About Golf Ball Spin

The well-struck golf shot is what keeps most golfers coming back to the game. When you are standing at the tee box of a 525-yard, par 5 hole and put a good swing on the ball, it could go 260 to 300 yards and leave the golfer with a feeling of pride. However, it's not just your perfect stroke that allows the ball to fly high and far. It's the backspin that is imparted on the ball that allows it to rise high in the air and allow it to fly the maximum distance.

Effects

After the ball is hit, the ball will be going forward but it will also be spinning backwards because of the angle of the loft on the club. The greater the loft, the higher the ball will fly. A ball hit by a club with very little loft, such as a driver or 2-iron, will stay much lower to the ground than an 8- or 9-iron. A pitching wedge often can have 48 degrees of loft or more. It will impart the most backspin and will send the ball higher than any club.

Types

In addition to backspin, good golfers also will want to impart a side spin on the ball to get it to cut right or left depending on the shape of a hole. Many par 4s or par 5s have a dogleg shape, meaning the fairway will take a left or right turn midway to the green. As a result, a right-handed golfer will want to hit a draw on a hole that bends to the left and a fade on a hole that turns to the right. This is done by altering your stance and slightly changing your aim. A closed stance will help impart a right-to-left spin on the ball and an open stance will put a left-to-right spin on the ball. An inexperienced golfer should not worry about these type of shots because a failed fade is a slice and a poor draw is a hook; both will get a golfer into big trouble.

Features

Backspin will make the ball fly high in the air and sometimes this is necessary when the golfer is facing an obstacle. When the golfer has to hit the ball over some tall trees, the golfer needs to take a high-loft club -- such as a 9-iron or wedge -- and angle the swing downward. The physics of the game means that the greater the angle of the club at impact, the more backspin will be imparted. A sharp downward swing will make the ball jump high in the air and allow it to get over trees that may be directly in your line of shot.

Considerations

Your shot should fly high and true if struck correctly. However, if your swing is flawed, you will notice that your ball slices off to the right much more often than it flies straight. You also may hook the ball to the left, but a slice is far more common. To get rid of the slice and the unwanted side spin, hit a couple of dozen balls at the driving range and emphasize a slow and even swing rather than a hard and fast one. Most golfers will try to hit the ball as hard as they can and that means rushing the swing. Very few can swing hard and still come through the ball evenly. Slow is better when the golfer wants to impart backspin on the ball to keep it straight.

Geography

It's much more difficult to get the ball to fly high and straight when playing on an uneven or hilly course. If you have an uphill shot, you will have to bend your front knee, causing a tendency to hook the ball to the left. To counteract this side spin, open your stance a bit to keep from hooking the ball. On a downhill shot, close your stance to keep from slicing it.