Gameplay, the Course and Wind

In this chapter, we view the results obtained from the quantitative analysis in Chap. 4 from the perspective of a golfer. First, we describe the common techniques used by the golfer to adapt his launch conditions such that the wind-induced deviation is nullified. We explain how these techniques work through simulations of realistic golf shots and also discuss their limitations. Next, we discuss how wind impacts a real golf game by simulating golf shots under the effect of wind in modelled environments of three real golf courses having different design styles: (1) hole 17 of Tournament Players’ Club in Florida (penal style), (2) hole 8 of Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland (strategic style) and (3) hole 18 of Pebble Beach Golf Links in California (heroic style). We find that wind has a decisive effect on the gameplay strategy in each of the courses, wherein wind tends to enhance the key characteristic of the course and hence helps in clearly distinguishing between amateurs and experts.