Many amateurs lose distance because they have failed to address the spin rate of their driver.
The optimal spin rate should be below 3000 RPM; to get there, you’ll most likely have to shallow your angle of attack. This isn’t as hard as it sounds, and I’ll explain it all below, but it will take a few visits to the range—visits that will be well worth it.
I’ve always been a high-ball striker, so you can imagine my surprise when launch monitors became common and I could see my stats. I had to learn how to reduce driver spin immediately.
Read on to learn tips to reduce spin on your driver. I tested all the methods and ranked them in order of most success.
Contents
1. Shallow Your Angle of Attack
The most common cause of too much spin with your driver is a steep angle of attack. Many of my students tell me they have problems hitting the driver but have no problem with wedges and short irons. This is because a steep angle of attack works with high-lofted clubs where spin is desired.
To shallow your attack angle, start with your backswing and keep your driver’s head low to the ground as you draw it back. Resist the urge to “pick up” the club and instead focus on a low and slow takeaway.
On your downswing, allow your arms and hands to drop down from the top of your swing rather than immediately rotating your hits and shoulders. This will get them in “the slot” and allow you to approach impact on a flatter plane.
Finally, exaggerate your follow-through to keep your club head low and along your target line for as long as possible after contact. This will subconsciously encourage your body to produce a less steep angle of attack and lower spin rate with your tee shot.
2. Move The Ball Forward
For those who already swing with a flat swing plane and still produce too much spin with their driver, try moving the ball forward in your stance. I recommend using a mirror to do this because you may feel like the ball is already forward, but a mirror will not lie.
This will cause your driver’s head to impact the ball more from behind rather than on top of it. The launch angle will be flatter and more reflective of your swing. By impacting the ball this way, the spin is reduced, and you will see an increase in yardage and consistency on your drives.
You may hit a few chunked shots with your new ball position, but don’t worry; that is normal when making this adjustment. Your body has been doing it one way for a long time, and making a change like this will take a couple of visits to the driving range.
Be sure not to move it too far forward, as that will cause more hooks or even the dreaded top. The ball should never be outside your front big toe. Again, a mirror comes in very handy here.
3. Adjust Tee Height
You may have started to tee the ball lower in an effort to create a low launch driver trajectory. However, in doing so, you’ve inadvertently increased the RPM on your driver. To reduce your driver spin, you may want to consider teeing it up higher.
Making contact with the ball low on the driver’s face causes a lot of backspin. This is where most weight is located to give the ball lift and distance. But if not used correctly, it can cause your backspin to skyrocket and create an even higher trajectory.
Tee the ball up high so you catch the sweet spot or miss high on the face. Although this may feel weaker, controlling a shot high on the driver’s face is much easier than on the bottom half.
Avoid teeing it too high, as this will adversely affect your swing plane. At address, at least half of the ball should be above the crown of your driver, but not so high that the bottom of the ball is above the crown.
4. Lower Your Loft
The average golfer these days has a driver with adjustable loft capabilities. If this is you, then take advantage of that feature and lower your loft by one degree (or 1.5 degrees in the case of some drivers).
Less loft always means less spin; that goes for every club. This tip is only meant for more advanced golfers, though, because it doesn’t make a huge difference. Novices and beginners will not notice the difference this makes.
If you are a beginner or novice, don’t be afraid to try some lower-lofted drivers if you’re out shopping. You might as well learn how to use them now to take advantage of low-spin drivers sooner.
5. Change Your Driver
Changing your driver altogether could be the solution to your spin issues. You’re a little behind the times if you have an older driver over seven years old. With driver technology, you can increase your swing speed while reducing your driver spin.
If the task of driver shopping sounds daunting, let me save you the trouble. If your swing speed is above 95 mph, check out the Titleist TSR2. This club is meant for mid-low handicappers who don’t need as much forgiveness but want more control over trajectory and their spin rate.
Novice and intermediate golfers will succeed more with a driver like the PING G430. You can reduce your swing without sacrificing too much forgiveness. This driver will stay with you long as it will not lose value as you lower your handicap.
6. Close Your Clubface
The most common miss in golf is a slice. Whether you’re right or left-handed, we all know how this feels. The quick solution is to close the driver’s face more at impact, but to do so, start with it slightly closed at address to lower the dynamic loft.
This isn’t a magical cure, but if you find your fades fading too much, then this could be all you need to right the ship, increase your distance, and even improve your accuracy.
The easiest way to do this is to adjust your grip so your bottom hand is more to the side or even under the handle of your driver. This encourages your bottom hand to turn over sooner through the impact zone.
7. Change Your Shaft
Your driver shaft is the most overlooked piece of equipment in your bag. Most people will spend hundreds of dollars on a driver solely based on its clubhead and not considering the effect of the shaft.
Due to its length, getting the proper fit for you is paramount and will contribute to reducing driver spin.
With the help of a certified club fitter and launch monitor, you’ll optimize your driver shaft’s length, flex, weight, torque, and kick point. These aspects contribute to finding the best launch angle, trajectory, and spin rate.
This option could be the most economical, as shafts are often less expensive than driver heads. A club fitter can replace your current shaft with a custom one–like the new Mitsubishi Diamana White–based on your measurements, which is much more affordable these days.
8. Change Your Ball
As a last resort, you can change your ball to avoid too much spin on the driver. This suggestion is only for advanced players, as the changes will be minor.
You don’t want to reduce spin too much and sacrifice feel around the greens or be able to hold greens with mid-long irons simply for driver distance. Those two aspects are more important than having too much backspin on your driver (as long as it’s going straight-ish).
Choosing a slightly firmer golf ball will reduce your driver’s spin rate. But unlike changing your driver head or shaft, this change affects every club in your bag. You must clearly understand your strengths and weaknesses so as not to take away from other parts of your game.
For the average golfer, a mid-range ball like the Bridgestone Golf Tour B RX or Callaway Chrome Soft should provide all the performance needed to break through to a single-digit handicapper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do You Want a High Spin Rate on Driver?
For a driver, a lower spin rate typically leads to longer distances. High spin can cause the ball to balloon, reducing carry and roll. Most golfers generally have ideal driver spin rates between 2000 and 3000 rpm.
Can a Driver Be Too Low Spin?
Yes, a driver can have too low spin, leading to less control and reduced carry distance. Extremely low spin rates can cause the ball to drop too quickly, lacking the necessary lift to maximize distance.
References
- Team N. Golf Tips – The Science of Spin and Angle of Attack [Internet]. NCCGA. 2013 [cited 2024 Mar 25]. Available from: https://nccga.org/swing-tips/the-science-of-spin-angle-of-attack/
- Evans K, Tuttle N. Improving performance in golf: current research and implications from a clinical perspective. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy [Internet]. 2015 Oct;19(5):381–9. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4647149/
Clint is PGA-certified and was a Head Teaching Professional at one of Toronto's busiest golf academies. He was also featured on Canada's National Golf TV program, "Score Golf Canada," twice. He graduated with a degree in Golf Management from the College of the Desert in California and studied under Callaway's co-founder, Tony Manzoni.
He has a handicap index of 6.2 and spends the winters near Oaxaca, Mexico, where he plays twice a month at the Club de Golf Vista Hermosa. He's written over 100 articles at GolfSpan since 2021. You can connect with Clint at LinkedIn, FB, his website, or Clintcpga@gmail.com.
- Best score: 68
- Favorite club: Odyssey White Hot Two-Ball Center-Shafted Putter
- Favorite ball: Titleist Pro V1x
- Favorite food at the turn: Hot dog
