Luke is an avid weekend-warrior golfer from the East Coast who plays golf more than he cares to admit.
If you’re an avid golf watcher, then there’s probably been multiple occasions where a professional golfer has hit a ball towards the green, before the ball has spun backward, which to the beginner might seem like it’s impossible, and is defying the laws of physics.
However, this is absolutely possible, and it’s even possible for you to learn this at home.
This technique is called backspin, and can be incredibly useful out on the course, which is why so many professionals make a point of learning this technique, although it’s definitely much harder than you might think.
So, if you want to learn how to get backspin on a golf ball, then read through our tutorial, and you’ll soon be using this technique for yourself the next time you find yourself on the green!
What Is Backspin?
If you’re not sure of what backspin is, then allow us to explain it in more detail!
Backspin is the term used to refer to the way the ball spins backward as it travels through the air.
It is completely natural for there to be some form of rotation on the ball after it’s been hit, but it requires some special technique in order to be able to create some backspin on the ball once it has been hit.
What many people don’t realize about backspin is that it can actually be used to generate lift on the ball, which means that you’ll be able to hit it further across the course.
Generating lift on a golf ball is all thanks to the dimples, which can be found all over the ball itself, and without them, the ball wouldn’t be able to travel as far or as high as it can.
In addition to this, if you don’t generate enough backspin when hitting the ball, the dimples won’t be able to generate the right amount of lift in order to take the ball far enough.
Backspin isn’t the only rotation the ball can have however, as you can also use the spin to take the ball to the left or right too.
Backspin also has a large part to play in controlling the ball once it lands too, which is particularly helpful when it comes to the short game.
Let’s say you’re looking to try and hit a ball onto the green, chances are you’ll want to get it to stop pretty quickly once it lands, this is where backspin comes in, as it’ll ensure that the ball comes to a stop upon its landing.
How To Create Backspin
There are six key factors that go into creating backspin: Angle of Attack, Loft, Grass, Club Face Angle, Grooves, and Swing Speed.
Angle Of Attack
This is the line that the club head takes in order to hit the golf ball. A steeper angle of attack will allow you to generate more spin on the golf ball, so one of the best ways to create backspin is to increase the angle of attack.
Loft
Loft refers to the angle between the face of the golf club and the center of your shaft. This means different golf clubs will be able to generate different amounts of loft, which will also mean that the spin will vary between clubs.
For example, a 4-iron will have a much lower amount of loft in comparison to a 9-iron.
Grooves
Whether you’re an avid or beginner golfer, you’ll have taken notice of the grooves that regularly feature on the face of most golf clubs, these are used to help give the foreign objects that might interfere with the trajectory of the golf ball somewhere to go, this includes things such as grass, sand, or dirt.
Keeping the grooves clean and sharp is important if you’re looking to generate as much lift as possible.
Club Face Angle
This is the angle at which your club face is pointing when it makes contact with the golf ball. Depending on whether your clubface is open or closed will have an effect on the spit that is put on the golf ball.
Swing Speed
The faster you are able to swing your golf club at the ball, the greater the amount of spin that will be generated, although you should avoid swinging as hard as possible, as the accuracy of your shot will suffer greatly.
Grass
The cut of the grass you’re shooting from can also affect the backspin, and playing on shorter grass, like on the fairway, will allow you to have greater contact between your club face and the ball, therefore increasing the spin.
Drills To Help Create Backspin
If you’re looking for some drills to teach you how to create backspin, then check these out!
Tee Drill
On a driving range, place your tee ½ an inch in front of your golf ball, and push it into the ground until it’s flush with the ground, but so that you can still see the top of it, then do the same with another tee on the outside of the ball.
You then want to swing your club and aim to break the front tee with your club, the divot created should be at the same point as the second tee you placed and should also continue forwards for around 5 inches, but should never go deeper than an inch.
Impact Bag Drill
Using just a golf club and an impact bag, try hitting the impact bag with as square of a club face as possible, paying close attention to the angle in which your club face hits the bag, you could even film it if you need to!
Conclusion
We hope you found this guide to getting backspin on your golf ball helpful, and we also hope you learned a thing or two about what backspin is too!
