Golf Information

Backspin Advice


Lately, I have received many requests for 2 things.

1. Advice on how to hit backspin (always a common request) 2. Advice on the short game in general.

Honestly, the first thing that you need to realize about creating backspin is that it's a very tough shot to accomplish, let alone control.

The second thing that you should realize is that there are very few situations where this shot is actually needed.

In my opinion, the best shot to master is an approach shot that bounces once, and then stops on a dime. This shot is not easy to accomplish either, but is more realistic and much more effective in the vast majority of cases.

So I'll get in to the basics of this shot now, but please realize that an entire book could be written on this subject, and it would still be very hard to incorporate into a recreational game.

Here are the basic conditions that must be met before the shot even occurs. If these factors are not in place, don't try to create backspin.

Conditions must be completely dry - (the club face, and the ball included)

You must be on the fairway - (grass can't get in between the club and the ball)

Green's have to be very nicely kept - (very short)

Now, let me clarify. Those are the conditions that must be met before the shot even occurs. So hopefully, you are beginning to see just how difficult this shot is and why it doesn't come highly recommended from someone who focuses on making golf simple.

I was thinking of ways to describe the action necessary to create backspin, and I came to the conclusion that the best analogy is one of placing spin on the cue ball in billiards.

Side Note: They say that good pool players are also good putters. So if you want to sharpen your putting skills, I would advise learning billiards as well. It will help you to develop steady hands, "learn to see the line", and it will also teach you alot about spin.

In Pool, to create backspin you have to hit downward on the cue ball with a significant amount of force. Notice that players chalk up before hitting a shot requiring a lot of spin (dry). They also go at the ball with a very steep angle. And they hit the lower portion of the ball.

All of this is necessary in golf as well. The ultimate goal is to "pinch" the ball between your club and the fairway. You must take a downward blow at the ball, you must add a fair amount of velocity to your swing speed, and you must make clean contact with the lower portion of the ball. It is all of these factors combined that make this shot so tough to complete with any accuracy.

It's also essential to have a new ball (preferably a high spin/soft-cover ball), and a newer (clean) club that has some of the grip left on the face. As the ball compresses into the grooves on the face of the club, backspin is created.

On a final note; it's important to realize that if you make course management the foundation of your game, you will rarely be in a situation where you need to use backspin. Course management is one of the true keys to golf. I'm going to publish a newsletter on it in the next few weeks as well, so be on the lookout.

David Nevogt writes golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of "The Simple Golf Swing" which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to http://www.golfswingguru.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Reuters

Kim, Villegas lead charge for PGA Tour's young stars
USA Today - 59 minutes ago
Actually, Garcia arrived on golf's grand stage at 19 when he nearly chased down Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship and a month later was 3-1-1 as the ...
PGA Tour Commissioner Finchem to appear on Golf Channel tonight Examiner.com
Picture Gets Clearer With GOLF CHANNEL Now in High Definition PR Newswire (press release)
Golf's top 4 stay away from Maui Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Sports Network - The Canadian Press
all 385 news articles


How Can a GPS Help Your Golf Game? Ask Garmin
PC Magazine - 8 hours ago
The only thing caddies have to do is carry the bag. by Craig Ellison LAS VEGAS—If you want to slice a few strokes off of your golf game, Garmin's new ...
Garmin® Goes Golfing with Approach™ G5, New Touchscreen GPS Device ... WELT ONLINE
all 42 news articles


Disc golf referendum might face legal question
MSNBC - 5 hours ago
CHICO -- A referendum seeking to keep disc golf courses in upper Bidwell Park faces a legal issue that could potentially allow the Chico City Council to ...
City Council Changes Mind About Disc Golf Newstalk1290 KPAY
City Council Votes To Restore Disc Golf In Upper Bidwell Park KHSL
Council takes on disc golf again Enterprise-Record
KHSL - Enterprise-Record
all 9 news articles


Xerox Golf Classic Won’t Run This Year
13WHAM-TV, NY - 1 hour ago
(Rochester, NY) – Xerox has decided to drop its sponsorship of the PGA this year, and move those marketing dollars into other areas. ...
Xerox Classic golf tournament goes on hiatus Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Xerox Classic goes on hiatus for lack of sponsor The Associated Press
all 82 news articles


Telegraph.co.uk

Golf-Recovering Seve targets return as Royal Trophy captain
Reuters.uk, UK - 11 hours ago
BANGKOK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Seve Ballesteros is planning to return to golf next year as captain of Europe's Royal Trophy team after starting rehabilitation ...
Olazabal: European skipper SkySports
Olazabal wary of Asian threat in golf showpiece Golfonline
Seve sends moving message to Royal Trophy European Tour
guardian.co.uk - Reuters.uk
all 225 news articles


Troubled Collins Hill Golf Club open, but with ‘skeleton crew’
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 56 minutes ago
By PATRICK FOX The Collins Hill Golf Club is still open, but things are no better than they were last month when the governing board asked the county to ...


Golf tips for Barack Obama
Los Angeles Times, CA - 1 hour ago
Barack Obama, a southpaw, will be the 15th US president to play golf, but Obama's game is nowhere close to being an amateur version of lefty Phil ...


Carbriwalk buys Mobile golf vacation firm
Bizjournals.com, NC - Jan 6, 2009
The Fairways, founded in 1990 in Mobile, sells golf vacations in North America. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The company will be rebranded ...
Business Briefing Press-Register - al.com
all 4 news articles


BBC News

New golf clubs causing hearing loss
Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand - 58 minutes ago
TECHNOLOGY DRAWBACK: A British Medical Journal report has concluded that new thin-faced golf drivers may produce sufficient sound to induce temporary, ...
Study on golf driver sounds more a bust than a sonic boom Examiner.com
Loud Golf Clubs May Damage Hearing LiveScience.com
Study finds loud golf clubs can damage hearing WIS
About - News & Issues - Register
all 60 news articles


Body Found Near Golf Course
KEYT, CA - 3 hours ago
Pismo Beach, CA-- The body of man was found Wednesday morning near the entrance to the Pismo Beach State Golf Course. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's ...
Dead body found near Pismo Beach State Golf Course San Luis Obispo Tribune
Body discovered on the Pismo Beach State Golf Course KSBY
all 3 news articles

Golf - Google News

home | index |site map
© 2006