How To Put Backspin On A Golf Ball | 2022 Golfers Guide

Creating backspin on a golf ball is a technique every golfer strives for. However, getting to grips with backspin can be a daunting prospect for the less experienced player. Backspin provides your shots with crucial stopping power, giving you more control over ball and helping you keep your handicap as low as possible. There are various techniques to help you get on top of backspin, but before you think about mastering them, you need to familiarise yourself with the determining factors that impact backspin. We have put together a useful guide that includes everything you need to know about how to put backspin on a golf ball and how to effectively implement it on the golf course.

Key Things to Remember About Backspin

Golf ball backspin is determined by several key factors. One of these is the speed of the club head. Club head speed has a direct effect on the degree of spin you can put on a golf ball. Specifically, we are talking about how the speed of your club head transfers to impact with the golf ball. You will really struggle to generate backspin with low-speed shots, such as chip shots.

If you are looking to put backspin on a golf ball when playing with a club like a wedge, you need to overcompensate with your swing to generate sufficiently high club head speeds. Longer shots will generally yield better results when it comes to backspin. The loft of your chosen club will also have a direct effect on backspin.

Spin loft is particularly important when it comes to backspin. However, getting to grips with backspin specifics can be a little daunting at first. There is no need to be overwhelmed, however. Whenever you hit a golf ball with a club, a dynamic loft and attack angle are generated. Spin loft refers to the angle between the attack angle and the dynamic loft.

Attack angle specifically refers to the path of the club head when it impacts the golf ball. If you are looking to generate substantial backspin, you should be aiming to lower the angle of attack. When you are teeing off, you should be looking to decrease spin loft so you can cover as much distance as possible. When it comes to generating backspin, the opposite is true. Opt for a wedge club and aim for a downward angle of attack to produce the backspin you are after.

Many golfers new to the game fall into the trap of thinking an open club face will automatically generate enhanced backspin. While an open club face can indeed generate backspin, it can be tricky to perfect. If you open your club face too greatly, you are likely to create spin lofts that are too high to be useful. A substantially high spin lift will result in little to no friction. This is something you want to avoid as friction directly impacts backspin.

How to get backspin on a golf ball

The Friction Factor

Friction is automatically generated whenever you make contact with the ball. However, friction is significantly decreased if anything gets between the ball and the club head. To ensure the best friction with your shots, you need to take into account several things.

If you looking to generate backspin with a wedge, the club you are using should have fresh grooves. If your grooves have seen better days, it is essential that you swap them out for new ones. As a general rule, you should aim to replace grooves on a regular basis to ensure optimal backspin performance.

Another way to enjoy better backspin is to invest in quality golf balls. The best golf balls out there will deliver a higher spin rate, regardless of the club you are playing with. If you can afford to splash out a bit more when buying golf balls, you can expect some serious gains when it comes to backspin.

Your playing environment and course conditions will also impact friction in a significant way. Tall grass will massively affect the amount of friction your balls experience, while shorter grasses provide the best conditions for achieving backspin.

Moisture will also massively impair backspin. Not only should your golf ball be dry to ensure maximum backspin is generated, your club face should also be kept as dry as possible. A wet course will also make it harder to put backspin on a ball. Unless you are particularly experienced, you will struggle to consistently put backspin on a golf ball during rainy conditions.

Ideal Conditions for Backspin

If you have to gone to great lengths to ensure a high spin rate and are still failing to get the backspin results you are after, chances are the conditions you are playing in are against you. If you are looking for consistent backspin, you should aim to play on a soft and faster green.

If the slope of the green is pointing in your direction, you will also achieve better backspin results with minimal effort. Wind conditions will also dramatically affect the spin rate of your ball. Wind blowing in direction is the best situation if you are looking for superior backspin. If tailwinds are present, you will encounter significant difficulties when attempting to put backspin on a ball.

How To Put Backspin On A Golf Ball?

Selecting a suitable ball position is a great way of getting the best backspin results. If you are looking to play a regular shot, you should aim to put the ball in centre position, relative to your stance. However, you need to consider more things when aiming to create sufficient backspin. Placing the ball closer to your rear foot is one thing to try.

This adjustment will make it easier for you hit down on the ball itself, meaning all you need to do is swing hard enough and strike the ball in a desirable spot. Avoid placing the golf ball too far back. This will only decrease the loft of your club, rather than facilitate better backspin results.

You should also take care when setting the angle. Backspin requires a steep angle of attack. To ensure you achieve the correct angle, you might want to think about hinging your fingers a little sooner than with other swings. It is also crucial that you pay special attention to your backspin, making sure that the angle is steep enough on the approach to the ball.

It is impossible to make contact with the turf when attempting to a hit a golf ball. However, if you make contact with the turf before the ball, you can expect a negative impact on the amount of backspin you are likely to generate. Therefore, you need to concentrate on hitting the ball prior to the turf.

When you make contact with the ball before the turf, you maintain more control over your swing and the subsequent ball flight. Higher spin rate is also assured. Making contact with the turf prior to the ball will mean you sacrifice essential impact force and friction. This will result in a substantially lower spin rate and minimal backspin.

Hitting low on the club face is another important factor for achieving optimal backspin results. When you hit low on the club face, you will also minimise the chance of making contact with the turf before the ball and increase overall friction. However, you should avoid the temptation to hit too low on the club face. If you hit too low, you can end up with bladed shots. A reliable driver is the go-to choice for hitting low on the club face. No matter what type of club you are looking to use, hitting low on the club face requires plenty of practice, so be prepared to put the hours in.

In Conclusion

Backspin can be a tricky thing to master, but is not a technique reserved purely for the professionals. Provided you have a little patience and correctly follow the steps laid out in this article, you will have no trouble imparting backspin on your golf balls and enjoying serious stopping power.