. The ball only can go up or it would be a mishit. No?
 
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rollin said:
No, I don't believe it does. The ball is still being struck at or below the equator is it not? and the club face loft is always slanted up. Unless its a mishit, the ball goes up right from contact. This is how I understand it.
Firmer ground only would offer more club bounce.
If a ball was struck where it was first forced down towards the ground we would loose so much energy our distances would be nothing. The ball only can go up or it would be a mishit.
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I can see your theory, and I can see mine...would be very interesting to see on a hi-mo camera.
 
Here is a vid of Tiger with a 3iron. And remember this is a low lofted club and to add to it, its also with ball back in the stance even further delofting the 3iron at contact for a low stinger. And also doesn't even look below the equator and still it heads upwards.
With all that the ball still leaves upwards immediately right from contact and of course backspin. This is probably a bit extreme low shot with low club but now consider a higher lofted club and ball further placed forward. The upwards motion wouldn't even be questionable imo.

 
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I change nothing about my swing. Maybe move the ball back in my stance a bit to assure ball first contact but nothing changes in the swing.
 
I will choke up about .5". If i dont i get a club of mud everytime.

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rollin said:
Here is a vid of Tiger with a 3iron. And remember this is a low lofted club and to add to it, its also with ball back in the stance even further delofting the 3iron at contact for a low stinger. And also doesn't even look below the equator and still it heads upwards.
With all that the ball still leaves upwards immediately right from contact and of course backspin.
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Well I am incorrect. Thanks for that video.
 
I would be very interested in seeing a similar video with a short iron, but that video was eye opening.
 
Wake said:
I would be very interested in seeing a similar video with a short iron, but that video was eye opening.
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Here's one with several different clubs. Don't look like perfect hits and perhaps as sloppy or inconsistent as I might be but none the less also pretty cool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dG9hb3_blo
sorry vid wouldn't load but only link.
 
Playdough said:
Well I am incorrect. Thanks for that video.
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I was incorrect. I simply made a dumb statement

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