Windy days can be extremely frustrating on the golf game.   Even if you’re playing a course you routinely play, your entire strategy gets tossed out the window when the wind picks up.

But fear not, with the below tips you can turn those windy days into your advantage:

One of the biggest mistakes people make when hitting into a head wind is they think they have to hit the ball harder to compensate for the wind. This actually makes things worse. The harder you hit a golf ball, the more backspin it generates. Combine this with a headwind, and you’ve got a recipe for a sky ball that lands short every time.   Next time the gusts are blowing in your face, try making a smooth, controlled swing at about 80%. You’ll take some spin off the ball, get a lower ball flight, and take some of the wind out of play.

The longer the ball is in the air, the more opportunity for the wind to affect it. If you look at places where the wind blows constantly, like Scotland, players scoot the ball around the ground and hit very few high shots. In the wind, low shots = low scores. By moving the ball back in your stance a bit, you’ll be sure to hit down on the ball with a de-lofted club, and loft is definitely not your friend in these conditions. And keeping a bit of your weight forward will help your hands stay ahead of the ball at impact, also contributing to less loft and a lower ball flight.

One of the hardest things in golf is knowing when to cut your losses and back off. If you’re playing in the wind, you better learn this lesson or the wind will expose you. Don’t shy away from laying up on par 3’s an 4’s; often times you’ll have a better chance to get up and down than getting the ball on the green from far out. Don’t chase sucker pins or challenge fairway bunkers. Play for the fat part of the green and the widest part of the fairway, and just take your medicine and move on when you get in trouble.

With these tips you will hopefully be more comfortable when the wind starts blowing.