Estimating Wind Speed

Most weekend golfers don’t do enough to compensate for the effects of wind on their shots. A 20 mph headwind can shorten your shot by 20 yards. A 20 mph tailwind can create an extra 10 yards of carry. A crosswind of the same speed can easily double the distance of your slice or hook, turning what’s normally a 20 yard miss into a 40 yard disaster.

Before heading out, I always check a weather website to determine the general wind conditions. But wind speed can vary significantly on the course, even from hole to hole.

Without a handheld anemometer, figuring wind speed generally is reduced to a few superstitions, such as tossing some blades of grass into the air to see what happens. Fortunately, there’s a more “scientific” method. The US government has used our tax dollars to construct the handy chart below:

Beaufort number	Description	Speed	Visual Clues and Damage Effects
0	Calm	Calm	Calm wind. Smoke rises vertically with little if any drift.
1	Light Air	1 to 3 mph	Direction of wind shown by smoke drift, not by wind vanes. Little if any movement with flags. Wind barely moves tree leaves.
2	Light Breeze	4 to 7 mph	Wind felt on face. Leaves rustle and small twigs move. Ordinary wind vanes move.
3	Gentle Breeze	8 to 12 mph	Leaves and small twigs in constant motion. Wind blows up dry leaves from the ground. Flags are extended out.
4	Moderate Breeze	13 to 18 mph	Wind moves small branches. Wind raises dust and loose paper from the ground and drives them along.
5	Fresh Breeze	19 to 24 mph	Large branches and small trees in leaf begin to sway. Crested wavelets form on inland lakes and large rivers.
6	Strong Breeze	25 to 31 mph	Large branches in continuous motion. Whistling sounds heard in overhead or nearby power and telephone lines. Umbrellas used with difficulty.
7	Near Gale	32 to 38 mph	Whole trees in motion. Inconvenience felt when walking against the wind.
8	Gale	39 to 46 mph	Wind breaks twigs and small branches. Wind generally impedes walking.
9	Strong Gale	47 to 54 mph	Structural damage occurs, such as chimney covers, roofing tiles blown off, and television antennas damaged. Ground is littered with many small twigs and broken branches.
10	Whole Gale	55 to 63 mph	Considerable structural damage occurs, especially on roofs. Small trees may be blown over and uprooted.
11	Storm Force	64 to 75 mph	Widespread damage occurs. Larger trees blown over and uprooted.
12	Hurricane Force	over 75 mph	Severe and extensive damage. Roofs can be peeled off. Windows broken. Trees uprooted. RVs and small mobile homes overturned. Moving automobiles can be pushed off the roadways.

I’d say that playing in anything higher than a “6” is pure folly.

But short of that, the main thing is to take the proper club. And that’s going to vary from player to player. I hit the ball very high, so wind tends to affect my shots more than a guy who hits it lower. To compensate for a 20 mph head wind, I’ll likely have to take three clubs. Not only will I get more distance from the longer club, the lower loft will help me keep it under the wind.