Ball that spin most

**McNalls44** · 06-30-2004

I am new to this board and wondering if you guys can give me some advice on which ball you think produces the most spin. I hit the ball high but cant back it up. If you dont think its the ball can someone give me a pointer on how to back the ball up.

**Dave Ireland** · 07-01-2004

Personally speaking, I've always found clubbing the right yardage to be a difficult enough science - wind, slope, lie without having to factor in draw back as well. I'd be much more inclined to have a ball stop within 3 feet of where it pitches than to watch it draw back 15 feet - Greg Norman comes to mind on that one.

In saying that I play a Maxfli A10 (discontinued ball) which reacts very well from 7 iron up.

**TommyN** · 07-01-2004

I have to agree with Dave, there are so many factors that affect the way one is playing that the ball is just one of them.
Im not that good of a player, but have not noticed much difference in the spin, taking into consideration all other factors. Im just happy to land the ball reasonably close to where intended.

But of course, the best balls (expensive ones) are good in many aspect, like the proV1.

Otherwise the NXT Tour in the midprice, and the Maxfli Noodle (soft ball) in the cheaper category are nice alternatives. The Maxfli A10 is a good discount alternative and can be bought very cheap now.

**dorkman53** · 07-01-2004

The Precept U-Tri Tour has a great combination of spin, distance, and durability. It is moderately priced for a premium ball. I've heard some complain that it spins "too much" and backs up excessively, but I haven't found this to be a problem at all. For my ball striking, it generally just ends up very close to where it lands on iron and full wedge shots. Sometimes a minimal back up, sometimes a slight release, but I've personally never had a problem with it backing up excessively, and it bites quite well on half and 3/4 wedge shots.

**Dave Ireland** · 07-01-2004

Originally Posted by dorkman53

The Precept U-Tri Tour has a great combination of spin, distance, and durability. It is moderately priced for a premium ball. I've heard some complain that it spins "too much" and backs up excessively, but I haven't found this to be a problem at all. For my ball striking, it generally just ends up very close to where it lands on iron and full wedge shots. Sometimes a minimal back up, sometimes a slight release, but I've personally never had a problem with it backing up excessively, and it bites quite well on half and 3/4 wedge shots.

No more can ya ask of a golf ball - I'll definetely play the U-Tri Tour when my consignment of A10's run out. In saying that I've 5 dozen left, if I have to replenish the stock before the year is out I'll be considering giving the game up !!

**collegegolfer** · 07-01-2004

I worked a demo day last weeekend and got many free samples of golf balls. I actually just played the U-Tri's yesterday and thought they were a decent ball. I did notice they backed up more than, say, a Pro-V1x. But, I liked them. I have also found that Srixon makes a good ball...even their cheap ones have always spun well for me. Of course, I have been known to back up TopFlite distance balls if I catch one well (don't ask why I was playing a TopFlite). But I would agree that getting a ball to back up isn't fun. I can remember numerous college tournaments where I used to play either the Strata balls or the Tour Accuracy and I would hit one at the stick and have it back up 10-20 feet and be somewhat angry. I then changed over to the Pro-V's which I found suited me better and now I play Pro-V1x's and Srixons and whatever else I come across for free or minimal price. Anyway, unless you're playing on HARD FAST greens, most greens will stop a rock hard distance ball within 5 feet if you are capable of spinning a good ball back a couple feet. I'd worry more about hitting it at the pin...if you have that and you know your ball won't stop (if you're playing a hard ball) you can always play a 1/2 club less so it rolls to the pin...because this is no different than playing a Pro-V on a course with hard fast greens...even though it'll take a hop and stop or roll back a bit, a good ball on a well maintained course with hard, fast greens is like playing a crappy ball on a course with slow, soft greens. At least as far as how much it rolls forward before stopping.

**VTDivot** · 07-05-2004

I love the A10.... where can you find it??? I'd love to get a few dozen. The M3 is out there and pretty cheap, but I'd prefer to get my hands on some A10's if I could

**divotman** · 07-05-2004

Originally Posted by McNalls44

I am new to this board and wondering if you guys can give me some advice on which ball you think produces the most spin. I hit the ball high but cant back it up. If you dont think its the ball can someone give me a pointer on how to back the ball up.

try the Ben Hogan Apex Tour! i have found this ball stops better than anything else, including proV1s. they generally sell for about $39/dozen. there is also the Ben Hogan Hawk for $29/dozen which i have not yet tried, but have heard many good things about.

someone else previously mentioned a website that shows comparisons between balls and other equipment: www.equip2golf.com. their unbiased comparison shows the Ben Hogans to be equal or better in distance, but with better spin than the ProV1...

**JeffGallo** · 07-05-2004

well, first off, ive gotta tell you that anyone who says that the prov1 isnt spinning enough for them is probably a hacker that hasnt played the ball enough to tell anyway.
(what bearing that has im really not sure yet)
however, i can tell you that the A10 if you are lucky enough to find any will spin more than any ball out there. of course given that it is discontinued i'd suggest that you try the regular ProV1. I'm playing the Callaway HX Tour and although it goes a mile and still holds greens like anything, it probably wont back up for you.

Now, just like everyone else says, I agree, its easiest to just stop the ball where it lands. but, occaisionally you will want to have a shot that backs up in the bag. Though i havent ever seen you hit a golfball you did say that you hit the ball high, but it doesnt backup. Normally this occurs when the club is thrown deep below the ball and the ball takes a high looping trajectory because though the club is moving quite fast it is placing too little pressure on the golfball.

Before I go further, I think that though you may know about this principle already i should explain so that it is fresh in your mind. the principle i refer to is of course the concept of ball compression. now, we all know that compression is what causes the ball to move, and we know that loft and the club face's grooves are the aspects that create spin. We must however understand how those design ideas work in tandem with compression to create backspin. When the club contacts the ball, the ball is fattened slightly (or significantly depending upon velocity of the clubhead (think bouncey-ball)) on one side. the subsequent rebound to its original shape causes the movement of the ball, but spin begins while the ball is still compressed. Because the ball cannot move down and the club is decending and the loft allows it, the ball will instead move up. when the ball begins to move up it is still being compressed and is gripped by the upper edges of the groves. This grip causes the ball to effectively 'roll' up the clubface. this initial 'roll' is what causes backspin.

So, there are two ways to generate more backspin. One is higher clubheadspeed, and subsequently more compression and therefore more 'roll' up the clubface. The other is to make more effective use of the grooves on your golfclub. To put it simply you will want to do the latter by creating a more steeply decending blow into the golfball. However, I do not suggest going to the range and hitting wedges with the ball behind your backfoot with "V"-shaped swings..NO! what i suggest is that since you hit the ball high you should work on contacting the ball earlier in the arc of the swing you are making. to explain, i think that you are probably contacting the ball at nearly the bottom of your golfswing. what you will want to do instead is hit it where the cluhead is still verymuch in the decending part of the stroke. To do this you should try to hit the ball with your hands farther in front of the golfball than you do now. you will probably notice that this takes some loft off of the club, this is true, but it will create more pressure and thereby more backspin. you should spend some time practicing this shot before trying it on the course because youare liable to hit many thin shots before you quite understand the motion correctly. And only as a last resort should you move the ball back in your stance, and if it is necessary, only a little bit. one swing thought you may wish to use is replacing getting under the golfball, with trapping the ball. think that you are trying to trap the ball against the turf.

hope this helps!

**Dave T** · 07-06-2004

I can only occasionally back up the ball, but when I do, the ball flight is very low. Backing it up is cause by hitting down on the ball, and trapping it against the ground. If you're hitting it high, you probably don't have a swing well suited to backing it up.

As far as balls - have you tried balatas? Those spin like crazy.

**dorkman53** · 07-07-2004

Another great ball I just tried for the first time is the Hogan "The Hawk". I received a dozen of these from The Golf Warehouse with a recent purchase of a Hogan Hybrid, so I tried them on my last two rounds. I was highly impressed. Durability also seems quite good, spin and distance are excellent, and it feels a bit softer than the U-Tri Tour. Price is the same ($30/dozen). You can't go wrong with either.

**divotman** · 07-08-2004

Originally Posted by JeffGallo

well, first off, ive gotta tell you that anyone who says that the prov1 isnt spinning enough for them is probably a hacker that hasnt played the ball enough to tell anyway.
(what bearing that has im really not sure yet)
however, i can tell you that the A10 if you are lucky enough to find any will spin more than any ball out there. of course given that it is discontinued i'd suggest that you try the regular ProV1. I'm playing the Callaway HX Tour and although it goes a mile and still holds greens like anything, it probably wont back up for you.

Now, just like everyone else says, I agree, its easiest to just stop the ball where it lands. but, occaisionally you will want to have a shot that backs up in the bag. Though i havent ever seen you hit a golfball you did say that you hit the ball high, but it doesnt backup. Normally this occurs when the club is thrown deep below the ball and the ball takes a high looping trajectory because though the club is moving quite fast it is placing too little pressure on the golfball.

Before I go further, I think that though you may know about this principle already i should explain so that it is fresh in your mind. the principle i refer to is of course the concept of ball compression. now, we all know that compression is what causes the ball to move, and we know that loft and the club face's grooves are the aspects that create spin. We must however understand how those design ideas work in tandem with compression to create backspin. When the club contacts the ball, the ball is fattened slightly (or significantly depending upon velocity of the clubhead (think bouncey-ball)) on one side. the subsequent rebound to its original shape causes the movement of the ball, but spin begins while the ball is still compressed. Because the ball cannot move down and the club is decending and the loft allows it, the ball will instead move up. when the ball begins to move up it is still being compressed and is gripped by the upper edges of the groves. This grip causes the ball to effectively 'roll' up the clubface. this initial 'roll' is what causes backspin.

So, there are two ways to generate more backspin. One is higher clubheadspeed, and subsequently more compression and therefore more 'roll' up the clubface. The other is to make more effective use of the grooves on your golfclub. To put it simply you will want to do the latter by creating a more steeply decending blow into the golfball. However, I do not suggest going to the range and hitting wedges with the ball behind your backfoot with "V"-shaped swings..NO! what i suggest is that since you hit the ball high you should work on contacting the ball earlier in the arc of the swing you are making. to explain, i think that you are probably contacting the ball at nearly the bottom of your golfswing. what you will want to do instead is hit it where the cluhead is still verymuch in the decending part of the stroke. To do this you should try to hit the ball with your hands farther in front of the golfball than you do now. you will probably notice that this takes some loft off of the club, this is true, but it will create more pressure and thereby more backspin. you should spend some time practicing this shot before trying it on the course because youare liable to hit many thin shots before you quite understand the motion correctly. And only as a last resort should you move the ball back in your stance, and if it is necessary, only a little bit. one swing thought you may wish to use is replacing getting under the golfball, with trapping the ball. think that you are trying to trap the ball against the turf.

hope this helps!

i agree some with jeff...
the Maxfli A10 was the best ball i ever played, too. the ProV1 spins well, but the Hen Hogan Apex Tour balls spin MORE, and stops better. i'm not trashing the ProV1, just saying it is not the ABSOLUTE best ball when it comes to spin. many other manufacturers have caught up, and in the case of Apex Tour, may have even surpassed the ProV1 balls. anyway, it's worth saving $10-20/dozen with Hogans versus the ProV1....

**dimsum67** · 07-08-2004

best way to put spin on the ball, especially with a wedge is to strike the ball without taking any divot. Also you want the club face to meet the ball as long as you can. You must strike the ball as level to the ground as possible. It also helps to use a balata or like alternative. This works well with all irons. You probably notice that thin shots seem to spin more than fat ones.

**Dave T** · 07-08-2004

Sorry, dimsum, but I totally disagree - if you're talking about backspin. To put backspin on the ball, you need to hit down on it - which you can't do without taking a divot. True, fat shots don't backspin, but thin shots don't either - with a thin shot, the ball doesn't even touch the grooves of the club - how could you spin it?

- Dave

**bdcrowe** · 07-08-2004

Originally Posted by dimsum67

best way to put spin on the ball, especially with a wedge is to strike the ball without taking any divot. Also you want the club face to meet the ball as long as you can. You must strike the ball as level to the ground as possible. It also helps to use a balata or like alternative. This works well with all irons. You probably notice that thin shots seem to spin more than fat ones.

Thin shots do spin-- forward spin. That's why you get such beautiful roll out of them. Put my vote in for hitting down and trapping the ball for spin.

**VTDivot** · 07-08-2004

Originally Posted by Dave T

Sorry, dimsum, but I totally disagree - if you're talking about backspin. To put backspin on the ball, you need to hit down on it - which you can't do without taking a divot. True, fat shots don't backspin, but thin shots don't either - with a thin shot, the ball doesn't even touch the grooves of the club - how could you spin it?

- Dave

I think by "thin" he meant not catching it TOTALLY flush... not blading the hell out of it, in which case a thin shot does indeed touch the grooves and spins a lot.... prob just as much as a pure shot. I aced a short par 3 once with an embarassing thin 9 iron shot that took off on a driver trajectory, bounced once spun hard right directly into the hole. I almost felt guilty about writing the 1 on my card.... **almost**....

**dimsum67** · 07-08-2004

VT Divot, your right. I meant nipping the ball with your wedge and not taking allot of turf. You want the face of the clubhead to meet the ball as "LONG" as possible. this way the ball meets the groove and stays their for a longer duration. Try it out on the course and see how well it spins. I use this technique from 100 yards in. I really like the one hope and spins back type of shots.

**VTDivot** · 07-08-2004

Originally Posted by dimsum67

VT Divot, your right. I meant nipping the ball with your wedge and not taking allot of turf. You want the face of the clubhead to meet the ball as "LONG" as possible. this way the ball meets the groove and stays their for a longer duration. Try it out on the course and see how well it spins. I use this technique from 100 yards in. I really like the one hope and spins back type of shots.

I try to avoid spinning the ball - I prefer a check and roll... plus the ground is pretty firm up here in the mountains and you need to bounce a lot of shots short anyways - but I definitely agree with your philosophy!!!

**Spinner** · 07-28-2004

Originally Posted by McNalls44

I am new to this board and wondering if you guys can give me some advice on which ball you think produces the most spin. I hit the ball high but cant back it up. If you dont think its the ball can someone give me a pointer on how to back the ball up.

Clubs play an important role in the amount of spin too. Since I started playing Mizuno MP-33's (full blades) the amount of spin has reached extraordinary amounts. Solid 2 or 3 iron shots on moisture fairways even produces backspin!!! I have to add that I'm currently using my last old dozen of Wilson tour balata 90 compression balls. I lost a fair amount of distance

but gained a fair amount of backspin

. But if I was a billionare I probably only played Pro V1: great distance, soft feel a dead at first bounce.

**Irishgolfer** · 07-28-2004

Originally Posted by Spinner

Solid 2 or 3 iron shots on moisture fairways even produces backspin!!! I .

Hey Spinner, I'm having a real problem getting my 2 iron to back up. There's a lot of holes at my course that require that type of shot. Any advice?

**Spinner** · 07-29-2004

Originally Posted by Irishgolfer

Hey Spinner, I'm having a real problem getting my 2 iron to back up. There's a lot of holes at my course that require that type of shot. Any advice?

I see a lot of players play there 2 or 3 iron like a driver: position of the ball is near the heel of the left foot (for right handed players of course). I like to play my (long) irons more in the the middle of my stance. My 2 iron is about 1/3 - 2/3 in my stance. This combined with my steep swing (got 2 degrees upright clubs) a fairly "soft" balls give my lots of spin on the ball.

You should try it, you probably lose a bit of distance but gain same backspin.
Do you play the MP-33's too?

**Scott K** · 07-29-2004

Originally Posted by Irishgolfer

Hey Spinner, I'm having a real problem getting my 2 iron to back up. There's a lot of holes at my course that require that type of shot. Any advice?

I'm still chuckling....

**Irishgolfer** · 07-30-2004

Originally Posted by Spinner

I see a lot of players play there 2 or 3 iron like a driver: position of the ball is near the heel of the left foot (for right handed players of course). I like to play my (long) irons more in the the middle of my stance. My 2 iron is about 1/3 - 2/3 in my stance. This combined with my steep swing (got 2 degrees upright clubs) a fairly "soft" balls give my lots of spin on the ball.

You should try it, you probably lose a bit of distance but gain same backspin.
Do you play the MP-33's too?

Thanks Spinner. I'll give it a go and let you know how I'm getting on. How much b/s do you generate on the 2 iron? Tried it with a one iron yet?