Stopping the ball ON the green?

[Hank Hill]

Hello folks,

I'm a beginner (best round 105) and while I am making vast improvments in my game and starting to hit consistent distances with each of my irons I am having trouble 'holding the green'.

I have lost count of the number of times I have been 100 yrds to the pin, pulled out my 9 iron (i'm not a long hitter) and sent the ball to the front edge of the green only for it to skip merrily to the back of the green. This makes me think, wow if I had a bit of backspin on the ball i'd be way closer to the pin and not on the fringe/in the rough/bunker/pond.

I have tried playing shorter and running the ball onto the green but with hazards/rough/water in the way it is not really the best option.

So my question, how does one impart a bit of backspin on the ball to get it to 'bite' when it lands on the putting surface?

Or to put it another way for those of you who couldn't backspin it before, but can now. What did you change, or what piece of advice allowed you to master this technique?

[Andru]

Hank

Hey bud I asked that question a few years ago and here's the answer. There's three short parts

1) All shots impart some amount of back spin. That's how the ball gets and stays in the air. The harder you hit it the more back spin is created. There's no real trick. Just make clean solid contact. It's difficult to spin the ball from the rough. You need the grooves on the club face to grab the ball. Make sure your grooves are clean before everyshot. get one of the those brushes to scrape of off the gunk.

2) Check your golf ball. Believe it or not Golf balls do have different spin rates. Some spin more than others. The good news is. if you add a golf ball with more spin to your bag. You'll start holding those greens better. The bad news. It also has more side spin so wayward shots will go farther offline. It's a catch 22. My honest advice. Try a higher spinning ball IE Dunlop LOCO BITE or the Top Flite Tour high spin model. There's a few economical balls that produce nice spin rates. Just stay away form the distance rocks with low spin rates.

You may even get more distance. more spin means the ball will stay in the air longer. You may pick up a few yards. Poeple with really high ball speeds will impart too much back spin. There's a fine line. You just have to find it.

3) sometimes good players are more steep with their short irons. This doesn help. I saw VJ pratice this last year. he hit some sweeping wedges thin divots that landed and rolled and some steeper shots with deepre divots that stuck or reversed. I know that's what everyone wants. I would investigate step 2 first.

Cheers
I hope that helps.!!!!

[mberube]

Fist thing, what type of ball do you play with? If you are playing with a pure distance ball you will have to be a very talented player to spin the ball.

The key to make the ball dance on the green is hitting the ball in a downward motion and hitting it clean.

A great drill for this is, put a tee in the ground about 2 inches in front of the ball and a tee one inch behind the ball. Try to hit the ball clean without touching the back tee but your club face must pull out the front tee. This drill will make you hit the ball clean and take a nice divot. With a good ball, you will be spinning it in no time and also hitting it longer

[Deep Woods]

I have lost count of the number of times I have been 100 yrds to the pin, pulled out my 9 iron (i'm not a long hitter) and sent the ball to the front edge of the green only for it to skip merrily to the back of the green.

UNLESS THE GREEN IS ROCK HARD, a nine iron should stop on hitting the green, regardless. I think you're coming in too low, and probably hitting a little thin. Learn to come down on the ball...this sends it up in the air...either that, or try courses where the greens are soft...its should stick.

[Hank Hill]

UNLESS THE GREEN IS ROCK HARD, a nine iron should stop on hitting the green, regardless. I think you're coming in too low, and probably hitting a little thin. Learn to come down on the ball...this sends it up in the air...either that, or try courses where the greens are soft...its should stick.

Come to think of it you are right, I need a higher tragectory that will be coming in steeply enough to stop. I shall try the 'two tee' drill and experiment with balls of different spin.

Cheers guys, I knew you wouldn't let me down.

[Colby]

Hello folks,

I'm a beginner (best round 105) and while I am making vast improvments in my game and starting to hit consistent distances with each of my irons I am having trouble 'holding the green'.

I have lost count of the number of times I have been 100 yrds to the pin, pulled out my 9 iron (i'm not a long hitter) and sent the ball to the front edge of the green only for it to skip merrily to the back of the green. This makes me think, wow if I had a bit of backspin on the ball i'd be way closer to the pin and not on the fringe/in the rough/bunker/pond.

I have tried playing shorter and running the ball onto the green but with hazards/rough/water in the way it is not really the best option.

So my question, how does one impart a bit of backspin on the ball to get it to 'bite' when it lands on the putting surface?

Or to put it another way for those of you who couldn't backspin it before, but can now. What did you change, or what piece of advice allowed you to master this technique?

I have a friend whose game sounds a lot like yours. 100 yards with his nine iron and he had trouble stopping the ball on the greens, especially for par 3s. I would be hitting an 8 iron and he would be hitting a 6 iron into the green,never holding as the angle of attack was too steep.

He went for a club fitting session and it was amazing. The Pro had him hit his nine iron. 100 yards dead straight at the sign in the driving range. The Pro then started to hand him nine irons with frequencies close to what they had determined were good frequencies for his swing. While he was hitting the clubs, different shafts, swing weights, etc, the Pro was asking questions. Finally he handed him a club saying that this one should be it. With no change to his swing, he was hitting the ball a good 35% higher and about 30-35% longer. He ended up having a set of clubs made, and is now hitting more greens more consistently, using less club, and getting the ball to stay.

I'm not saying it's the arrow, but without knowing what your clubs are like it's hard to say. A perfect swing with a flawed tool doesn't work just as bad as a flawed swing with a perfect tool won't work. But by using a perfect tool, as your swing improves, things get better. A flawed swing with a flawed tool just drives you to drink!

[broken27]

Too many openings with "flawed tool". Fighting the urge.......

Dan

[mberube]

Too many openings with "flawed tool". Fighting the urge.......

Dan

[Ty Webb]

Using one's tool while drinking can also prove to be hazerdous.