Creating greenside spin
1Conditions are important and sometimes spin will be very difficult to achieve, so be realistic. You need friction, so dirty grooves or any moisture between clubface and ball (inset photo) will make spin all but impossible. Wind and slope have a big bearing, too – uphill into the wind is great, but downhill on to a slick green will probably require a different shot. The spinny shot looks great and actually allows you to be quite aggressive with your speed, but it won’t always be a wise option.
2Set the ball further back in your stance at address and lean the shaft forward, as you need to hit it on the way down early in your swing’s arc. This will get a clean downward strike that uses the bottom grooves to pinch the ball and produce the maximum spin you can for the speed you’re generating. You need a lot of loft in terms of the club you use, but you’re actually hitting down and taking the dynamic loft off as you swing.
3As you swing back, the clubface should be a little closed. Then, you’re trying to prevent the right hand from getting under the ball and letting the clubhead pass the hand. Try to keep everything quite shallow and ‘cover’ the ball with your sternum at impact, almost as though you’re trying to smother the ball, for want of a better word. That little bit of shaft lean at address and more weight on your front foot will help here.