How to control your trajectory while playing in windy conditions

Over the weekend in Sea Island, Georgia, at the RSM Classic, players were faced with windy conditions.

For most of us, wind can ruin a great round quickly. If you're one of those people who hits a high ball to begin with, the wind is your worst enemy -- especially when you're hitting into it.

Nothing will make a high ball balloon even higher and take all the heat off it more than a strong, steady wind into your face.

But, guess what? It doesn't have to be that way.

Vaughn Taylor -- T8 at the RSM Classic -- did let the wind get in the way of his solid play. He, just like most of the top players in the world, was able to adjust to the conditions.

The most important factor in hitting your yardages when the wind is howling is having the ability to control your trajectory.

Lou Guzzi, 2013 PGA National Teacher of the Year, says that a lot of controlling your trajectory has to do with the backswing.

"The way I teach my students, I don't move the ball position at all," Guzzi said. "Keep it where you usually do. If you play the ball in the back of your stance and cut off the follow through and that works for you, then by all means to do it. I just find there's more consistency by keeping the ball position in a place you're used too. I find that when people put it too far back in their stance, they sometimes get steep and end up popping the ball up."

The three backswing positions Guzzi likes to see, are:

1. Hip high.

2. Chest high.

3. Shoulder high.

"Start out short and find what you're comfortable with," Guzzi said. "But, it's important to accelerate through the ball and have a full finish. Because the swing is shorter, it's not going to generate the same speed as a full swing, but you still want to produce that acceleration and full swing finish."

Once you've determined which size backswing works best for you, Guzzi says, "commit to the finish and you're going to be pleasantly surprised by the consistency of your lower trajectory and the distance it produces."