How to Put Spin on a Golf Ball
February 27, 2008
I really want to learn how to get a good spin on a golf ball when I’m trying to shoot over an obstacle or get the ball to land in a position where I can make an easy putt. It’s something I’ve always been curious about but could never get a handle on and I wanted to see if you knew of the best way to make this happen. - Jimmy in Little Rock, AR
Being able to put spin on a golf ball is not an easy thing to do. However, getting the ball to stop almost where it lands can help you keep your score down and ultimately win a game. This becomes especially useful when you’re hitting onto firm greens or when the pin is placed directly behind a bunker or body of water. Listed below are some simple to follow steps towards becoming familiar with the basic technique of adding a good spin on a golf ball.
Step 1:
Stand closer in your stance for a normal golf swing which is a shoulder-width apart, so go ahead and stand about 1/3 shorter of the regular shoulder-width stance.
Step 2:
Also, stand a little closer to the ball so that its closer to your back foot.
Step 3:
Use a 60-degree wedge which is also known as a flop wedge.
Step 4:
Make sure to swing your club on a steeper plane than what you would during a regular shot. Basically hit down at a steeper angle.
Step 5:
Hit directly underneath the ball before taking a divot and do your best to take a divot that is long and shallow.
Step 6:
Follow through as you would during a normal shot.
An easy way to look at is to take an analogy from playing pool. When you put backspin on a golf ball it’s very similar in nature to putting backspin on a cue ball. To accomplish this you strike the cue ball at a steep downward angle with a great deal of force which then imparts this energy on the bottom half of the cue ball and sends it flying.
Perhaps you had the experience of being able to make the ball actually hop up into the air over other balls on the table to achieve a desired effect. Wow, all these different types of ball shots can be a bit mind boggling. But, balls are balls and the harder you hit them, the farther they shoot.
Adding spin on a golf ball allows to hit shots over obstacles such as bunkers, bodies of water, the rough or whatever it is that is in between you and the green. If you put enough backspin on the ball, it takes a couple of bounces and stops. In a perfect world, you would like to be in the position where you hit the ball about 15 to 20 feet from the pin and have the it stop a few feet from the hole and this will leave you a with short putt.
So if you like watching your balls soar through the air and land exactly where you desire then dedicated practice is key to your ability to put spin on a golf ball. But keep in mind that this is one of the hardest shots to master.
Update to Post:
Hi all, recently I’ve had readers take a lot of interest in this particular post and wanted to provide links my other posts on this topic. So go check out my other posts to get a better understanding of this technique by reading Making Golf Spin Happen and Beginner Golf Tips - Key to Golf Ball Spin
Happy stokes!!
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Never Hit Fat Golf Shots Again
February 27, 2008
I wanted to know if you could give me some advice on how I can stop hitting fat golf shots. I think I might have to change the local course I’m fond of because the superintendent isn’t too happy with me taking big chunks out of his green. Thanks in advance!! - Charles in Reno, NV
Hmmm… so you have a tendency to hit fat balls. I see. Well Charles, do you think your problem might exist on a deeper level? Even if it does, I’ll do my best to help. Typically, fat golf shots happen when the club hits the ground way too soon. This creates a cushion of dirt and grass in between the clubface and the ball and this pretty much kills the shot. To top it off you feel a horrible rattle as your club head strikes the ground and a nice chunk of green goes flying.
Tough situation to be in, especially when you have the course superintendent scowling at you like you’re a bumbling reject. To stop hitting the golf ball fat, the next time you are at the range, make a mark to measure where your swing actually makes impact by putting a tee even with your golf ball and parallel with the direction that your club is facing at a distance of 1 inch before the ball.
Take your normal shot and then compare your divot to where the tee is. You will probably see that the golf club made contact with the ground way behind the tee. This shows that you are definitely hitting behind the ball. So to improve, keep working this exersise and add 1 more step. Focus on hitting down but not too steeply on the back of the golf ball.
How I learned was by actually picking out a particular dimple on the ball to keep my eye on. Putting this technique together with making a mark of 1 inch before the ball with a tee helped me with this problem when I was starting out and hitting fat balls left and right.
Now you know what to do to quit hitting those fat shots in golf. After you improve maybe the super will look at you with a little bit of respect and you will get to stay at the course you are so fond of. Happy Strokes!!
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Say Hello to the Golf Shank Fix
February 23, 2008
Golf Virgin, I don’t know what to do. I’m at my wits end. When I go to swing, I almost always shank the damn ball. It’s horrible and I’m sick of listening to my buddies razz me about it. What can I do to find the golf shank fix and cure the golf shanks for good? - Jeffrey in Albuquerque, NM
Jeffrey, oh Jeffrey, you poor poor… thing. I truly do feel your pain. As the Golf Virgin, I’ve seen this many times and I know how bad it hurts when you’re out there giving it your best, getting so close and then all of a sudden you just can’t hit and your club basically hangs there in the breeze, useless due to “performance fear”. But no worries, I will show you the perfect fix. For a lot of the less inexperienced players out there who may not be familiar with what a shank golf shot is or what causes a shank in golf, here’s the definition.
A shank is simply when you hit the ball with the hosel of your club instead of the actual club face. This occurs because you are not using a good stance and distributing your body weight evenly and also means you are more than likely standing too close to the ball. Heres how you fix it. Do not over flex your knees when you’re about to swing. This shifts your weight to your heels, instead of in the middle of your feet were it belongs.
When you start off with too much weight on the heels this causes the body to seek out a balanced position during the swing. So when the club head makes contact with the ball your weight gets transferred from your heels to your toes. This results in the hosel being closer to the ball and all of a sudden your buddies are laughing out loud as your ball shoots off in search of it’s own kind. You see, a good address position which is a proper stance is absolutely necessary for a great golf shot to take place.
For this stance you must align your body square to the target line. This position entails having the shoulders, hips, knees and feet aligned parallel, but left, of the line that runs from the ball to the target. Even if you have this stance down, if you are standing too far away from the ball, you will unconsciously move your weight onto your toes and thus ruin your balance.
Keep in mind that standing too far from the ball can cause the knees to stiffen. More than likely this will increase the chance of hitting the shot thin where the ball will bounce off in yet another unintended direction and again you get to enjoy roars of laughter.
The width of your stance should be a shoulder-width apart when you’re taking full swings. Be sure to keep your knees flexed with a slight bend in your waist and remember to keep your weight on your heels.
This will allow you to maintain your knee flex from takeaway to impact, so you will develop a stable, even stance that will enable you to put your buddies to shame. If you spend the time and effort training this way you will never have to worry about the dreaded golf shanks again.
So remember to keep an proper, balanced stance and back up just far enough so you can hit it. Relax, don’t be afraid, it’s just a teeny white golf ball… and from here forward you will have the last laugh as you get to watch your buddies balls fly off of their own free will and disappear into the wild blue yonder.
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The Tiger Comes from Behind to Win yet Again
February 21, 2008
Today in Golf News by The Golf Virgin - Source ESPN.com - MARANA, Ariz. Somewhere, Trip Kuehne and Steve Scott are perhaps reliving their own battles with Tiger Woods, reminded again on Wednesday just how tough it is to put away the game’s best player.
J.B. Holmes now knows the feeling, too… 3 holes up with 5 to play in the opening round of the Accenture Match Play Championship, Holmes witnessed the kind of flurry that first made Tiger Woods famous more than ten years ago (hard to believe it has been that long) at the U.S. Amateur Tournament.
Woods made 3 straight birdies to tie the match and then rolled in a long eagle putt at the seventeenth hole to take the lead. When Holmes missed his birdie putt at the 18th hole to tie, Woods had somehow eked out a one-up victory — much to the relief of PGA Tour officials, sponsors and television executives, none of whom wanted to see the star attraction leave Arizona early.
Read the Rest of This Article by Bob Harig
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Increasing Your Hole-in-One-Odds
February 19, 2008
Golf Virgin I have just started playing golf and it has definitely sparked my interest and I want to know from your perspective if is it possible to consistently hit a hole in one? - Mike in Tampa, FL
Well… you had to ask that question didn’t you? I will say this. Anything is possible if you have the right golfing equipment. Such as a proper golf club set as well as golf balls and golf tees. But, this is entirely up to the individual and if this person is able to focus on their intention on what they want to accomplish while at the same time being able to follow through with the proper mindset.
If you can do this then you are well on your way of turning your vision of increasing your hole in one odds into a reality time and time again. Besides getting a hole in one is just… well fun. It also depends on a lot of things like the course itself and there are some holes that are well with in driving range for a good golfer to have a shot at pulling off the coveted hole in one. There are also many holes that are just far to long for a pro much less a virgin golfer to ever make in a single stroke.
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What Should I do When I Arrive at the Golf Club
February 17, 2008
Dear Golf Virgin, What should I do when I arrive at the golf club? - Mike in San Antonio, TX
Great Question Mike, first, make darn sure that take your booking confirmation with you when you go to a golf club, you wouldn’t want to get all prettied up and ready to go and then made to look like you were… you know? Once you arrive go to the golf club’s pro shop or golf reception, present your booking confirmation to the club’s pro or tee sheet administrator.
The pro will simply check your booking against their tee sheet and then ask for payment for any fees that are due. See, aren’t you glad you got this curiosity out of the way first? Now you’re one step closer to making that nice long driver connect on your first swing. Good luck.
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