Wind Flow Meter Review

Website: Weatherflow Wind Meter

On AmazonWeatherFlow Wind Meter

The Weatherflow Wind Meter is a very cool gadget that measures wind speeds using your smart phone. Although not specifically designed for golf, it certainly has golf applications.

As any golfer knows, the wind affects ball flight in terms of distance and deviation from the line. Veteran golfers develop a sense of wind speed and gradually learn to club up or down depending upon the circumstances. The general rule of thumb is one club change for every 10 mph of wind speed. Until the advent of a portable device like the Weatherflow Wind Meter, the best anyone could do was an approximation using the Beaufort scale:

Wind Speed: Indicators
4 – 7 mph :Win felt on exposed skin. Leaves rustle, vanes begin to move.
8 – 12 mph :Leaves and small twigs constantly moving, light flags extended.
13 – 17 mph :Dust and loose paper raised. Small branches begin to move.
18 – 24 mph: Branches of a moderate size move. Small trees in leaf begin to sway.
25 – 30 mph: Large branches in motion. Whistling heard in overhead wires. Umbrella use becomes difficult. Empty plastic garbage cans tip over
31 – 38 mph: Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind.
Anything Faster: You shouldn’t be on the course.

Crosswinds present a particular problem because the ball not only will lose distance, but also drift. The rule of thumb there is to aim five yards left or right for every 10 mph of wind speed.

The trick again is to be able to glance at conditions and make an accurate guess at wind speed.

Most golfers try the stupid trick that they have learned form the pros: plucking a few blades of grass and throwing them into the air. I defy anyone to tell me how that translates into distances and clubs.

The Weatherflow Wind Meter, on the other hand, has been built to be precise. While it can’t possibly be golf legal, I think the Weatherflow Wind meter would be good at reducing the learning curve on gauging wind speeds. After you get a series of actual speeds with the device, it should be easier to guesstimate actual speeds later without it.

Using the WeatherFlow Wind Meter is simple. First, you download the app from either the App or Play Store. Then, you plug the meter into your headphone jack. Activate the app, hold the device in the air and get a reading.

You can see a screenshot below:

When I first got the device, I thought it ridiculous. The last thing golf needs are a bunch of people fiddling around with a wind meter on their smart phones and slowing up an already slow game. But the truth is that I found it only took a couple of seconds. Indeed, I used it frequently on my last round, when I walked 18 holes in two-and-a-half hours and shot an 84. The WeatherFlow Wind Meter obviously did not slow me down. When using it with your foursome, it should be simple enough to get a reading while the others are hitting.

For the price ($35), I think this is worth playing around with.