Spinny Balls: Hop & Stop, or plan to suck it back?

BluesManDan

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I always play balls that spin less, so they don''t suck back. But I wonder if that's the best way to approach the green. I've though about using a spinnier ball, and planning for the inevitable suck-back, by just aiming a bit past the pin and then letting it spin back down. I suppose that there might be a side benefit in this, especially regarding mishits... that is if you don't "get it all" and it would normally come up a few yards short, now you might still be on the green.

I was wondering how other spinny players approach this problem. Is hop&stop best, or do you plan to spin it back?
 
I always plan for the hop and stop. I've never tried to play the spin back, i'm not that good.
 
I play hop and stop, unless I am playing Olde Stonewall then I plan on hop and suck back 40 yards.
 
I play hop and stop, unless I am playing Olde Stonewall then I plan on hop and suck back 40 yards.

LOL.

Olde Stonewall. Now there's a course I need to try this summer. I have family in NE Ohio, and usually visit there in the summer. I could maybe talk some of the fam into heading over that way... What's the deal with spin there?
 
LOL.

Olde Stonewall. Now there's a course I need to try this summer. I have family in NE Ohio, and usually visit there in the summer. I could maybe talk some of the fam into heading over that way... What's the deal with spin there?

No idea. Played it last summer in the Bridgestone Invitational and something about those greens led to some ridiculous backspin issues.
 
I always forget to play the spin on short irons/wedges when I play urethane balls, but if I remember it, I usually account for a yard or two. I can put a good amount of spin on the ball.
 
I pin hunt when I'm close, so I want and expect the ball to hop and stop. One reason I still use square grooved irons/wedges. Too much roll out with the new grooves took me out of my game for a while.
 
Hop and stop. The only thing I have seen pulling the ball back do is screw up an other wise great shot when the ball rolls back off the green. For me spinning the ball back was always overrated. Now I adjust my swing so I'm a foot or so from the initial ball mark

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Hop and stop for me. I will occasionally suck on me back but don't plan on it or intend to.
 
Normally hop and stop but will play for 3 or 4 feet backspin if hole is on an incline.
 
I'm a hop and stop player.


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Is whack and pray an option?

I usually plan for a little roll out.
 
Through better technique, and playing urethane balls, I play the hop and stop, if not allow for a little roll out.
 
Normally hop and stop but will play for 3 or 4 feet backspin if hole is on an incline.

Yeah, this is probably what I need to do. I have a lot of courses I play that have regular tilt to them, but I don't remember to account for the suckback.


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When I spin one back, it's not on purpose. I just hope for it to hop and stop.
 
I play to hop and stop. It is really rare where I spin the ball back.
 
I play to hop and stop. It is really rare where I spin the ball back.

I see you're from Cleveland. I have family up in NE Ohio, and when I'm up there I usually play a harder ball... NXT Tour... to reduce spin, because the greens on the courses I play there all have a back-to-front tilt to them, and a spinny ball will always suck back too much. The greens here in NC are a little less uniform in that respect. Playing the B330S I sometimes get suckback, sometimes it stops, sometimes it releases forward, just depends on the green. But most of the time, there is some back-to-front tilt, and I'll get a little suckback.

Perhaps I need to work on my divots... I have noticed that my divots can be a little long and deep at times... must mean that my release and AoA at impact aren't ideal... right? However, on a level green, I regularly expect hop and stop, and the ball will be pretty close to its pitchmark. It's only on greens with a back-to-front tilt that I have an issue with suckback. Of course, the problem is that a lot of greens have that tilt to them! I can't remember which ones, though... suppose I'll have to keep a notepad with notes on green tilt if I want to take it into account.
 
I usually just play the high ball to land like a ton of bricks.

Ditto.

It usually works out that way or with an occasional hop 'n stop.

If the pin is at the bottom of an incline, I'll sometimes play it to come down from that but that's less spin and more just the ball releasing.

Alternatively, I'll sometimes take a little more club, play a softer shot with less spin and play for the ball to release to the pin. For example if the pin is tucked back edge close to the fringe, I'll play to the middle with some release in order to not risk hitting long into the collar and then have a short (often downhiller) chip.
 
I always play balls that spin less, so they don''t suck back. But I wonder if that's the best way to approach the green. I've though about using a spinnier ball, and planning for the inevitable suck-back, by just aiming a bit past the pin and then letting it spin back down. I suppose that there might be a side benefit in this, especially regarding mishits... that is if you don't "get it all" and it would normally come up a few yards short, now you might still be on the green.

I was wondering how other spinny players approach this problem. Is hop&stop best, or do you plan to spin it back?

I aim for the center of the center of the green, I am not good enough to pin seek. Not a lot of need to spin the ball, I just want it to stop close to where it lands.
 
If we're talking about approach shots from say 80-120 yds than I'm always going to look to fly it hole high with just enough spin to stop in it's tracks, depending on the tilt of the green and the firmness of the green I may have to err on the long side. I tend to hit full iron shots very high so they usually come to rest very close to their pitch mark on the green. On shorter chip shots I still have more luck trying to carry back to the hole with a higher trajectory as opposed to a lower spinning shot that would check up. I can't practice that shot enough to have confidence in it.
 
I play for it to hop and stop, but normally it's a hop and roll about 5' past where I want it.


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Nonreceptive greens usually fall from the sky and move a bit forward. Other scenarios are fall and plug, fall and roll over, and fall and try and come back and see me. Best bet for me is find the number and hit to that...if all goes well it's not far from the landing zone.
 
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