I would suggest you avoid the "hand catch" at all costs, especially for a newbie. The Phantom is essentially a blender that is able to achieve flight and putting your fingers or your face anywhere those spinning ninja blades is a huge mistake, especially on a windy day like you described. Landing the drone safely is one of the most basic skills you can learn for your new drone and the trickiest. Often times new pilots fire up the bird, push the stick forward and fly, which is the easiest part. Take some time to do a few takeoffs and landings every time you go out to fly. This will help improve your skill and also warm up the motors before a longer flight. The other option is to add an aftermarket landing gear that attaches to the stock ones on the Phantom. These provide a wider base that makes landing easier and are removable so as you get better with landing they can be removed. I hope this helps, keep flying.
