==================================================== Newsletter - Issue 13 Date 03/20/07 ==================================================== ==================================================== Golf Tip: Spinback Shots ==================================================== If anyone has a golf question that they would like answered, please email your question to: teachingpro@bataviacc.com and I'll do my best to answer it in an upcoming newsletter. Timothy O. had this question: “I took up golf just a few years ago and I have only had some minor lessons indoors during the winter. My question is I can never seem to get any backspin on the ball for a green approach thus I tend to hit the green and roll off the back side more often than not. This really ticks me off when I have had a good drive and approach only to rack up strokes getting back on the green. I don't know why I have never asked anyone about this but each year I try to fix something new and this year I want to get this under control. Your help is greatly appreciated.” This answer is long, but there’s no way around it, so read it and don't weep when you see the pin tucked behind a bunker! There are three factors which can influence and/or enhance spinning the ball back on the green. The last of which is technique. If you are missing any one of them don't attempt the shot They are: 1) Equipment 2) Physical Conditions 3) Clubhead Speed and Technique EQUIPMENT To spin the ball back, you need to use a ball with a high spin rate, like the ball I use the Pro V1. Just read the box when you buy your balls or ask a pro or knowledgeable salesperson if yours is a high spin ball. Maximum distance balls are NOT high spin balls; you have to make a decision on what best suits your game. High handicappers benefit more from distance balls because their spin rate is lower, which minimizes slices and hooks, and maximizes roll. Mid to low handicap golfers may benefit from high spin balls because it makes it easier to work the ball from side to side, and it’s has better feel around the greens. Distance balls don't stop well on the green, high spin balls will stop or spin back if the physical conditions are right and proper shot technique is used. There are also mid spin balls on the market that are supposed to give you the best of both worlds, which is a dubious claim. High spin golf balls are the most expensive, mid spin balls are in the middle, and low spin balls are the cheapest. There’s nothing wrong with any of them, use the one that suits your overall game best. If you have been playing a low spin ball, try a sleeve of high spin balls just for comparison. Here’s an excellent article on the differences in golf balls, spin rates, etc.: http://www.golfalot.com/lucylocket/buyingguide-golfballs.shtml The grooves on your clubs also need to clean of any dirt or grass to insure good clean contact. Old clubs that have worn down grooves won't work either. The old Pings with square grooves, which were banned by the USGA , were the best for backspin. PHYSICAL CONDITIONS It’s absolutely vital that you have a firm, clean lie. The ball can be sitting on tightly clipped fairway, on hardpan, even a good lie in a bunker, but that's about it. Don't even think about making the ball back up from the rough. Second, the shot should not be a long one. Since you need a fair - but not excessive - amount of loft, don't try this shot with any club longer than a 7-iron. Third, the green should be firm - not hard like a sidewalk, but firm. If it's hard, you'll be lucky to keep any shot on it. If it's wet, the ball will just plug. What you want is a green that is soft enough to accept the shot yet firm enough to let the spin take effect. It also helps if the green slopes toward you. If it slopes away, you'll have no chance of backing the ball uphill. I suppose I shouldn't say no chance because I when I caddied for my oldest son Tommy at a Hogan Tour qualifier in Buffalo, I saw him hit a shot that disappeared over a hump in the green then came rolling back up and over the same hump on a green that sloped away. He was using a ping wedge with the old square grooves and obviously had great technique too. I don't know that he could have executed that shot with the grooves now permissible by the USGA. Wind conditions also play a part. The shot is much easier when played into a wind. A headwind will increase your backspin. But don't try it in a tailwind, which will propel the ball forward. Having the grain run towards you is also better than having the grain run away for this shot. CLUBHEAD SPEED AND TECHNIQUE Last but certainly not least in backspin considerations are clubhead speed and technique. Put simply, the clubhead speed you need to have enough to spin the ball back on greens is the same that is necessary to hit your 5 iron with 160 yards of carry. That means that your 5 iron shot needs to travel 160 yards in the air before it lands. If you can't hit that shot, concentrate on other ways to get the ball close to the hole rather than trying to spin it back on the green. So if you have the ideal equipment working for you, you have a clean lie, and you're hitting upwind at a firm green that leans in your favor, your chances of backing up your shot are very good. Now all you have to do is hit it - which may be easier said than done. Basically, backspin comes from hand speed through impact. The harder and more crisply you can apply the club to the ball, the faster you'll make the ball spin back. Keep in mind that although it demands fast hand speed, it doesn't require a lot of wrist action. The swing must be aggressive with the entire body. There’s a lot of information on the internet on how to accomplish this type of shot, and here’s exactly how I do it. I usually consider any shot between 80 and 125 yards from the pin a candidate for a backspin shot if I NEED to do it. If a pin is tucked behind a trap, or close to the front of the green, and it there is room behind the pin, and other conditions are favorable, it’s a candidate for a backspin shot. If you are going to commit to the shot, have the courage to take enough club to land the shot past the hole, not at the hole. There's nothing worse than a well executed spin shot that spins back off the green because you didn't really have the guts to hit it far enough. I usually use my gap wedge, pitching wedge, or 9 iron for the shot. I never use my sand wedge, because the bounce on the club can really cause problems when hit from the type of lie necessary for a high spin shot. The bounce can easily cause just that, the wedge bouncing into the back of the ball and a skulled shot. Use clubs with low or no bounce for the shot. If you really are serious about producing this shot, hunt down a good gap wedge (a wedge with loft between your PW and SW) and check the manufacturers specs for low bounce. You can find this information on manufacturer sites on the internet if you are willing to do the research. The shot should be played back in your stance, 1/2 inch back further in your stance than normal. Make sure that you hit down crisply on the back of the ball, that you take a slight - not deep - divot, and that you have what feels like a low follow through compared to your normal follow through. Done correctly, this shot will bounce forward once or twice, then spin back. If you have a tendency to sweep the ball rather than hit short irons that produce divots, here’s a tip for this shot: stand a little closer to the ball, this will make your swing more vertical, and look at the front of the ball, this will make you hit down into the back of the ball. One last note, this shot takes a lot of skill to master, so practice it thoroughly before you try it during your round. Enjoy, Tom