how to put backspin on a golf ball

I’m sure you have probably seen a pro golfer hit a ball into a green only to have the ball sucked backwards like it’s defying the laws of physics. It’s not sorcery you’re seeing; it’s a phenomenon known as backspin.

We think that the ball should continue to move forward since that’s the direction it flew for over a hundred yards, but it magically stops and changes directions. Many people see this and think to themselves, “I wish I could do that.” There is some good news: you can.

What is Backspin? Why do you need Backspin?

The rearward rotation of a golf ball as it passes through the air is referred to as backspin. Every golf ball rotates in some direction, but not all of them move backwards (towards the golfer) or quickly enough to be detected until the ball hits the ground.

Backspin is significant for two reasons when hitting a golf shot.

• Lift
• Control

The first, and perhaps more unexpected, benefit is that it aids in the creation of lift on the golf ball, allowing you to smash it further. When you look at a golf ball, you’ll see that it has a lot of small dimples all over the surface. When the ball soars through the air, these tiny dimples help produce lift, which propels the ball higher and further. Without enough backspin, the dimples won’t create as much lift and you won’t hit the ball as far. Spin may also cause a ball to move to the left or right, causing it to travel in a different direction.

The second reason that backspin is important is that it helps control a ball once it lands on the ground. This is particularly useful inthe short game. For example, if you hit a ball towards the green, you want it to stop soon most of the time. Spin allows you to strike it on the green and be certain that it will remain there. This is a significant benefit since it allows you to fly the ball all the way to your target without risking it on the ground.

Think about it this way, if you were forced to land a shot short and let it roll up to the green, your risking it hitting something, like a bump, and going off-line. That doesn’t happen as frequently in the air. You may be certain that if you simply strike it via the air, it will avoid the other obstacles.

Also, if you didn’t have spin, but landed the ball on the green, you will probably notice that your ball will roll over the back of the green fairly often. It should go without saying, but it may be really annoying, thus spin is essential.

How to create more Backspin?

Let’s talk about how to create backspin on the golf ball. Backspin is influenced by six major factors.

1. Angle of Attack
2. Grooves
3. Club Face Angle
4. Loft
5. Grass
6. Swing Speed

That may seem to be a lot, but I believe you can manage it all.

Angle of Attack

First, consider the angle of attack. The path your club head takes to make contact with the golf ball is defined as the angle of attack. The steeper (more vertical) your angle of attack, the easier it is to get more spin on the golf ball.

Grooves

The following item is grooves. You’ve probably seen that golf clubs have grooves on the face. These are important because they give foreign objects, like grass, water, and dirt, a place to go, so the ball can come into contact with the most surface area of the club face.

Make sure your grooves are clean (here are some helpful golf towels) and sharp in order to get the most spin. It is not a terrible concept.change out your wedgesevery couple of years to keep your grooves fresh.

Face Angle

The third factor is the club face angle. This is the direction your club face is pointing when it comes into contact with the golf ball. If your club face is open or closed, you’re going to put side spin on the golf ball. A sideways spinning ball cannot spin backwards, hence you must have asquare face at impactto create backspin.

Loft

The fourth factor is club loft. This is the angle between your club face and the center of your shaft. For example, a 9-iron has higher loft than a 4-iron. Loft not only makes it simpler to strike the club, but it also adds spin to the golf ball. So, if you want extra spin, choose a club with the highest loft feasible.

Grass

The grass is then cut. When we speak about grass cut, we’re referring to how long the grass is surrounding your ball. Similar to the “groove” paragraph says above, you don’t want anything coming in between your club face and the golf ball. Shorter grass, such as the fairway, helps you to make more firm contact and spin the ball more. The rough will make spinning the ball very tough.

Swing Speed

Finally, your swing speed influences backspin. The more spin the ball has as it exits the face, the quicker you swing. That doesn’t mean you should try to swing as hard as possible, but instead, similarly to the “loft” paragraph above, know that if you choose a club that you have to swing 100%, it has the potential to create more spin.

Drills to increase Backspin

Here are some terrific exercises to work on to improve your backspin.

Tee Drill

This first exercise is simple yet quite effective. All you need is a couple extra tees.

1. Put a tee approximately 12″ in front of your golf ball on the driving range and press it all the way into the ground, so it’s flush with the rest of the ground but you can still see the top of it.
2. Then, grab another tee and repeat the process, but this time place it just outside the ball.
3. Then, using your club, attempt to break the first tee (the front one).
4. Your divot should begin at the same place as the second tee (the outside one) and extend approximately 5 inches forward, never going deeper than one inch.

This drill does a couple things.

• First, it requires you to hit the golf ball from a lower angle, which, as previously said, causes spin.
• It also forces you to strike the ball first rather than the ground since your divot begins after the ball rather than before it.

One of the most common errors that amateur golfers do is attempting to get beneath the ball and lift it into the air before making contact with the ground.Hitting the ground before the ballForeign objects get in between the ball and the clubface, reducing back spin.

Impact Bag Drill

For theimpact bagdrill, you need an impact bag (shocker). Animpact bagis basically a heavy pillow that you can hit with your golf club. You’re not going to utilize a golf ball for this one.

1. Take some swings, hitting theimpact bagwith your club.
2. When hitting the bag, pay particular attention to the angle of your clubface.
3. This should be done until you can consistently strike the bag with a square face.

I believe you’ll discover that you often leave the club slightly open or slightly closed. Squaring up the face of your club will allow the ball to come off straight and spin back.

Weighted Club Drill

If you’ve ever watched much baseball, you’ve probably seen batters in the on-deck circle swinging a bat with a donut, or weight, around it. They swing this to get used to swinging a heavier bat. That way, when they step up to the plate, their donut-less bat feels lighter and they can swing faster. You can do the same with a golf club.

They make little weighted donuts that can be put on your club, weighted clubs, or you can swing two clubs at once. Make this a regular component of your practicing regimen, whatever you do. You’ll slowly begin to build more muscles that matter for swinging the club faster. You’ll notice yourswing speed steadily increase, which means you backspin rate will as well.

Conclusion

If you want to get more backspin on your golf ball, so you see the ball stop or even back up when it hits the green, just remember those six points; angle of attack, grooves, club face angle, loft, cut of grass, and swing speed. Once you’ve got all of that in place, hitting a shot and seeing it drop gently on the green will be a breeze.