putting spin on the ball

[rmgr]

what's the best club to put a spin on the ball with and how do you usually do it?

[Mhinderaker]

what's the best club to put a spin on the ball with and how do you usually do it?

The way to create spin is to hit down on the ball, the harder the more it will spin.

Of course it also helps to have clean grooves that are relatively new and still sharp. Generally for me my Lob Wedge spins the most because it has the sharpest grooves of any of my clubs, and because for a club with more loft I feel I swing it slightly more aggresively than the other clubs in my bag.

[lamebums]

what's the best club to put a spin on the ball with and how do you usually do it?

Hit down on the ball. You'll trap it between the turf and ball, and when it does squirt out you'll have plenty of spin. I can shoot a mid-iron into a green with a Top Rock, and still have spin back a few feet. (Wedges...I actually try

not to spin them, because that will just get me into trouble.)

[CG031]

To spin it a ton, it requires a lot of club head speed.

Actually when you can it "cleaner" off the fairway, it spins more for me (less grass coming in contact between ball/club face)

[Mhinderaker]

Actually when you can it "cleaner" off the fairway, it spins more for me (less grass coming in contact between ball/club face)

If that's the case then when you are hitting down on it you are really hitting it a bit fat.

But yes, it does require a lot of clubhead speed which to generate very much spin, you just aren't going to see a chip spin 5 feet backwards (thankfully).

[lamebums]

To spin it a ton, it requires a lot of club head speed.

That is also a big part of back spin - aside from clean grooves, of course. I don't make a ton of clubhead speed with my driver, but my irons are all extended by an extra inch and a half. I don't even need to swing as fast, comparatively speaking, to get the same clubhead speed as say, someone with standard length. (On the other hand, more length = more punishment for sprayed shots.)

[Ben]

Hit the ball solid in the center of the clubface.

[SideSwipe]

Definitely hit down on the ball. Also, your shorter irons like your wedges are easier to spin.

[Finn07]

If that's the case then when you are hitting down on it you are really hitting it a bit fat.

Definitely not to the above part of hitting it fat. You want to strike down on the ball no matter if you are hitting a wedge or a hybrid. Its ball first then divot. The type of ball you play matters a lot also, a multi layer ball will spin a lot more then your conventional two piece surlyn cover ball.

[$2 Nassau]

Putting tons of spin on the ball is overrated, in my opinion. Just enough to make it take 2-3 bounces and stop is more desireable. For me anyway.

It looks cool, but it's hard to control.

[Mhinderaker]

Definitely not to the above part of hitting it fat. You want to strike down on the ball no matter if you are hitting a wedge or a hybrid. Its ball first then divot. The type of ball you play matters a lot also, a multi layer ball will spin a lot more then your conventional two piece surlyn cover ball.

If you look at the context in which I said that, it was in response to CG031's statement that he says he puts more spin on the ball when he sweeps it because "less grass gets in between the clubhead and the ball" where none should be getting in if you are actually hitting the ball first, hence I told him he was hitting it fat.

[Leek]

what's the best club to put a spin on the ball with and how do you usually do it?

I think any short iron is fine. Spin comes from trapping the ball and then having it climb up the face through impact. The easiest way to do this is to have a flat left wrist at impact, and have your swing bottom out about 4" past the ball. This means your divot should start AFTER the ball, and your divot should be deepest 4" past it.

[laconic517]

I dont think you wanna use a lot of hand action (although ive heard some people try to use dead hands to get spin off of the ball, for me dead hands and shoulder rocking gets more spin)

Also invest in something to clean your clubs and if you really want spin you will need better golf balls. I bought a little scrub brush thing that you can put soap and water in and my clubs look like new, I had a white line I hadnt seen on my old irons for about 2 and a half years.

[Finn07]

If you look at the context in which I said that, it was in response to CG031's statement that he says he puts more spin on the ball when he sweeps it because "less grass gets in between the clubhead and the ball" where none should be getting in if you are actually hitting the ball first, hence I told him he was hitting it fat.

To me, sweeping the ball is not hitting it fat. Hitting it fat is when you take about 2 yards of turf first and then you make weak contact with the ball, and the ball only goes about half the distance that you intended it to go, sweeping the ball not striking down on it could be the cause of possibly hitting it thin, where someone would "skull" the ball. Either way like someone mentioned above, unless you really know what your doing, putting spin on the ball is not the recommended shot because as we see on TV, professionals shoot past the pin and make the ball spin back near the hole, they never hit it short and spin it off the green.

[Mhinderaker]

To me, sweeping the ball is not hitting it fat. Hitting it fat is when you take about 2 yards of turf first and then you make weak contact with the ball, and the ball only goes about half the distance that you intended it to go, sweeping the ball not striking down on it could be the cause of possibly hitting it thin, where someone would "skull" the ball. Either way like someone mentioned above, unless you really know what your doing, putting spin on the ball is not the recommended shot because as we see on TV, professionals shoot past the pin and make the ball spin back near the hole, they never hit it short and spin it off the green.

No I think you misunderstood me again :P.

What I mean is that if you are hitting down at the ball and feeling any grass between the clubhead and the ball, then you must be hitting it fat. I -THINK- that is what CG031's post sounded like, at least to me.

[iacas]

To me, sweeping the ball is not hitting it fat. Hitting it fat is when you take about 2 yards of turf first and then you make weak contact with the ball, and the ball only goes about half the distance that you intended it to go, sweeping the ball not striking down on it could be the cause of possibly hitting it thin, where someone would "skull" the ball. Either way like someone mentioned above, unless you really know what your doing, putting spin on the ball is not the recommended shot because as we see on TV, professionals shoot past the pin and make the ball spin back near the hole, they never hit it short and spin it off the green.

I hit a 5-iron yesterday that was, at most, 1 cm fat. Enough to take off 3 or 4 yards, and just enough to catch the top of a false front and roll all the way back down. Those extra 3-4 yards meant the difference between a possible tap-in birdie and a tough up and down for par.

[Bird]

Do you take a different stance compared to your normal shot? You’re talking about hitting down on the ball, do you move it back in your stance or just do your normal setup?

[Leek]

To me, sweeping the ball is not hitting it fat. Hitting it fat is when you take about 2 yards of turf first and then you make weak contact with the ball, and the ball only goes about half the distance that you intended it to go, sweeping the ball not striking down on it could be the cause of possibly hitting it thin, where someone would "skull" the ball. Either way like someone mentioned above, unless you really know what your doing, putting spin on the ball is not the recommended shot because as we see on TV, professionals shoot past the pin and make the ball spin back near the hole, they never hit it short and spin it off the green.

I think sweeping leads to both fat and thin shots.

Fat is defined as hitting the turf before the ball, even if it's 1/10 of an inch before the ball. Fat is fat. Sweeping comes from a shallow angle of approach.