How to Reduce Spin in a Golf Swing

Watching your drive balloon high into the sky, hang for what feels like an eternity, and then fall softly out of the air - far short of where you wanted it to be - is one of golf’s most common frustrations. That high, floaty ball flight is a telltale sign of excessive spin, a certified distance-killer that robs you of power and control. This article breaks down exactly why those shots happen and gives you practical, actionable fixes to start hitting more penetrating shots with the carry and roll you deserve.

What Is “Too Much” Spin and Why Is It Killing Your Drives?

First, let’s be clear: backspin isn't the enemy. The dimples on a golf ball and the grooves on a club are designed to generate backspin. For your irons, it’s what gives you the necessary height to hold a green. For your driver, a healthy amount of backspin is what helps the ball achieve lift and stay in the air for maximum carry. We’re targeting excessive backspin - the kind that makes the ball climb too aggressively and lose forward momentum.

So, where does this extra spin come from? It’s all about a concept called spin loft. Don’t worry, we won’t get too technical. In simple terms, spin loft is the difference between how you deliver the club to the ball (your angle of attack) and where the clubface is pointing at impact (your dynamic loft).

Imagine scraping paint off a wall with a putty knife. If you push the knife flat against the wall, it won't scrape much. But if you increase the angle of the knife, you create a sharp "scraping" action. It's the same in golf. The bigger the angle difference between your swing path and your clubface at impact, the more of a glancing, "scraping" blow you deliver. This glancing action is what cranks up the backspin.

When you hit straight down on the ball with a driver, you present a lot of loft and essentially scrape the bottom of the ball. This is what creates that high, spinny shot that goes nowhere. Our goal is to reduce that spin loft by changing how we deliver the club to the ball. Let’s get into how to do that.

Fix #1: Master Your Angle of Attack

For the driver, this is the most important factor in spin reduction. While we want to hit slightly down on the ball with an iron to compress it, we want to do the opposite with a driver. To get a powerful, low-spin launch, you need to hit the ball on the upswing. This is often referred to as having a "positive" angle of attack.

When you contact the ball as the club is traveling upward, you reduce spin loft dramatically. You’re delivering a "sweeping" blow, not a "scraping" one. This transfers more of the club's energy directly into the back of the ball, creating a higher launch with less backspin - the modern recipe for distance.

The Headcover Drill to Feel the Upswing

This is a classic for a reason - it works. This simple drill gives you immediate feedback on your angle of attack.

1. Tee up a ball as you normally would for your a driver.
2. Place an empty headcover (or any soft object like a folded towel) on the ground about one foot in front of your teed-up ball, right on your target line.
3. Take your normal swing.

Your goal is to swing and hit the ball without disturbing the headcover on your follow-through. If you hit the headcover, it’s a clear sign your angle of attack is either level or descending. Striking the ball and missing the headcover completely forces you to swing up through impact, which is exactly the feeling you want to create.

Fix #2: Build a Low-Spin Stance at Address

You can make hitting up on the ball significantly easier just by adjusting your setup. A proper low-spin setup looks and feels different from an iron setup, and it primes your body to produce the upward strike we just talked about. It involves three small but powerful adjustments.

1. Tee It High and Let It Fly

This is a an old mantra that holds true. You need to tee the ball high enough to allow the club to catch it on the upswing. A good general rule is to have at least half of the golf ball showing above the crown (the top edge) of your driver. If you tee it too low, you almost guarantee an even or negative angle of attack, which will increase spin.

2. Move the Ball Forward

The bottom of your driver swing should happen before you reach the ball. To allow for this, the ball needs to be positioned well forward in your stance. Place the ball directly in line with the heel or armpit of your lead foot (your left foot for a right-handed golfer). This forward position gives the clubhead time to pass its lowest point and begin ascending on its way to the ball.

3. Create Spine Tilt Away from the Target

This is the final piece of the setup puzzle. From your address position, simply "bump" your hips slightly toward the target and allow your upper body to tilt away from it. Your lead shoulder should feel slightly higher than your trail shoulder. To a right-handed golfer, it will feel like your spine is leaning slightly to the right. This isn’t about swaying, it's a subtle tilt that puts your swing center behind the ball and pre-sets your body to launch the club on an upward path effortlessly.

Fix #3: Get a Neutral Grip for a Square Face

Your grip is the steering wheel for the clubface. An improper grip can add dynamic loft at impact, even if your swing is perfect. A common mistake among golfers who hit high, weak shots is a “weak” grip, where the hands are rotated too far toward the target.

A weak grip makes it very easy for the clubface to open and add loft through impact, producing a spinny slice. To reduce spin, you need a neutral, or even slightly "strong," grip that promotes a square clubface.

How to Check Your Grip:

• Left Hand (for righties): Place your left hand on the club so you can see at least two, but not more than three, knuckles when you look down. The "V" formed by your thumb and index finger should point toward your trail shoulder (your right shoulder).
• Right Hand (for righties): Your right hand should fit comfortably over the left thumb. The "V" formed by your right thumb and index finger should also point toward your right shoulder, mirroring your left hand.

This neutral position helps your hands return the clubface to a square or slightly closed position at impact, preventing that spin-adding loft you get from an open face.

Fix #4: Shallow the Club and Swing from the Inside

Many amateur golfers struggle with a steep, "over-the-top" swing path. This means the club attacks the ball from outside the target line on a very downward angle. This swing characteristic is notorious for creating high,-spin slice that peels off to the right. To counter this, you need to "shallow" the club on the downswing.

Shallowing simply means letting the clubhead drop onto a flatter plane as you transition from the backswing to the downswing. A great swing thought is to feel the clubhead dropping slightly behind you as you start your move down, instead of throwing it out and over from the top.

The Tuck-Shaft Drill

This feel-based drill helps you bring the club down from the inside.

1. Take a normal backswing to the top.
2. As you begin your downswing, focus only on the feeling of your right elbow (for righties) tucking in close to your right side.
3. As the elbow tucks, feel the clubhead "drop" behind your hands.

This movement keeps the club from getting steep and out in front of you. By attacking the ball from a shallower, inside path, you promote a swing that hits up on the ball and delivers the clubface with less dynamic loft, dramatically cutting spin.

Final Thoughts

Tackling high-spin shots isn’t about swinging harder. It's about delivering the club more efficiently. By focusing on your angle of attack, creating a launch-friendly setup at address, and ensuring your grip and swing path are not adding extra loft, you can turn those popup drives into the powerful, penetrating bombs you know you're capable of hitting.

Sometimes, even with the best advice, pinpointing the true cause of your high-spin shots can be a process of trial and error. This is where we designed Caddie AI to provide incredible clarity. If you're struggling to diagnose your swing, our app can analyze your motion and offer personalized feedback to identify if it's your setup, your angle of attack, or your path causing the issue. This removes the guesswork, giving you a clear focus for your practice time so you can spend less time struggling and more time hitting better shots.