A question that I get asked quite often is “How do you put spin on the ball?” This question usually comes from the younger players who have seen the tour players on TV back the ball up when it hits the green and it looks really “cool” to see the ball spin back toward the flagstick. I immediately think of the great Sam Snead’s response to this question. If you don’t hit the ball past the hole, why do you want to back the ball up? What Snead was really saying is that most players do not fly the ball past the hole. Especially players with a slower swing speed and players that do not have exceptional distance control with their short irons.

The condition of the golf course and the type of clubs that you are using are key factors in putting maximum spin on the golf ball. The length of the grass on the fairways will determine how much spin you can achieve. The tour players under normal conditions play off of fairways that are cut very tight and that are cut everyday during the tournament. These tight fairways allow for a player to pinch or trap the ball on the clubface at impact with a minimum of grass blades filling up the grooves between the ball and the face. Fairways that are cut at a half-inch or more make it more difficult to spin the ball and sometimes will cause the ball to fly with less spin.

Irons with “v’ grooves will impart less spin. Irons with “u” grooves or “box” grooves will give you more spin because the bottom of the grooves are the same width as the grooves on the surface of the clubface. Forged club heads, especially with the short irons and wedges, have a softer feel and is easier to spin the ball with.

In order to be effective with spin make sure you know how far you carry your irons from divot to divot and be aggressive through the shot.