Tips For Fall Golf

I'll be heading out this week for a few rounds of golf and lately the temperature here in the Ottawa area has become a bit cooler, which is always expected once the kids go back to school. Kevin Haime a local golf pro/businessman has some great tips for golf when the temperature dips a bit.
Check them out:

1) Off the tee: It's a really good idea to launch the ball higher in the fall. Golf courses will always be saturated with water this time of year so you can kiss any roll goodbye.
If you like to hit the ball lower to get a little roll you'll have to tee it up a little higher in the fall or even look for a different driver that launches the ball higher to optimize flight time.

2) From the fairway: Always check your ball for mud. Striking a ball with mud stuck to it might mean erratic flight.
As for your swing, I recommend that golfers are careful with their leg action on wet turf. If you overuse your legs, you're susceptible to fat shots and deeper divots which lead to bigger mis-hits off sloppy, soft turf.

3) In the rough: Fall is growing season for grass so the plant blade will be very healthy.
At this time of year, grass is thicker and juicier than during the summer months. Be very careful with your club selection out of the rough. Even short rough will be thick and just might grab your club and twist it or stop it.
I never try to hit too much club out of the rough this time of year. It's a big course management mistake to get overly greedy. In my opinion, keep your 3-wood, 3 and 4-irons in the bag no matter how good your lie seems to be.

4) Into the green: This time of year greens are saturated with water and greenskeepers are top-dressing greens with sand so you can forget about your ball releasing forward after it lands.
Most golfers tend to land the ball on the front of the green and expect it to bounce 20-30 feet before stopping. That's not going to happen in the fall, so go up by half a club and fly your iron shot right to the hole.
You won't get much roll off the tee or on the green. Feel free to be a little more aggressive with your club selection and make sure to hit your ball nice and high.
You can also be a little more aggressive with your putting because greens will tend to roll a little slower.

5) Lastly, you may want to change your ball for a little softer one because of the colder temperatures. There are a lot of great "lower compression" balls on the market that will fly farther for you if temperatures dip below 15 C.