NCG’s Golf Glossary: What is backspin?

Here at NCG we pride ourselves on being the publication for the everyday player, so we’ve taken it upon ourselves to delve into the wonderful world of the golfing lexicon.

Sometimes the most obvious terms have the most interesting story, so you might find yourself an interesting conversation starter…

What is backspin?

The rotational movement or spin of the ball produced by contact with the club face. The greater the backspin, the higher the ball will fly and the more it will spin, and therefore stop or even spin backwards on impact with the turf.

How would you use it in a sentence?

“The ball flew over the top of the flag but, because it had backspin on it, it rolled back towards the flag”

Any other business?

There are numerous factors that need to be put together in order for a player to create back spin. This includes whether you grooves on your clubs are cleaned, your ball and the type of surface you’re hitting the ball from. It’s harder to create back spin if you are hitting out of long and thick rough.

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