My #1 Tip for Wet Weather Driving

Using a driver in the wet is possible, and modern technology, when used right, can really help you with your wet weather driving.  Learn more.

As we start to approach the end of the year, we can also expect the weather to get wetter and wetter.

There’s a lot written about wet weather golfing, tips like carrying extra towels and a rain suit, etc.

But I thought I would share something that I do, that I never see written about, that really helps me in the wet weather, and that's wet weather driving.

Typically, wet weather comes with strong winds before, but is typically still after.

So, when storm clouds start brewing, but before the course siren sounds to close the course, the best driving tip I have, is to keep the ball down.

The biggest benefit of keeping the ball down is that you’re not affected by the winds, a typical strategy used in links golf.

But in wet weather golf, having the ball climb high and then land from on high, causes another problem – plugging.

There’s nothing worse than hitting a perfect drive, with great carry, landing in the middle of the fairway, and then not being able to find your ball.

As the weather gets wetter, this gets more and more frequent – simply because the courses have not time to dry out fully.

And if drainage is a problem, this could be even worse!

So, keeping the ball down prevents wind from coming too much into play, and keeps your ball from plugging.

On a related note, keeping your ball down will also help you get a little bit of roll, even in the wet.

I hope I’ve convinced you that the key to wet weather driving is to keep the ball down, but what’s the best way to do this?

Well, there’re many ways, but the easiest, most consistent way, is to just swing it easier.

Swinging easier is the key to wet weather driving, because it generates less spin, so the ball doesn’t climb.  It’s also a safer thing to do if your grips are wet from pre rain humidity or the rain!

I usually ignore tips like trying to close down the club face or play the ball back, because both of these interfere with your natural swing, and might impart more spin, and more climb.

Personally, I love the modern adapter based drivers, because I can change loft and lie, so that I can use my natural swing with a little less loft, to keep the ball down.  

A slight draw also helps with wet weather driving, because it keeps the ball a little lower and rolls a little more on landing that a fade bias.

But mostly, I love the adapters, because they allow me to carry a second shaft.  It's my wet weather driving shaft, but also one I use when I just need to swing that little bit easier, and that accounts for that, so I don’t lose too much distance.

We can also raise the kick point, and do other things that will help you keep the ball down in the wet.

Just don’t change shaft mid round, especially if you’re in a tournament, but other than that, it’s completely within the rules to change shaft before a round.

Of course in casual rounds, it doesn’t matter at all.

My rule of thumb is, if I see the weather turning bad, just grab the wet weather driving shaft.  Pre rain winds, and wet courses, all get taken care of with that one shaft!  Plus it's a great shaft to have when I'm scheduled to play, but just feeling a little tired...

I hope this helps you, and happy wet weather driving!