How To Get Spin On A Golf Ball

Golf Ball Spin – The Basics Of Sidespin And Backspin

When you think about how your golf ball spins, most golfers dream about the best approach shot that lands perfectly on a green. The ball then bounces once or twice and spins backward a couple of feet. When mastered in this way, the spin on a golf ball can be a fantastic thing. It can assist you with holding firm greens, setting up short Birdie chances, and accessing tough pins.

However, there is another side of spinning a golf ball that can negatively impact your game. A similar spin that might help you achieve your short putt could also divert your ball in the wrong direction.

When imparting sidespin, as opposed to backspin, it will send the ball in the incorrect direction almost instantly after it comes off your clubface. The golfers that battle with the slice is well aware of this scenario. If you are one of the many players that have issues with the slice, then you are placing a left-to-right spin on your ball, which is what causes the ball to rapidly veer off the course.

So from this analysis, it is safe to say that ball spin on a golf ball can either be bad or good.

When a golf ball is deployed intentionally and correctly, it can assist you in achieving great play when you are out on a course. Yet when the imparted accidentally, or hit in the incorrect direction, this can result in serious issues when it comes to the way that you play golf. Learning the correct way to control your spin is perhaps among the most important techniques that you need to master when playing golf.

How Does Golf Ball Spin Work?

In general, your golf ball will rotate (turn) in a direction that your spin is moving at when the ball leaves the ground. So when you hit your shots with a left-to-right spin, your ball will curve towards the right. The level of spin which moves in this direction is going to decide how fast your ball will rotate when it leaves the ground. The spin rates that are low result in slight curves, while spinning rates that are high result in out-of-control shots.

When it comes to just about any type of shot hit on golf courses, regardless of who hits it, there will be a degree of sidespin present. It is virtually impossible to strike perfectly straight shots, so it is normal that your ball will curve slightly to either the left or right when it leaves the ground. This also doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with the way you swing. Every professional golfer has a ball flight pattern they prefer, and it is very rare even for pros to hit a ball straight.

The other side of this equation is the backspin, which is another important consideration. Instead of taking a ball from side-to-side, the backspin causes the ball to move down and up.

In a similar way to sidespin, each shot you hit will have some form of backspin other than putts. As the rate of backspin increases on the ball, the height of your trajectory also increases. The shots that soar up high will have a lot of backspin, while the shots that are lower will have a spin rate that is lower.

The majority of work that you conduct on a driving range will center around eliminating sidespin from your shots. Once again it is important to know you are not able to totally do away with your sidespin, but you are able to decrease it to a stage where it is no longer stopping you from being able to play good shots. An excessive side spin occurs when the club moves across a ball through the impact, instead of down a direct target line.

To explain this further, we will use the slice example to explain this point. When you are setting up to hit your drive, you choose your target line and then set up your clubface and your feet to match. When aiming to strike shots that are relatively straight, your club should be moving down this line through the impact, making sure your club is in a square position to this line. However, when hitting a hook or slice, the club path will move either right or left through your ball. The path that your club takes will have a relationship that is inverse to the created spin, which means your ball is going to spin to the right when your club moves to the left, and the ball will spin to the left when your club moves to the right.

When you start practicing the way you swing in your efforts to lower sidespin, you should mainly focus on finding a method to move your club down a target line as effectively as possible at impact. When achieving this, even when your club-face is either slightly closed or open when striking the ball, this will still produce relatively good shots. It will only be when the swing path that you are using is off course significantly that you will experience those unwanted slices and hooks when you play your next game.

How To Impart Backspin

When you start to get away from the wrong way to spin your golf ball and move towards a more positive way to spin, you can now start working on finding the right technique to achieve more backspin when it comes to wedge shots for improved stopping power. To achieve this you have to strike the wedge using a downward-facing blow, and you also need to aim at making contact that is clean as often as possible.

When you achieve clean hits on your golf balls, this allows the grooves on the wedge face to grip the ball followed by generating an effective backspin rate.

The other element present in the overall spin equation will include the ball. The type of balls that you use also contribute greatly towards the amount of spin that your shots will possess. The cheaper balls that feature hardcovers offer a lot less spin, while high-end golf balls that have softer covers will spin a lot faster.

It is important to choose golf balls that match up to the shot types you prefer to play and your overall skill level. Once you start to understand how spin works and how it impacts every shot that you play on a course, it then becomes possible to take the way you play to the next level.

Professional golfers are very familiar with the technique to use in order to produce favorable backspin. Even though the task of how to get spin on your golf ball is not easy to start with, it is still possible.

All that is required from your side is to learn the correct technique that the professionals use when it comes to back spinning a golf ball. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to spin a golf ball.

Take The Grass Into Consideration.

The first consideration involves the type of grass you are playing. If the surface is uneven and irregular this will provide a resistance that is higher when it comes to your golf balls.

This type of resistance will reduce the way your ball spins. When the grass is too long, the grass may become trapped between your golf ball and your clubface, which also contributes towards slowing down your spin.

It is still possible to create an effective backspin when hitting your ball in long grass, yet your spin will be much easier when you take shots from well-groomed and manicured grass.

Choosing Your Ball

Golf balls are available in 2 main types which include softcore and hardcore. These balls are very different from one another. It is a far easier task to backspin softcore balls when compared to the hardcore varieties. So when you start experimenting with how to backspin your golf balls, make sure you practice with softcore balls. These types provide more control, along with gripping your clubfaces a lot better.

Choose Your Golf Club

The next consideration involves the golf club that you should be using. If you want to spin your golf balls, you should go for a lofted club.

The clubs that feature a greater loft will make it easier to achieve backspin. The measurement between the loft and angle is higher in a loft club, which helps to create a boost when it comes to the backspin.

In addition to this, the height of the golf club also contributes to backspin shots. It is recommended to use the clubs that feature below 7 irons.

How To Position Yourself

To get a spin on your golf ball, you first need to ensure you are positioned correctly. The way that you are standing should mean that your club can reach the ball easily. Keep the ball about an inch away in order to create your backspin.

Aim at putting your ball deeper, by using a downward angle which will boost the overall distance from the loft and angle of your clubhead. If the 1-inch distance is preventing you from achieving the backspin that you need, change the distance slightly until you feel comfortable with your shots.

Your Aim

As soon as you feel comfortable with the positioning, aim at hitting your ball hard with a clubface. Compression is important when producing backspin.

When your clubface makes contact with the ball make sure you use a consistent speed. This speed will assist with developing the backspin you need. If the speed of your club slows down just before you hit the ball, this will also decrease the potential of your backspin.

Your Swing

The correct swing is just as important when it comes to achieving backspin shots. Many golfers are not aware of the right technique when it comes to swinging a club, which could be assisting them when it comes to mastering backspin shots.

To get a spin on your golf ball, raise your golf club in a straight and upright direction followed by bringing the club down to impact with your ball.

Aim to boost your attack angle so the ball is impacted at an angle that is steeper. It is also important to make sure your club impacts your ball first before hitting either the ground or soil.

Maintain A Good Follow -Through

It is important to maintain a good follow-through. Focus on retaining a grip that is firm on your club, especially during impact. Many golfers end up miss-hitting their golf balls when they are using the incorrect grip.

It is also important that your club is lined up in such a way that it doesn’t touch the ground when you impact the ball.

Top 3 Factors That Influence Golf Ball Backspin

The Speed Of The Clubhead

Speed has a direct impact on how much spin you are able to achieve on your ball. But what is actually meant by speed? It is the speed of the clubhead as it impacts the ball.

The chip shots of low-speed will never produce enough backspin. This means that you need to aim at hitting with increased clubhead speed.

The long wedge shots happen to be the most favored for backspin, while the overall loft of your club will assist even further.

Spin Loft

The second important factor includes spin loft. Learning these techniques may seem confusing to begin with, but as soon as you have worked out what to do, they actually become very easy.

When hitting a ball with your club, a dynamic-loft and attack-angle is created. The angle that occurs between the loft and attack angle is what is known as the “spin loft”. Your attack angle includes the path that the clubhead travels when it impacts the ball. Aim to hit the ball as low as you can to generate more backspin.

So when it comes to a tee box it is important to lower the loft spin in order to achieve more distance. Yet when it comes to a backspin, the downward attack angle and a wedge are very important.

Should Your Clubface Be Open To Create Better Backspin Shots?

This is a question that most beginner players ask. A slightly open clubface is able to increase your backspin.

Yet it is important to only slightly open your clubface, because if it is open too far, it may cause the spin loft to become too high. This means you are not getting any friction which is also an important contributing factor when it comes to backspin.

Friction

When hitting golf balls you automatically create friction. Yet when anything is present between the ball and your clubhead, the friction rate will slow down. When you are able to ensure that these conditions are present, it will improve your chances of achieving better backspins:

Fresh grooves on your wedges are extremely important. It is a good idea to change them out often.
The high-end golf balls provide higher spin rates. Even though these balls might cost more, they will help to drastically improve the way you play golf.
Playing in long grass will also reduce friction rates. This is why short grass and flat surfaces are better conditions to play golf on.
It is important that the grass, your clubface, and your balls are completely dry. Rainy conditions are not great for creating backspin.

Optimal Conditions To Assist With Creating Backspin

Here is a list of the optimal conditions to achieve backspin:

Faster and softer grass
The wind. headwinds are winds that blow towards you (favorable conditions)
The slope of the green that is pointing towards you
A soft green accompanied by a tailwind (wind that blows against you) can result in a negative outcome (not favorable)

5 Easy Steps On How To Get Spin On Your Golf Ball

The lob wedge is a great starting point when you are practicing how to master your backspin. This can provide you with more confidence when you take long shots.

Step One: The Correct Stance And Ball Position

The first thing that you need to know is where to position your ball for backspins. For the standard shots, you probably position your ball in the middle of the way you are standing. But when it comes to creating a backspin, it becomes important to change things around.

Your ball should be placed closer to the back foot. The reason behind this is straightforward and logical. It becomes easier to hit downwards on your ball from these positions. From here all you have to focus on is swinging hard and impacting the ball.

To ensure you have the correct position, when you are able to see the end part of your golf club on the other side of your thigh on the back foot, then have the correct position.

Avoid exaggerating the position, you may think that positioning your ball even further back will create more backspin. Yet all you will be doing is lowering the loft when it comes to your club.

Step Two: Set Your Angle

Your next step involves setting up the right angle. The steeper attack angles are best for this technique. This involves hinging your fingers slightly earlier to achieve the correct angle.

Keep an eye on your backswing, and the angle that it comes down at should be as steep as possible.

Step Three: Avoiding Hitting The Turf First

This is a sub-step rather than an actual step. You will always hit the ground or turf when you hit a ball. Yet the key to achieving a perfect backspin is to make sure your club hits your ball before making contact with the turf.

When you are able to hit your ball first, it provides you with added control, which means the spin rate becomes higher. But if you contact the ground first, you lose a degree of friction and impact on your ball. This results in a lowered spin rate and a lower backspin.

Step Four: Hit Low On Your Clubface

Try aiming at hitting as low as you can on your clubface. This ensures your previous step. This also means you are achieving an increased friction level. This does take a bit of practice, but once you master it you will be able to hit far better backspin shots.

Step Five: Map Your Shots

This should actually be the first step you need to take. Learning the technique is very important, yet the factors that separate the amateurs from the pros involves the planning and thinking behind each shot. In just about any sport, your subconscious mind will take over. So once you have mastered the right techniques, they will come easily and naturally. What really matters when it comes to each shot is the projection and final execution.

This means learning what your ball is going to do once it lands. This will mean taking your surrounding conditions and the greens into consideration. Imagine the shot in your mind, whether it is going to jump forward or stop before the backspin occurs needs to be something you think about. This can assist you in feeling more assured and confident when it comes to your shots.

Here is a final checklist you can use to get spin on your golf ball: