Golf in the rain: how to adapt your style of play & strategy

Anyone who plays golf in the rain quickly realizes that the usual way of playing reaches its limits. Wet Fairways and greens fundamentally change the dynamics of the game. But this is exactly where your opportunity lies.

Professionals know that rain increases the average score. This means that if you adapt your strategy and keep a cool head, you can easily pull away from the competition. This article gives you specific tips for your swing, club selection and putting so that you can play your best golf even when it's wet.

Here you will find the most important equipment to protect you and your golf clubs from the rain.

The adapted golf swing: more control in wet conditions

The most important principle in the rain is: stay calm and controlled. A panicked swing out of fear of getting wet will only lead to mistakes.

• Secure stance and grip: The wet ground can cause your feet to sink in slightly. This may make you feel cramped. A tip from golf legend Tom Watson, six-time Open Championship winner: Simply grip the club a centimeter shorter. This can compensate for the feeling of lack of control. It is even more important to dry your grips and hands thoroughly before every shot to prevent the club from slipping.
• Playing from the Rough: Wet, tall grass is the biggest enemy of the golf swing. It slows down the club head massively. To avoid this, Watson recommends adjusting the response of the ball. By raising your hands slightly, you minimize the contact of the club with the grass before the shot and thus ensure a smoother follow-through.

Strategy and club selection: Think in terms of "carry, not roll"

The biggest change in the rain is the behavior of the ball. It hardly rolls at all on wet Fairways. If you ignore this, you lose valuable distance.

• Distance control: The key motto is "carry, not roll". You should concentrate on achieving the distance almost entirely through the flight of the ball, as the ball stops immediately after landing. You should therefore generally take one more club to compensate for the lack of roll distance.
• Dealing with flyers: Also pay attention to the so-called "flyer". This phenomenon occurs when wet grass gets between the club face and the ball, reducing the spin. As a result, the ball flies further than expected and rolls out more after landing. You should take this behavior into account when choosing your club.
• The short game: A versatile short game is worth its weight in gold in the rain. As it is harder to hit the green, you need to be able to rely on your chip and pitch skills. Think carefully about when to go for the Putt and when to go for the Chip. Wet grass on the front green can extremely slow down a Putt, so a light Chip is often the better choice to get the ball to the hole.

Putter: More power, less break

Wet greens behave differently than dry ones. If you take this into account, you can save strokes.

• Adjust your Putt speed: The wet blades of grass slow the ball down massively. This means you have to lengthen your backswing and hit the putt with more power to cover the same distance as on a dry green.
• Adjusting the break: Even if it sounds contradictory at first, a ball on a wet green takes less break. The water between the ball and the green dampens the lateral movement. You should therefore plan for less break than you are used to.

Keep calm and enjoy the round

Rain doesn't have to be a disaster. On the contrary: it offers the perfect opportunity to train your concentration and play in difficult conditions. If you have your equipment under control and take these strategic tips to heart, you can rise to the challenge and even play one of the most satisfying rounds of your life.