Non existent spin

Bromium

Hey I have started playing golf again this year after having not played since i was 15(ten years ago) and have been mainly concentrating on getting the absolute basics in some kind of working order. Still ironing out a few flaws but my touch from 100 yards in has been pretty good but I generate absolutely no spin on the ball no matter what I have tried. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and how they overcame the problem. Any advice welcome.

Cheers

Trampas

what ball are you using?

What are the greens like you are hitting onto?

Bromium

Cheers for the quick reply
Have used softer balls in an effort to gain better spin and I have tried on both slow and fast greens all to no avail.

DoctaDee

Bromium wrote: »

Cheers for the quick reply
Have used softer balls in an effort to gain better spin and I have tried on both slow and fast greens all to no avail.

Are the grooves faint or full of dirt on the clubface ?

Johnny_Fontane

put the ball back in your stance and hit down hard on the back swing.

take ball first (obviously) before divot. ball will come out very low.

pro v1's do spin, but its alot to do with the greens. I was in macreddin recently and you were getting savage action on the ball (with irons that are 5 years old)....green were very soft and fast though.

Bromium

The grooves are in pretty decent condition and I keep them clean so no dirt build up, have been trying the back in the stance and hitting down on the ball but dont really leave to much of a divot is this the flaw??

DoctaDee

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

put the ball back in your stance and hit down hard on the back swing.

take ball first (obviously) before divot. ball will come out very low.

pro v1's do spin, but its alot to do with the greens. I was in macreddin recently and you were getting savage action on the ball (with irons that are 5 years old)....green were very soft and fast though.

Too much of a good thing there ! ... I prefer the one hop stop meself

L.O.F.T

Bromium wrote: »

have been trying the back in the stance and hitting down on the ball but dont really leave to much of a divot is this the flaw??

My two cents are your not hitting down if your not taking much of a divot.
Backspin comes from clubhead speed and a downward strike on the ball where you squeeze the ball into the turf and up the face of your iron.

My opinion would be keep practising and pay close attention to a loose grip. A loose grip encourages speed through the hitting area. Loose is fast tight is slow, then with practice your ball striking will improve providing your other fundamentals are correct.

Bromium

Cheers for all the replies I will take all the advice on board and hopefully I will gain some results.

GreeBo

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

put the ball back in your stance and hit down hard on the back swing.

take ball first (obviously) before divot. ball will come out very low.

pro v1's do spin, but its alot to do with the greens. I was in macreddin recently and you were getting savage action on the ball (with irons that are 5 years old)....green were very soft and fast though.

Actually thats bad advice, a temporary fix at best.

The ball should be center to forward and you should be moving forward into the impact zone.
Moving it back will smother it, move it forward and then hit down on it for crisp shots with spin.

J6P

Heres a link to Mickelsons secrets of the short game. Some helpful hints in there.

http://xtshare.com/ttoshare.php?Id=40866

dnjoyce

GreeBo wrote: »

Actually thats bad advice, a temporary fix at best.

The ball should be center to forward and you should be moving forward into the impact zone.
Moving it back will smother it, move it forward and then hit down on it for crisp shots with spin.

With the right contact/strike, you can get spin regardless of where the ball is in the stance.
My advice to the OP would be to get a few lessons and forget about spin. A lot of the time, although it may look pretty, it invariable comes when the ball is going to be short anyway, thus making the shot worse than it would have been without it (obviously not all the time, but more amatuers come up short than go long). Get the handicap down and get a repeatable short game action, then worry about spin.

GreeBo

dnjoyce wrote: »

With the right contact/strike, you can get spin regardless of where the ball is in the stance.

True, but putting the ball back in your stance (for normal shots) to try to hit down on it is not a solution, its a band aid.

dnjoyce wrote: »

My advice to the OP would be to get a few lessons and forget about spin. A lot of the time, although it may look pretty, it invariable comes when the ball is going to be short anyway, thus making the shot worse than it would have been without it (obviously not all the time, but more amatuers come up short than go long). Get the handicap down and get a repeatable short game action, then worry about spin.

Totally.

Nerdstrom

Originally Posted by Johnny_Fontane
put the ball back in your stance and hit down hard on the back swing.

take ball first (obviously) before divot. ball will come out very low.

pro v1's do spin, but its alot to do with the greens. I was in macreddin recently and you were getting savage action on the ball (with irons that are 5 years old)....green were very soft and fast though.

GreeBo Quote:
Originally Posted by dnjoyce
With the right contact/strike, you can get spin regardless of where the ball is in the stance.

True, but putting the ball back in your stance (for normal shots) to try to hit down on it is not a solution, its a band aid.

Its a disease ridden band aid that is guaranteed to make the situation a hell of a lot worse, potentially leading to severe infection and maybe death of golf game.

Back in the stance? hit down on it?
Pretty bad advice to be honest. Not to be tried with a 5iron.

The chances are the ball flight is nowhere near high enough, with a very flat angle of descent, as it is not spin that stops the ball on irish greens in October, because they are soft. My course would drain well, and still, for the last 3weeks or so chipping around the greens has felt like you were chipping a tomato.

What does lead to dropping and stopping is a good strike where the ball is driven to the top of its flight, and from there it falls downward. Watch a good player hitting shots if this is not clear. A knuckled, or diving ball flight will fly like a bullet, bounce forward, and release. This comes as a result of poor technique, and lack of dynamic, powerful movement.

I agree totally with what dnjoyce posted, getting GOOD lessons, and practising well is the only way. While people mean well, and intend to be helpful with tips, there are two problems

1. They have not seen you hit a shot

2. They are probably not qualified to provide effective, healthy solutions (but some are, we cant differentiate)

Best of luck with it.

PS instead of spending 40quid on a dozen prov's, get a 30euro golf leson, and a 9euro bucket of range balls the following wk :cool:Econmical! Because at the moment a good striker could stop pinnacles in the pitchmark

DoctaDee

Yep sound advice there - I'd just add that consistent ball striking comes from consistent ball position, consistent grip and a consistent swing - the sort of stuff that a 30 euro lesson should provide

L.O.F.T

Nerdstrom wrote: »

hit down on it?
Pretty bad advice to be honest.

I don't believe hitting down on the ball is poor advice for the shorter irons. If struck properly the ball will only travel up the groves of the club if you hit down on a ball. You will not impart spin from a shallow angle of attack on the ball. Hitting down on the ball does not mean you bury your wedge / 8 iron into the fairway after you have struck the ball but your divots will give you instant feedback on how you have struck the shot.

A video to express my point:

Nerdstrom wrote: »

2. They are probably not qualified to provide effective, healthy solutions (but some are, we can't differentiate)

I agree wholeheartedly with you on this and and your points on the OP's post. I read alot on the forum and its more of a where to buy wet gear/shoes forum over and over questions and not a technically minded golf forum.

holdemfoldem

Video looks like a demo for lag,the ball above is in the middle or slightly forward in his stance not back in it. "lag" is how people strike down on a ball, not moving the ball back and actually striking down on it

If you are telling the guy all he needs to learn is to incorporate lag into his swing to spin the ball then you may warn him its not something you learn in a day, or week.

saintastic

GreeBo wrote: »

Actually thats bad advice, a temporary fix at best.

The ball should be center to forward and you should be moving forward into the impact zone.
Moving it back will smother it, move it forward and then hit down on it for crisp shots with spin.

I'd be wary about recommending this Greebo. This could encourage swaying in a swing which can lead to inconsistent striking.

Also, I'd wonder why you need to spin the ball. Is it costing you shots? Are you chipping it to far and the ball is rollling past the hole? If not, I wouldn't try and spin it. Just play with what you have.

Johnny_Fontane

lads if the guy wants to really spin the ball (for fun value), the easiest way to do it, is drop down the shaft, stick the ball right back in your stance, 3/4 swing and hammer the back of the ball.

I would absolutely not (nor would the OP probably consider) doing this regularly.

If for fun value, you really really want to create spin. Put two balls in a bunker one right behind the other, hit your normal bunker shot and you will rip the ball back about 40 feet! Its great craic!:D

The only sure fire way to create spin on a normal basis is a crisp strike, middle of the club.

L.O.F.T

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

The only sure fire way to create spin on a normal basis is a crisp strike, middle of the club.

+1

GreeBo

saintastic wrote: »

I'd be wary about recommending this Greebo. This could encourage swaying in a swing which can lead to inconsistent striking.

Well you need to be ending up on your front leg at the end of the swing and you get there by moving forward through the downswing, naturally you dont want to start moving back on the backswing and ending up with a sway.

My main point is that putting the ball back in your stance is for hitting specific shots, not for hitting the ball properly.

Kid Charlemagne

GreeBo wrote: »

My main point is that putting the ball back in your stance is for hitting specific shots, not for hitting the ball properly.

Hi Greebo
Im fairly new to golf but have been told that I should have the ball in midstance for the 7i - then move back an inch or 2 for each subsequent, to the point that the sandwedge would be well back in my stance.

Would you say thats poor advice?

To be honest im a bit surprised as I would have found it works quite well for me - id probably hit a 7i 160+, and a sand 100+.

Cheers
KC

k.p.h

I don't think going any further back than middle of your stance is advisable TBH. I would go more along the lines of wedge in the middle of your stance and then more forward as you go towards the distance clubs. I would also argue that maybe no movement of the ball at all is the way to go and follow Hogans idea of ball position staying the same and the stance widening to change the bottom of the swing arc as below.



I think the thing is KC while that may be effective for you the problems might arise if you have an issue with your swing and you look for coaching and advise. Most of the books/websites that have info on how to fix problems do under the assumption you are trying to swing in the traditional manner. If you swing in a certain manner that might make the common pointers irrelevant or at least a little ineffective. In no way am I saying that its wrong to do it in an individual way but just pointing out one drawback, but if you are hitting them straight and getting good compression on it maybe its not an issue at all.