Golf Balls -- The Spin You Put On The Ball Determines Its' Flight Path

When you are on the tee box and your drive takes flight have you ever considered what actually happens to the ball during its flight? There is far more that impacts the ball and its flight trajectory then you may have even considered. Once the ball is in the air it actually rotates like the earth does on its axis. The ball can have different types of spin; it can spin forward, backwards, to the left, or to the right. The ball's spin direction will have a direct impact on where your ball ends up and how far it goes.

Backspin during Ball Flight

The golf ball through its dimpled design is made to fly by using backspin. You must have a certain amount of backspin on the ball to even get the ball in the air, which is how it has been made to work. The amount of backspin that you have on your ball will determine how high the ball will go and how far it will fly.

The amount of backspin on a ball is determined by two factors, the club you are using and the club head speed you generate. The smaller the club the more backspin you generate. For example, a sand wedge has far more backspin then a driver ever will. The amount of club head speed you generate will also determine the amount of backspin on a ball, which is why when you watch professionals play you will see a ball hit the green and spin backwards, professional golfers know how to maximize their club head speed and generate the maximum amount of backspin.

Sidespin can Actually Help

Many new golfers only know the bad results of adding sidespin to your golf ball which results in the dreaded shank or a quick hook. There are many things in your golf swing that contribute to those types bad shots but you should know that as you get better at golf you will be able to use sidespin to actually reduce the number of strokes per round.

You can see sidespin being used every weekend while watching professional golf. Professional understands how to use sidespin to their advantage. That is why you can see them 230 yards out, in the trees and grab a 5 iron and know for a fact how far the ball will travel so they can hook it around the trees and land on the green.

Summary: You should know that the higher the club, the less loft the club has and that results in being able to work the sidespin to your advantage. The higher the loft on the club, like a sand wedge, the harder it will be to work the ball.