A Mighty Wind

Juniata Golf Club wasn't the only place where wind was a factor on Sunday. THE PLAYERS Championship at the TPC Sawgrass was also being battered by high winds, wreaking havoc on the nest golfers in the world. As Briny Baird stated after shooting a final round 72, "I don't care who wins the tournament, the wind won. It kicked everybody's butts." It certainly kicked my butt yesterday at Juniata.

To play effectively in the wind, you want to keep the ball down by hitting lower or what is referred to as "knockdown" shots. As I stated in my earlier post, I tried to play "knockdown" shots on several occasions yesterday without much success. One of the best at playing this shot is Phil Mickelson, who won the 2007 Players Championship. Mike Bender, one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers, explains that to play this shot, you want to play the ball back in your stance; take a one or two extra clubs; slightly open your stance; put your hands slightly ahead of the ball and your weight more on your left side; and take an normal swing, but abbreviate your follow through to keep the ball flight flow. Try to land the ball just short or just on the green to allow for the extra roll because of the lower ball flight.

Watch here as Bender demonstrates how to properly hit a "knockdown" shot into the wind.