Winds Gonna Blow For The Open

We could be in for something different for this years British Open at Royal Birkdale which begins tomorrow. The weather forecast calls for light rain and winds from 10-20 mph for the next couple of days. In recent years, Open weather has been uncharacteristically sunny and mild. If you've been to a UK links course, then you know how much wind and rain can change them. Royal Birkdale under sunny and calm conditions and Royal Birkdale under rain and stiff wind are two entirely different venues. For players that aren't used to it, it can play as much with your head as with your golf ball. Players in the field who grew up playing in these conditions will have a distinct advantage. Typically this isn't the case for US born and bred pros, except for a few locations such as west Texas and maybe Hawaii. High soft floaters aren't going to work. You have to know how to hit it low off your back foot and too a lot of bump and run. It should suit the Scottish players perfectly though as the old Scottish saying is "No rain, no wind, no golf!".