Go High!

Stop Obsessing About Back Spin.

With extremely dry conditions and firm greens, many students are asking how to get the ball to stop on the greens.

Back spin requires clean contact, a steep angle of attack and very advanced technique (along with clean grooves!).  Most amateurs and those with slower club head speeds will struggle with this.  Especially beginners, who have a hard enough time getting the ball to go forward, why try and make it go backwards?

The angle at which the ball lands, it’s flight trajectory is our defense this summer.  The higher the shot, the less the ball will roll when it lands.  Trackman has calculated that for a normal dry fairway, a ball landing at a 45 degree angle will roll 33 yards.  A ball landing at 30degrees will roll 50 yards.

Use this to your advantage. . .if you want the ball to roll farther (your drives, for example), control your trajectory towards lower.  For approach shots, take it high to eliminate the roll.

Dodie Mazzuca is the Director of Instruction at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, AZ (November-April).  She also teaches golf in Santa Cruz, CA (May-October.)