I think that wind conditions - as they apply to both golf design and strategy - is one of the less understood areas. I've been developing some thoughts, and after some further polishing, may post some deeper analysis. A quick summary is that current understanding about wind revolves around its direction and strength - which ignores the important aspects of shifts and lulls. As any sailor can tell you, these are predictable, and have characteristics which vary with geographic features. For scientific reasons, there is a big difference between a 10 mph wind on Long Island (a cooled wind, moving over a body of water), and a 10 mph wind in Kansas (a gradiant wind). In terms of golf strategy, there is a big difference between playing the 12'th at Augusta, where a current wind is likely to change at any moment (and knock a shot into Rae's creek), and the 17'th at Kiawah Island (where the wind blows more consistently).
What sailors have known for a long time, and golfers have yet to figure out, is that wind shifts and changes are consistent and predictable. About the only real golfing insight I have seen in this area is from Beh Hogan, who said when playing the 12'th at Augusta, he always waited for the wind to change before playing his shot. This acknowledges that wind shifts have a specific periodicity, and that by waiting for the change, another is not likely to follow quickly.