Andy Sullivan How To Play In Crosswinds

We asked Andy Sullivan how to play in crosswinds, when controlling your ball flight becomes extremely tough. Here the Englishman explais how to fight a left-to-right wind

Crosswinds pose the golfer some difficult questions and it is in this scenario that you really need supreme control of your ball flight. For the right-hander the really difficult crosswind is left-to-right (the opposite is true for left-handers). In this situation, my experience has taught me not to fight the wind too much but to hit my target through a combination of a lower flight and allowing for the wind through my alignment. By changing my technique slightly I can prevent the ball from climbing too high and this should really help my control.

What you need to guard against is hitting the ball too hard and losing it right - here's what to do.

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The way to control ball flight is through the pace of your swing. Essentially, the key is to find a smoother tempo than usual. So take a club more than you usually would and keep the pace of your swing as smooth as possible. Try to curtail your finish position a little as this will take speed away at impact. By reducing the speed of your swing you are reducing backspin created at impact and this will help you find a ball flight that is a little lower than usual. So if the wind is off the left, I take my aim up the left side of the hole and swing a little smoother. The lower flight will prevent it from drifting too far to the right side. When you are out on the course and competing for real, this is the best way to find the control that will help you attack the flag when the wind is blowing across you.

In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he went on to become a feature writer interviewing many of the biggest names in the game including Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy and Arnold Palmer.

A 5-handicap golfer, Neil is a club member who takes a keen interest in the health of the game at grassroots level. You’ll often now find him writing about club-related issues such as WHS, membership retention and how best to bridge the gap between the range and the course.