Spin
Spin is the rotation you give the ball at impact — it determines how the ball flies, curves and reacts on the green.
Spin is the rotation of the ball around its own axis. A clean strike always produces backspin: the ball spins backwards, generates lift and stays in the air longer. If the clubface is not exactly square to the target line, sidespin is added and the ball curves to the side. It is precisely this sideways spin that makes the difference between a deliberate curve and a mishit. Strong sideways spin to the right becomes a slice, and one to the left becomes a hook. Without spin there would be neither height nor stopping power on the green.
In practice you notice spin in two places. On the drive you want as little of it as possible so the ball flies straight and rolls out. On the approach shot to the green you want plenty of backspin so the ball stops instead of rolling through. An example: you play a wedge from 80 metres, the ball lands one metre in front of the flag, bounces up briefly and almost stops dead. That was clean backspin from a well-kept lie. Out of thick rough this hardly works, because grass between clubface and ball takes the spin away.
The most common misconception: spin is not a fault you have to "remove" — it is a tool. What matters is which axis you create and how much of it. Many amateurs struggle with unwanted sidespin because the clubface is open or closed at impact. The solution lies in a solid swing and an honest analysis of the ball flight, not in tensing up. If you read your flight path, you know which spin you are currently producing.
FAQ
Why doesn't my ball stop on the green even though I am close?
Usually backspin is missing, for example because grass got between clubface and ball or the strike was not clean. Out of thick rough it is almost impossible to generate spin, but out of a well-kept fairway lie it works. A cleanly struck wedge shot lands, bounces up briefly and almost stops dead.
Is spin always bad for my ball flight?
No, spin is a tool, not a fault. On the tee you want little sidespin so the ball flies straight and rolls out. Into the green you want plenty of backspin for stopping power. It only becomes a problem when unwanted sidespin from an open or closed clubface turns your ball into a slice or a hook.
How do I recognise which spin I am currently producing?
Read your flight path honestly: if the ball curves consistently to the right, you are producing sidespin to the right — usually from an open clubface at impact. If it flies high and stays on the green, your backspin is clean. The flight path is your most reliable analysis, more than any feeling in the swing.