How to Put Backspin on a Golf Ball

Imagine your golf ball landing about twenty feet behind the pin--and then as if by magic, it draws back near the cup.

The ability to make a golf shot back up is especially helpful when the pin is close to the front of the green or right behind a sand trap. You probably won’t achieve a high spin rate as often as professional golfers do on television, but practicing these easy steps will contribute to a higher spin rate in your chipping and short game arsenal out on the golf course.

How to Put Backspin on a Golf Ball

1. Use the Correct Golf Clubs

Short irons and wedges are ideal for getting the proper angle of attack with your golf club’s clubface to create the amount of spin you want. It is already difficult for most beginner and amateur golfers to get height on the ball, which is a pre-requisite for backing up the ball. For that reason, you should not try to impart backspin on shots with clubs longer than a seven iron.

2. Practice with a Lob Wedge

Using a lob wedge, position the ball more toward your back foot, rather than toward your front foot or in the center of your stance as you would on regular chip shots. This ball position forces your golf swing to be more directly down on the ball with a more steep angle of attack, allowing it to get more backspin as it launches into the air.

Swinging down with hard club head speed and hitting the ball first should create a divot in the ground after the ball is struck and in the air.

3. Know when you Need Backspin

Ball spin is not necessary for every shot in your golf game; in fact, you should only hit this shot if your ball is resting in a clean lie on the fairway. Making a golf ball back up from the rough is difficult, even for the most talented professionals on the PGA Tour.

4. Choose the Right Golf Ball

Generally, a golf ball with a wound center will improve your ability to impart backspin, rather than one with a hard center. A golf ball with a 10 compression is used by golfers who hit the ball hard and far and have greater swing speed; however, if you are into both getting a certain amount of backspin on your ball as well as distance, you may find a 90 compression ball more to your liking.

5. Know when it’s Possible to get Backspin

Trying to add backspin to your golf ball will only be successful if you are hitting into the wind, also known as headwind. No amount of golf lessons or golf tips will ever help you become successful in getting backspin hitting into a downwind, as not even the professionals try that.

By hitting the ball into the wind, it will travel higher and most likely have maximum backspin.