Fall Golf: Adjust Your Game as Conditions Change

There is something special about playing golf in the fall.

The air is crisp. The scenery is beautiful. The course may be a little quieter, and depending on where you live, you might be trying to squeeze in every possible round before colder weather arrives.

But fall golf isn’t just summer golf with a sweater on!

Throughout my years as an LPGA Professional, I’ve played and coached in just about every type of condition. One thing I’ve learned is that changing conditions don’t necessarily require changing your swing. More often, they require awareness, good decisions and the confidence to adjust.

That’s true in golf, and it’s a message I often share when I speak to groups about Golf Positive! Live Positive! We don’t always get to choose the conditions in front of us, but we do get to choose how we respond to them.

And fall golf gives us plenty of opportunities to practice!

Cooler Air? Check Your Distances

Have you ever hit what felt like a great shot on a cool morning only to watch your ball come up short?

It may not have been your swing.

As temperatures drop, your golf ball may not carry quite as far as you’re accustomed to during warmer summer rounds. Your body can also be a factor. When you’re cooler and wearing an extra layer or two, you may not turn quite as freely until you’re completely warmed up.

So don’t automatically assume something is wrong with your swing.

Adjust your club selection instead.

If you normally hit a 7-iron to your target but today’s conditions are telling you that you need a 6-iron, take the 6-iron.

Then comes the important part.

Be confident about it.

Don’t take the extra club and then stand over the ball thinking, “This is too much club.”

Make your decision, trust it and make your normal swing.

Trying to squeeze five or ten extra yards out of a club by swinging harder often creates more problems than simply choosing the club that comfortably gets you there.

Pay Attention to What the Course Is Telling You

Fall conditions aren’t just about temperature.

The course itself may play differently.

Early morning dew and wetter fairways can reduce the amount of roll you get from tee shots. Softer turf can affect shots around the green. Depending on where you play, changing weather can also produce firmer conditions and faster greens.

This is where awareness becomes such an important golf skill.

Pay attention during your first few holes.

How much roll are you getting?

How is the ball reacting when it lands on the green?

Are your chips releasing or stopping?

How quickly are the greens rolling?

Instead of deciding how the golf course should play based on your last round, learn how it is playing today.

When I’m coaching golfers, one of the things I want them to understand is the difference between adjusting and reacting.

Adjusting is noticing that it’s cooler, the wind has picked up or the course is playing softer, and then making a smart change.

Reacting is hitting one shot short and immediately deciding:

“I’m not hitting the ball well today.”

Those are two very different responses.

Experience has taught me that golfers often play their best when they stop judging every result and start paying attention to the information the golf course is giving them.

Observe. Adjust. Commit.

Then go play the shot.

Spend a Few Extra Minutes on the Practice Green

If you only have a few minutes before your round, don’t spend all of them hitting drivers.

Go roll some putts.

Fall greens can feel very different from one round to another. Morning moisture may slow things down, while drier conditions later in the day can produce a completely different speed.

Start with some longer putts and focus on distance control.

Don’t worry about making everything.

Can you roll the ball consistently close to the hole?

Then hit a few shorter putts so you can see the ball going in before you head to the first tee.

You’re learning the speed of the greens while also giving yourself a little confidence to start your round.

That’s a pretty good use of five minutes!

Warm Up Your Body, Not Just Your Swing

As the temperature drops, give yourself a little more time to get ready.

Too many golfers arrive at the course, take three practice swings and expect their body to perform exactly the way it did on a warm July afternoon.

Move around.

Stretch.

Make some easy practice swings.

Start slowly and gradually build toward your normal golf swing.

And remember, you don’t have to hit balls at 100 percent during your warm-up.

Your goal is to prepare your body and find your rhythm, not prove how far you can hit your driver before the round even starts.

I have seen golfers put unnecessary pressure on themselves before they’ve even reached the first tee. Your warm-up isn’t a test of how you’re going to play that day.

It’s preparation.

Give your body time to get ready, find a comfortable tempo and take that positive feeling to the course.

Let the Conditions Help You Make Better Decisions

Fall is also a wonderful time to work on course management.

Suppose you’re standing 150 yards from the green.

During the summer, you might know exactly which club you normally hit from 150.

But today it’s cooler. There’s a breeze in your face. The ground is damp, and the green is protected by a bunker in front.

Your normal 150-yard club may no longer be the smart choice.

Instead of asking:

“What club do I hit from 150?”

Ask:

“What shot do these conditions require?”

That’s a much better golf question.

Maybe it means taking an extra club.

Maybe it means aiming toward the center of the green instead of going directly at the flag.

Maybe it means accepting a 20-foot putt instead of bringing that bunker into play.

Smart golf isn’t boring golf.

Smart golf gives you more opportunities to score.

Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of golfers lose shots not because they couldn’t make the swing, but because they asked themselves to hit a shot that wasn’t necessary.

Sometimes the best golf decision is also the simplest one.

Don’t Fight the Wind

Fall can also bring windy days, and wind has an amazing ability to make golfers uncomfortable.

The first reaction is often to fight it.

Swing harder!

Hit it lower!

Force the ball through the wind!

Instead, accept that the wind is part of today’s golf course.

Choose enough club. Give yourself a little more room. Make a balanced swing and allow for what the wind is doing.

Most importantly, don’t get frustrated because the conditions aren’t perfect.

Perfect conditions aren’t required for good golf.

In fact, learning to play in different conditions can make you a better golfer because it forces you to become more aware, creative and committed to your decisions.

There’s also a mental advantage when you accept the conditions instead of complaining about them.

If everyone in your group is fighting the wind and you’re calmly adjusting to it, who do you think has the advantage?

Watch the Leaves!

Here’s one very practical fall golf tip:

Watch everyone’s golf ball until it stops.

Leaves can make finding a golf ball much more challenging, especially when the ball finishes just off the fairway.

Help your playing partners watch their shots, and ask them to do the same for you.

But while you’re looking at those leaves, don’t forget to appreciate them!

One of the greatest things about fall golf is simply being outside during a beautiful time of year.

It’s easy to become so focused on the scorecard that we forget to enjoy where we are.

Take it in.

Adjust Instead of Judge

This may be the most important fall golf tip of all.

When something changes, don’t immediately judge your swing.

If you’re suddenly a club shorter than you were in July, you haven’t necessarily lost your golf game.

If your putts are coming up short on a dewy morning, you haven’t suddenly forgotten how to putt.

If your drives aren’t rolling as far on a wet fairway, your driver isn’t broken.

Observe. Adjust. Commit.

That is a much more productive approach than becoming frustrated.

It’s also very much a part of the philosophy behind Golf Positive! Live Positive!

We may not always control the conditions we’re given, but we can control what we do with them.

Golf Positive. Live Positive.

This is one of the reasons I love using golf when I speak to businesses, organizations and groups.

Golf gives us a wonderful laboratory for life.

We can’t control the temperature.

We can’t control the wind.

We can’t control whether the fairway is wet or whether our golf ball lands behind a pile of October leaves.

But we can control our preparation, our attitude, our decisions and our response.

That’s true on the golf course, at work and in life.

So this October, don’t fight the conditions.

Learn from them. Adjust to them. Stay positive and keep moving forward.

Take the extra club when you need it. Spend a few minutes learning the speed of the greens. Warm up your body. Pay attention to the turf. Make smart decisions and commit to your shots.

And while you’re out there, remember to look around and appreciate it.

The leaves are changing.

The air is crisp.

And you’re playing golf.

That’s a pretty positive way to spend an October day.

Golf Positive! Live Positive!