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Backspin on wedge shots?

post #1 of 21
7/25/08 at 4:13am
Thread Starter 
How do the pros make there ball go backwards after it lands on the green? Is it the ball they use or do they open the face of the club to get more spin? If anyone knows the answer I'd like to know thanks.
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post #2 of 21
7/25/08 at 4:16am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

They hit down on the ball. Try moving the ball al little back on your stance.
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post #3 of 21
7/25/08 at 4:23am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

There are a few prerequisites for backspin:

1. Clean grooves
2. A soft ball (It has to be new or at least pretty new, i.e. Pro V1)
3. Sufficient loft

When you have those three things you just need to make sure you commit to your shot when you begin your downswing. A lot of amateurs make the mistake of slowing down on the downswing for fear of mishitting the ball. If this deceleration occurs, then there isn't sufficient speed to generate backspin.

Also, when you use a wedge like the Titleist spin-milled Vokey, it is pretty easy to achieve backspin. This is because the groove design allows greater ball contact and thus more spin. I'm not saying that you're going to see the ball rolling backwards on every shot. Here it's good to mention that getting the kind of backspin you see on TV is not going to happen that often. The pros play on finely manicured greens which are slick as glass--this helps immensely in taking advantage of backspin.

Another thing to keep in mind in order to impart enough backspin is making sure the target area is sloping down in your direction or at least level. Obviously, if the slope is uphill, achieving the kind of backspin you want is not going to happen.
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post #4 of 21
7/25/08 at 4:51am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Also you need the right weather/green conditions for you to get ball to spin back.
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post #5 of 21
7/25/08 at 4:57am
Thread Starter 

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Originally Posted by wrx_junki View Post
Also you need the right weather/green conditions for you to get ball to spin back.
If the greens are soft and moist They wont have much spin, dry and hard more spin is this what you mean?
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post #6 of 21
7/25/08 at 5:13am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Originally Posted by Cavalier View Post
. . . The pros play on finely manicured greens which are slick as glass--this helps immensely in taking advantage of backspin.

Another thing to keep in mind in order to impart enough backspin is making sure the target area is sloping down in your direction or at least level. Obviously, if the slope is uphill, achieving the kind of backspin you want is not going to happen.
It's hard to see subtle slopes on TV, so it may seem that a pro is drawing the ball back on a level surface, but usually there is some slope that they intentionally play to, and as quoted above, with those greens, even a little spin is going to bring the ball back.

What I have is some side spin, so hitting a wedge with some fade will cause the ball to release to the right which can also be helpful.
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post #7 of 21
7/25/08 at 5:21am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Originally Posted by Treemagnet View Post
If the greens are soft and moist They wont have much spin, dry and hard more spin is this what you mean?
If its hard then less spin and if its soft then more spin. I've had a ball land on the green taking a crater for a divot and have it come back. Coming from a person that doesn't put much spin on a ball. Just recalling from experience.

New wedges with new grooves and high spin ball will help most I think. Of course assuming that you have the right technique. I'm happy with small backspin which makes the ball stop soon after. Don't want to worry about coming up short and having it roll off the green...
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post #8 of 21
7/25/08 at 5:58am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

solid contact with club head speed equals backspin. Other factors are firm greens, sloping greens, grooves on the wedge and type of ball being used.
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post #9 of 21
7/25/08 at 1:44pm

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

1st off - wahoowa to Cavalier.
2nd - I have a great deal of trouble not only getting backspin off my wedges but just cleanly hitting my 56*. That being said it's something I'm working on as I usually use PW and if that doesn't get on I'll bump-run with an 8. But I have learned that you can basically forget about backspin if you're hitting out of the rough - just too much grass interference btwn clubhead and ball. Too me it almost feels like a jerking motion on the downswing as I keep the club low taking it back then "hack" down right at the back of the ball. Also, try to keep the center of the chest over the ball instead of rotating it away. Sounds weird but I picked it up from a Youtube video, of all places, and it actually seems to work.
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post #10 of 21
7/25/08 at 3:23pm

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Most importantly, you need to know why you are wanting to spin it is it for show or do you have those one or two greens on your course that require that shot? Pros dont spin the ball back if they don't need to. I'd rather be able to know my exact distance and make it land and stop on a dime like they can more than I would want to be able to spin the ball like them.
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post #11 of 21
7/25/08 at 6:02pm

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

all u gotta do is have some type of good ball and clean groves and u want to come a little steeper and catch the ball first and then about and inch later take a small divot and make a solid swing and ball contact and it should come off high and spinning but dont take a big divot easy shot to hit and the highest club that u can really do it is with like a 8 iron maybe a 7 but the easiet to spin is probley like a pw
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post #12 of 21
7/25/08 at 10:27pm

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Making the ball spin back really isnt all that difficult. All you need is a soft ball and you need to hit down on the ball and hit it with a very high trajectory and it will spin back every time.
Personally, I think spinning the ball back is overrated. Id much rathar have it take 2 hops and stop dead in it's tracks than to have it spin back.
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post #13 of 21
7/25/08 at 10:47pm

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

I don't know if it's a gift of a curse, but my natural ball flight is at a high trajectory with great backspin.
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post #14 of 21
7/26/08 at 1:23am
Thread Starter 

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Originally Posted by Socrates View Post
Most importantly, you need to know why you are wanting to spin it is it for show or do you have those one or two greens on your course that require that shot? Pros dont spin the ball back if they don't need to. I'd rather be able to know my exact distance and make it land and stop on a dime like they can more than I would want to be able to spin the ball like them.
Don't want the back spinning for show, I would like to add another swing just to get better? Thanks for all the tips.
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post #15 of 21
7/26/08 at 2:07am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Originally Posted by JMReynolds View Post
I don't know if it's a gift of a curse, but my natural ball flight is at a high trajectory with great backspin.
Same here. When Im on with my irons my shots get a lot of hangtime. As long as its not windy, I think its a great shot trajectory to have.
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post #16 of 21
7/26/08 at 2:18am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

I can't remember the last time I spun a ball back, and I hit down on tour balls with square grooves off a firm course. The best advice I've ever heard came from Tommy Armour. An amateur asked Armour how to spin the ball back. TA replies "Let me ask you this, do most of your approach shots end up short of the pin or past the pin?" The amateur answered honestly that most of his approaches were short. Armour replied, "So what do you want backspin for?"
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post #17 of 21
7/26/08 at 2:18am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

Originally Posted by JMReynolds View Post
I don't know if it's a gift of a curse, but my natural ball flight is at a high trajectory with great backspin.
I hit the ball really high, almost too high I would say. I have been known to leave massive pitch marks. (I've actually completely plugged a ball into a green) With saying this, I don't actually spin the ball back. Its weird. I really want to be able to. I keep my grooves clean and all that, but to no avail. I use Vokey spin-milled wedges. They helped a bit. I don't really know what the problem is. I just ordered a USGA legal groove sharpener, so maybe that will help.
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post #18 of 21
7/26/08 at 2:44am

Re: Backspin on wedge shots?

does it need to be a full shot to produce back spin?
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