is windswell ever superior to groundswell ( like at a beach break)?

feet,seconds, don't forget winds,tide...and the most important thing no one can forecast until it comes in... the shape of the swell... I've surfed big groundswell perfection at a beachbreak, and windswell can suck if the particular swell is not shaped right to be surfed... feet,shmeet, seconds,shmeconds, we can forecast and predict and be correct,and it's a good method,but...you never know,last week it was really terrible and then the angle and so the shape totally changed and it got pretty good!
the direction of a swell can change a little and go from unrideable to good.nothing means anything until the day comes and we see...

 

it was today

 

Depends on the beach and bathymetry. In the age of smart phones, just look at what's going on at your spot and what the measurable conditions are (tide, swell direction, swell period, wind, wave height, etc.) You'll learn quickly what it takes to make a certain spot go off.