As I was watching the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Sunday evening, I was reminded of what a trying game this can be. The conditions were borderline unplayable as the players were forced to deal with 40+ mph gusts of wind and cool temperatures.

Charley Hoffman stood on the 17th tee -- down two shots from the leader after making bogey on the 16th hole -- and hit a laser three-quarter 4-iron from 176 yards to give him an opportunity to make birdie and get back into contention. Charley made the putt and subsequently went on to win the tournament in a playoff. Here is what Charley was facing as he made his way to the difficult 17th hole: gusting winds of 25 mph, a green some 70 feet below, and a flag 176 yards away.

Charley's task was straightforward enough, but still very tough. He needed to keep the ball out of the wind as much as possible -- and still get the ball on the green to give him a chance to win this tournament. This probably reminded him of his collegiate career at UNLV, where Vegas winds can really howl and make ball-striking quite difficult.

He must have learned from those days, as he kept his head about him and remembered the smart way to play this shot. He chose a club that would stay out of the wind, allowing him to make a nice, smooth three-quarter swing, and that would place the ball in the middle of the green -- giving him the chance for a much needed birdie.

Let's take a look at some of the fundamentals of this shot:

Club Selection: Consider choosing a long iron in this situation. These days, in most golf bags, you'll see a lot of hybrids which tend to hit the ball much higher with their lower center of gravity. Long irons will tend to have a higher center of gravity which will keep the ball lower, and make this shot much easier.

Mental Visualization: Take a deep breath and clear your mind. For Charley's shot on the 17th hole, the pin was on the left-front portion of the green. In this situation, he chose the left side of the tee box, for the best angle, and chose a target that would enable him to leave the ball in the middle of the green. Under these conditions, hitting as many greens as possible is a huge advantage. Being down two shots, as Charley was, you're not going to make that up quickly in most circumstances. A good shot here would give him a legitimate opportunity to make birdie, which is exactly what he did.

Set Up: To encourage a solid set up on these windy days, widen your stance about half an inch more than normal width, with a slight amount of weight towards the forward foot. Make sure that you are balanced with your weight grounded. You need the weight on the arches of your feet to encourage a smooth and balanced swing.

Ball Position: Normal ball position would place the ball about one ball inside your left heel. Under these windy conditions you'll want to keep the ball low, therefore, push the ball position back in your stance about one ball. This will encourage good clean contact and a boring trajectory.

Swing Thought: Hit the ball very solid with a three-quarter swing. Charley chose a club (4-iron) that would easily carry to the pin so there was no need to try and hit the ball hard. The faster the swing in this situation, the higher the ball will go.

Evaluation: Good balanced swing, shot is 15 feet right of hole, gives him a chance at getting back in the tournament.

Remember these fundamentals for windy trying conditions and maybe you will be winning your first PGA TOUR event in Palm Springs next year.

Craig Renshaw is the PGA Teaching Professional for Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club in New Durham, NH. He spends his winters as the Teaching Professional for Advantage Golf School in Scottsdale, Arizona and Ken McDonald Golf Course in Tempe, Arizona. He is a CHEK Biomechanical Specialist and instructor for Katherine Roberts for her Yoga for Golfers Certification. He can be reached at crenshaw@lwgcnh.com or by phone at (603) 569-3055.