A crosswind on a links green does two things at once, and most visitors only
plan for one of them. It pushes the ball sideways in the air, and it dries the
surface unevenly — the windward half of the green firms up hours before the
⋯ 10 unchanged lines
Into a right-to-left crosswind, the safe miss on most of our greens is short
left, where the run-off feeds back toward the pin. Long right leaves a chip off
− bare sand into the slope. Pick the side before you pick the club.
+ bare sand into the slope. Pick the side before you pick the club. The
+ [par-3 12th](/the-12th-plays-long) is the clearest example on the card.
- Under 120 yards: take one more club and swing at three quarters.
- 120–160: play the wind, not the number. Start the ball at the edge of the
⋯ 4 unchanged lines
Widen your stance until the wind stops moving you. On a gusty afternoon the
ball itself will move on the green — that is a free relief situation under the
− Rules only if it moves after you address it, so mark carefully.
+ Rules only if it moves after you address it, so mark carefully. From November
+ the [winter rules](/winter-rules) change how you place on the surrounds too.
The members who score well here in August are not hitting it better than you.
They are aiming somewhere else.