As long as I have been in the wedge design business and writing my blog (over 700 articles!), I have received hundreds of questions like, “How do I get more spin with my wedge shots?” The truth is that there is a very complex answer to what appears to be a simple question. So, let’s dive into it today.

We all know those golfers who seem to spin the ball easily, and others who just do not generate much spin. And of course, we watch the tour professionals every week hit a wide variety of shots with varying amounts of spin. How do they do that?

I believe that very few recreational golfers really understand the dynamics of what makes a golf ball spin, so let me see if I can’t break it down into pieces here.

First, understand that the amount of spin imparted to the golf ball is affected by six things. Those six factors are (in no particular order of importance):

1. The quality of grooves on the face of the wedge
2. The loft of the wedge
3. The speed of the clubhead at impact
4. The path of the clubhead as it approaches the ball
5. The specific “quality” of impact . . . and
6. The ball itself

The great thing is that you have control over all these factors, though some are easier to improve than others. Let’s examine each, but in the order of easiest to most difficult.

The ball. This is one very simple way to improve the spin you get with your wedge shots. All of the more premium balls feature a softer urethane cover that allows the club to grip the ball better. The harder, and usually less expensive, balls typically have a Surlyn cover which is more durable but doesn’t allow as much spin. You should experiment with various balls to see which gives you the optimum combination of distance and spin.

The grooves. One of the major wedge brands is now reporting that your wedges begin to lose their ability to spin the ball after as few as 50 rounds of golf. If you practice a lot, that number would surely be lower. I can’t comment to these numbers, but I will say that, very simply, if you are playing a wedge that you’ve had for years, it’s likely costing some of your spin. That said, I have seen golfers who play badly worn wedges that seem to be able to spin the ball at will.

The loft of the wedge. It stands to reason that your 56-degree wedge will impart more spin than your pitching or gap wedge, because it has more loft. And your 60-degree will give you even more. So, generally speaking, when you want more spin for a shot, choose a higher lofted wedge.

Now we get into the technique aspects of generating improved spin. Let’s examine these.

Clubhead speed. It’s pretty simple physics, actually. Given all the other parameters the same, the faster the clubhead is moving through impact, the more spin will be generated. That’s one reason why most of us amateurs should not lay up on par fives and long par fours to that awkward 30- to 50-yard range. Not only is it an in-between swing we probably don’t practice, but you don’t have the clubhead speed at that range to generate optimum spin.

Angle of approach. We have read thousands of times that you have to “hit down” on the ball to get spin. Well, that’s true, but can also be misleading. I mean, the ball is sitting on the ground – how would you hit “up” on it anyway? I contend that’s practically impossible. When you are hitting practice shots, you want to think of making contact with the ball…and then the turf – it’s that simple. The thought of hitting “down” on the ball causes many amateurs to make an overly steep swing path, which is undesirable. Just realize that you do not need to “help” your wedge get the ball in the air. Club designers have given it loft to make sure it will get in the air. All you need to do is swing the club through the ball and make sure the clubhead is traveling slightly downward at impact.

Quality of impact. This aspect of the spin equation takes into account the ability to get a clean face on the ball, not compromised by grass or moisture. And it also considers exactly where on the clubface you make contact, a subject on which I have personally conducted quite a bit of research. In fact, from my experience, this is possibly the most important and misunderstood aspect of good wedge play and is probably worthy of an entire article.

So, think about these other five aspects of spin for a bit. I’ll dive into that subject next week, and we’ll examine impact in detail.