How to Reduce Side Spin in Golf

The proper address of a golf ball, whether on the tee, fairway, rough, sand or green has much to do with both how far and how accurate your shot will be. Side spin, which often results in a hooked or sliced shot, is created when the face of the club does not strike the ball squarely. Whether due to bad form, lack of attention or anger from previous shot, striking the golf ball without proper setup can make it harder to control. There are a number of easy-to-correct procedures that can be employed to reduce and even eliminate side spin on your golf shots.

  1. Proper Ball Placement

    • One of the reasons that so many golf drives end up hooking or slicing when struck is that the golfer did not place the ball properly in the stance or the ball was not setting properly. In the tee box, this means two things. First and foremost, the ball needs to be teed up nice and high. Teeing the ball up high forces the golfer to use more of an uppercut swing on the ball and create better launch angles. When hitting from the fairway or rough, the ball will be sitting nice and high for you to hit your subsequent shot. Otherwise, you will need to hit slightly underneath the ball, taking some of the grass with you, to get more of an upward motion on the ball.

    Keep the Driver above the Ground

    • There are two schools of thought when it preparing to hit the ball. Some golfers, when getting ready to address the ball, allow the club to rest on the ground just behind the club; this is known as soling the driver. Other golfers keep the club off the ground by hovering it. Soling the driver can develop bad habits, such as causing your wrists to be too loose when driving the ball. By hovering the driver, and your other woods and long irons, it will create tension, which can be adjusted by wagging the club. Hovering the driver will also ensure that you strike the club with the optimal amount of club face, which will eliminate some side spin.

    Eliminate Downward Action

    • Except in situations where you are trying to create backspin, such as with chip shots, the ball should always be placed slightly forward in your stance, with the front edge of the ball even with your instep. This will also force you to lift up on the ball more, This will both eliminate side spin and give you additional distance on your shots. From the tee box, your feet should be spread apart, with the outside edge of your feet even with the outside edges of your shoulders. You should also slightly bend you knees to get under the ball better. For fairway and rough shot, your feet should be slightly closer together -- about an inch on each side -- with yours knees still slightly bent.

    Get Behind the Ball

    • When hitting the ball, the majority of your body should be behind the ball. This includes your head, arms and especially your hands. The more of you that is placed in front of the ball, the more spin you are likely to generate. Keep your head down during the shot and let your natural swing motion take care of the rest. Only lift your head to look at your shot after you have completed your follow-through. Keep your swing away from your body as much as possible to both generate more power and to keep your body from inhibiting your swing, which could also create side spin.