Backspin fundamentals

I am wanting to know the key moves that have to be made when trying to stop a short iron on a green on the spot. Is it just hitting down on the ball more? And how important is the type of ball you use and keeping the grooves of the club free from dirt, mud etc?

hi steven
keeping the grooves clean is essential!
they are there to create spin and control, if they are full of dirt etc you are decreasing the efffectiveness of them.
not sure about balls i play titliest nxt and can usually get them to stop pretty quickly.

I use the NXT tour ball so that's probably the same as you. Is there anything you focus on with the swing itself to get the ball to stop?

its nothing special!
ball centre of stance, lead foot turned out 45 degrees, weight 60/40 in favour of lead foot.
no coiling, hips and shoulders work together and i watch the back of the ball till i have swung through it

Steven, everything you mentioned plays a part. You've even listed them in what I would consider the proper order - proper contact (a good trap), a good ball (distance rocks don't hold - but that NXT Tour should be just fine), and finally clean grooves. Now, as for the grooves, my impression is that from a clean lie, clean grooves or dirty grooves won't make a difference. But since you have the club in your hand and a towel on your bag, why not put them together?

The thing you've forgotten is the quality of green you're playing. At my home course, my strike last year would normally run out another 6-10 feet, depending on which club I was using. On another course a couple hours away, the same strike took one hop and stopped. 2 hours in the other direction, and there was no check on a short shot, but a full shot would plug hard (the greens were very, very soft).

I played a course at the end of the summer last year where I was backing everything up - same swing I'd been using all year, but the greens lent themselves to it.

The other thing you need to remember is where into the green you're hitting. Hit into an upslope and your ball will check up faster. Flats and downslopes guarantee more and more run.

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

In general, the higher the hit, the quicker the stop.

I have a question regarding trajectory and spin control.

Recently I've mastered the low-to-high shot, where the ball screams low then rises up into the air - I'm able to do this with all irons and it worked remarkably welll today in the 30mph winds we had.

If I'm not mistake using this shot all the time in normal conditions would create more spin as soon as the ball hits the green, correct? It was hard to tell in the windy because my GIR was lacking due to poor club selection.

Also for those trying to work on their backspin, or crisp contact in general, here's a drill that I do everytime on the range, check out this link:

http://www.callawaygolf.com/en.cg.In...n.ProSide.html

__________________
IN THE BAG:
- 10.5 deg GX Squared TI w/UST Proforce 65 SFlex (GigaGolf.com)
- Ben Hogan CFT Ti 3i Hybrid, Steel (Used)
- Nike Pro Combo 3-PW/TT DGSL S300 (From LowPost42 on GTO - Thanks man)
- 56 deg SGS "Score Grind Scale" Wedge (GigaGolf.com)
- 54 deg Cleveland CG10 Wedge
- White Polymer Putter Model 692 - Stainless Steel
- TaylorMade TP Red Golf Ball or Titleist DT Solo (Quite the difference I know)

MY GOLF BLOG

Hi Matt,

I'm largely under the impression that this is how the Pro's hit the ball. They hold greens not by dropping the ball out of the air, but by having massive amounts of spin.

I like that drill you linked to - I use a variant by putting a tee or leaf or something 3" in front of the ball, and trying to mash it. Puts me on the pro side almsot every time.