How to Put Backspin on a Golf Ball (6 Easy Steps)

Set Yourself Up For Spin

Once you have a wedge with clean grooves, a full shot, a good lie, and receptive greens, then you can make it happen. 

So how do you actually create backspin? 

Remember, golf is a game of opposites. Aim right so you can hit it left. Hit down on the ball so that you can get it airborne.

The same goes with backspin to an extent; to create spin on the golf ball, you need to hit down and through the shot. Your divot should start at the ball and go ahead of the golf ball. 

As Ernie Els said in Golf Digest, “The good kind of spin — backspin — comes from hitting the ball cleanly, then making a divot after impact. The biggest mistake is trying to pinch down on the ball and ripping out a big divot, often hitting the ground before the ball. You’ll dig up some turf, but you won’t create much backspin.”

To create more spin, follow these steps with your sand or lob wedge. 

Correct Ball Position

One of the most important things to do to create spin is having the proper ball position at setup. 

A wedge should be in the middle of your stance, not in the back. 

One of the biggest mistakes amateurs make is putting the ball in the middle-back or back part of their stance to hit down on it. But this leads to a very choppy swing that will create a fat shot, not one with spin. Also, too far forward in your stance and it won’t work either, as it’s harder to hit down on it enough. 

Hands in a Neutral Position

To get spin you need to make sure you don’t forward press the club. 

When your hands get too far ahead of the ball, it’s nearly impossible to hit it with the right angle for spin. Instead, start at a neutral position with your hands, so the shaft angle promotes spin.

Keep Your Speed Up

To generate backspin you must swing with speed. 

One of my favorite coaches once said, “Speed equals spin.” If you don’t have enough speed with your swing, you won’t have enough momentum to create spin. 

Ernie Els said in the same Golf Digest article mentioned above, “To really put stop on it, take one less club, so you’re making a more aggressive swing. With a steep angle of attack, hit the ball while keeping your hands and wrists firm. Your divot should be a shallow scrape pointing straight at the target — not a worker’s trench.” 

If you take less club you’ll have to swing harder and thus, create more spin. Taking more club is better when you want to hit a knockdown shot vs. one that has a ton of spin.

Ultimately, these steps should lead to hitting a wedge that hits the green and stops or spins backward. 

Other Factors For Backspin

Here are a few other cases that might affect if you get backspin or not:

• Wind. If you’re playing downwind, spinning the ball is nearly impossible, even the best players. When you have a tailwind, the ball is much more likely to skip forward than spin backward, even with a wedge. But if you’re hitting into the wind it’s much easier for the ball to hit and stop. The wind direction will impact spin both full shots and even pitch shots too. 
• Golf ball. Your golf ball also plays a big factor if you can get spin or not. Softer golf balls yield more spin than harder golf balls. If you’ve done all the steps and still not getting spin, I suggest testing out different balls with lower compression as well. Test them out for both full and short game shots to make sure it will help your game. Using a golf ball selector tool can help as well. 
• Wet conditions. You need dry surfaces to create spin. If you’re playing in wet conditions and there is water on your face or the ball, creating much spin is unlikely. This is why it’s so important to wipe off your club before every shot in winter conditions. Don’t forget to dry your ball on the greens too as water can impact the quality of your putt too. 
• Turf conditions. You also need the turf to have the right firmness for spin as well. If it’s rock hard, it’s hard to get a divot and create spin, too. When the golf course is soft during winter conditions, it’s much easier to produce backspin. But sometimes it’s so soft that it’s hard to control the spin and a better idea is to hit more of a knockdown shot. 

Top Questions About Spin 

Want to learn even more about creating backspin in golf? Keep scrolling through the top questions and answers below. 

How do you put backspin on a golf ball with a wedge?

Follow the tips above and make sure your wedges aren’t worn down. Your equipment plays a big role in having the ability to spin the golf ball. 

How do you hit backspin with irons?

You won’t get as much backspin with irons as you will with wedges unless you’re playing very soft greens. Ideally, you want to have your iron hit, bounce once, and stop. 

This is much more reliable than an iron that hits on the green and spins backward as it’s much harder to control. This is why so many professional golfers hit a lot of knockdown shots vs. full swing, hard irons that produce more spin. 

How do I increase the spin on my golf club?

One of the easiest ways to create more spin is to make sure your grooves are cleaned. A Golf.com article referenced how Dustin Johnson cleans his grooves after every shot when warming up. This allows him to calibrate his swing and make sure the launch monitor numbers are spot on.

As the article said, “If the grooves are caked with dirt, it’s almost a guarantee his spin numbers would be all over the place, even if he was making a nearly identical swing.” 

This is why it’s so important to clean the grooves of your clubs between shots… especially with wedges. If you have dirt and sand in your grooves, it’s going to be nearly impossible to create consistent spin. 

Check out this awesome mini golf club brush from Groove It on Amazon. 

How do you put backspin on a pitch shot? 

You need a lot of things working in your favor to hit a pitch shot with spin. First, you need a clean lie first and foremost so you can get the club on the ball.

You also need the right green conditions. If they’re too firm the ball will hit and release. But if they’re soft enough you can hit it and stop.

Most importantly, you need plenty of speed to create spin and have the ball land softly. 

Does wedge bounce affect spin?

Yes, the bounce can factor into how much backspin you create but not a huge amount. Bounce is more important to create better contact, which in turn helps produce more spin.

For example, if you play firm, hard golf courses you need less bounce on the club. But if you play soft conditions and/or a lot of wet rounds, you need more bounce on your wedges. Ideally, it’s a good idea to have a low, mid, and high bounce wedge for any conditions you might face. 

What wedges spin the most?

Newer wedges – like the Callaway Jaws or the Titleist Vokey – spin a ton. All new wedges have fresh, deep grooves which make it easier to spin the ball. 

This is why it’s a good idea to replace your wedges more frequently than your irons or woods. Especially your lob wedge (or sand wedge) – whichever you use most in practice. Since range balls are hard, they wear down the grooves much faster than a normal golf ball.

How often you might ask? Here’s what Titleist said, “Wedges may look fine, but may not be delivering maximum spin. You should inspect your wedges for groove wear every 60–70 rounds. Start by inspecting the overall physical condition of the wedge and groove.” 

This YouTube video also does a great job showing how much a difference new wedge grooves can make.