How To Get Backspin With Your Wedges In Golf

For most amateur golfers one of the most impressive sights is a tour pro spinning the ball back on the green. Let’s see if I can show you how to get backspin with your wedges in golf.

What Is Backspin And Why Does It Matter?

Backspin is created when the face of the club impacts the ball below the equator. A properly struck shot will generate more spin particularly so if the club is new and a high-performance ball is being used. The amount of spin will affect the trajectory and therefore the distance your shot will travel. Too much will cause the ball to fly too high and then drop too quickly. Too little will also cause you to lose distance as the ball will never reach its potential.

When playing shots around the green it becomes a useful ally in your golfing arsenal. If you are able to control the rate of backspin on a golf ball then you can get it closer to the pin more often and lower your scores.

How To Get More Backspin With Your Wedges?

If you are looking to increase the backspin on your wedge shots, there are a few key things that every golfer should keep in mind. Before you worry about technique there are many equipment and environmental issues that will affect the amount of spin you get with your wedges.

Make sure your grooves and clubface are kept clean as dirt or grass can reduce the friction between the ball and clubface, thus reducing spin.
Make sure to use a ball that can generate as much spin as possible. This means using a premium golf ball with a urethane cover.
Keep the ball clean as that will affect how much you can generate.
Keep the clubface and ball dry where possible as water will reduce the amount of spin.
If your wedges are old or worn then you won’t create as much.
If you are playing from a tight fairway lie you can generate more spin than from the rough.
Club head speed. It’s easier to get spin when hitting a 70-yard shot than a yard one.
Wind direction. It’s easier to generate it by playing into a headwind rather than a tailwind.

No matter how good your technique if you are using the wrong tools for the job then it will be difficult for you to get backspin on your wedges.

Spin Loft Is The Key To Backspin

Optimizing your spin loft is the key to generating the highest levels of spin with any club, not just a wedge. At its simplest level, it is the difference between the attack angle and dynamic loft. The greater the spin loft the higher the spin in general although there does come a point where it drops off because you start to lose friction if you increase it too much.

Don’t forget that backspin isn’t the only way to stop the ball on a green. Trajectory is also your friend and can be easier to achieve depending on the lie you are playing from.

Technique To Generate More Spin With Wedges

You need to try to strike the ball with a fairly neutral shaft angle. If you get your hands too far ahead then you will be de-lofting the club which reduces the spin loft and therefore the amount of spin your wedges will produce. Conversely, you don’t want to be adding loft significantly because you will increase the spin loft too much and therefore decrease the amount of friction which will lower the rpms.

Obviously striking the ball before the turf is vital. Making solid contact is the best way to put backspin on your wedges.

You probably want to open your stance a little to make it easier to release through the shot. Play the ball roughly in the middle of your stance with your hands slightly ahead of the ball. If you want add some extra loft then open the face a little although you don’t want to do that too much!

How Do Professionals Get So Much Backspin?

They spend hours and hours working on their technique.
They use the best quality golf balls
They regularly change their wedges so they have fresh, sharp grooves
They play on well-manicured courses

Why Can’t I Get My Wedges To Spin Back?

Golfers often struggle to get their wedges to backup. This is partly down to technique and partly down to equipment. Amateurs may not use the right type of golf ball. They might not keep the clubface and ball clean. They might not be very good at reading the lie of the ball. For example, even a tour professional isn’t going to spin the ball back from a bad lie.

Which Golf Ball Spins The Most?

Players are always looking for the best ball to help them make good shots. The Pro V1x is one of the highest-spinning balls available. The Bridgestone Tour B XS and the Srixon Z-Star XV show similar performance when hitting a wedge.

If you want to give yourself the best chance of stopping the ball on the green quickly then you need to be using a urethane-covered ball.

Do Rusted Wedges Spin More?

Will you get more action on your wedges if you go for a rusty model? Testing of rusty wedges by mygolfspy would suggest otherwise. Although one or two of their testers did see some extra juice, overall the rusty wedges generated lower rpms.

What Is The Best Wedge For Backspin?

The best wedge for backspin is one with clean, sharp grooves that create more friction. Testing shows that even budget models can compete with the likes of Titleist when it comes to generating backspin.