Golf Backspin – Tips How to Properly Apply It

During a normal round most golfers will apply golf backspin to some varying degree.
Most people will have watched Golf on TV and seen the professionals hit golf shots onto the green and seen the ball back-spinning towards the pin.

I have lost count of the amount of times people have asked, how do they do that?
The amount of backspin that the professionals apply is considered an advanced technique; however with application of the correct swing keys and practice anyone can do it.

The key to developing maximum backspin is how you apply a very precise strike on the golf ball. The trick is to make sure that you strike the ball before you hit anything else. A lot of amateur golfers try to scoop the golf ball upwards off the fairway not knowing that the correct way is actually to strike down and through the golf ball.

To encourage a clean strike of the ball, focusing on the very top instead of the back of the golf ball can help. Play the shot with a slightly open stance to encourage more of an out to in type of swing.

Try to take a divot, remembering that you should be hitting down and through the ball, contacting the ball first. A note of caution here, hitting down too steep can cause you to chop into the ground before or after hitting the ball.

To engage maximum backspin you should ideally have a slightly open stance, with your weight more on your left side.
During the club take away it should be initiated by the arms with an early wrist break so as to enable a sharp descending strike onto the golf ball. You should only use a half or three quarter swing for this shot.

It is also essential that your ball and clubface are kept clean to apply backspin. Make sure when possible that you clean your ball and keep your grooves and clubface clean. Get into the habit of regularly using a groove cleaner and always clean the clubface before putting it back into your bag.

Your priority with this type of shot is not to be trying for distance; it is to strike the ball as clean as possible. Keep your swing shorter and more compact will help you make a more precise strike of the ball. With your weight more to your left side this will help you to naturally hit the ball with a descending blow.

Alistair Thomson is a golf writer enthusiast from the Kingdom of Fife Scotland.
He gives free Golf, advice, tips and tricks in his Free Newsletter at http://www.acegolftips.com This Free subscription also includes 3 Free Golf e-Books to start your golf game improvement now.