What Does Top Spin Do in Golf?

A golf ball spinning forward through the air might sound like a good thing, especially if you’re picturing a perfectly struck tennis forehand that dives into the court. However, in golf, topspin is a widely misunderstood concept that often does more harm than good. This article breaks down exactly what topspin is, when it shows up as an unwelcome mistake (the topped shot), and the specific situations where a little forward roll can actually be your secret weapon.

What is Topspin in Golf (and What is it Not)?

Let's get one thing straight right away: on almost every full golf shot you hit with an iron or wedge, the goal is backspin, not topspin. Backspin is the backward rotation of the ball that generates lift, helping the ball climb into the air and land softly on the green. When a PGA Tour pro hits an iron shot that lands and stops dead or even zips backward, that’s the result of pristine contact generating immense amounts of backspin.

Topspin is the opposite. It’s a forward tumbling motion where the top of the ball rotates in the direction of flight. This type of spin kills lift, causing the ball to fly low and run out for a long, long time after it lands. For most golfers, their experience with "topspin" isn't an intentional shot but rather a dreadful mishit: the topped ball.

A topped shot happens when the leading edge of your club strikes the ball at or above its equator. Imagine trying to drive a nail into a wall, but instead of hitting the head of the nail, you strike the tip - it would just glance off and go nowhere. That’s what happens when you top a golf ball. It's not a controlled shot, it's a fundamental contact error. The club fails to compress the ball against the clubface, and instead, it sends a jolt through your hands and a low screamer - often called a "worm burner" - scooting across the ground.

True, intentional topspin like you see in tennis is practically impossible to generate on a full golf shot because of the way clubs are designed with loft. To hit the ball up, the club must strike down. What we can do, however, is strategically reduce backspin to encourage more forward roll, which often gets labeled as "topspin."

Topspin’s Unwanted Side: The Dreaded "Topped" Shot

There are few sounds in golf more cringe-inducing than the thin, clicky sound of a topped iron shot. You expect the satisfying "thump" of compressed turf but instead get a jarring "thwack" that shoots up your arms. The ball barely gets airborne before diving toward the earth and running far past your intended landing zone - often into trouble.

Topping the ball is one of the most common faults among beginner and high-handicap golfers. Understanding why it happens is the first step to fixing it. Here are the usual suspects:

• Standing Up in the Swing: The single biggest cause is losing your posture during the downswing. Golf is played in an athletic setup, bent at the hips. Many golfers lift their chest and head right before impact, which raises the low point of the swing arc. The club, which was supposed to meet the ball at the bottom of its arc, now meets it on the way up, striking the top half of the ball.
• Trying to "Help" the Ball Up: This is a mental mistake. You see the ball on the ground and instinctively feel you need to scoop under it to get it airborne. This leads to a motion where you pull your arms in and flick with your wrists. Ironically, the desire to hit the ball high makes you hit it low. You have to trust that the loft on the club will do the work. Remember the rule: to make the ball go up, you have to hit down.
• Incorrect Ball Position: If the ball is too far forward in your stance for the iron you are using, the club will start ascending before it reaches the ball. Your irons (from 8-iron to wedges) should generally be played from the middle of your stance to ensure you can strike the ball at the bottom of your a swing arc.

A Simple Drill to Stop Topping the Ball

To eliminate topped shots, you need to retrain your body to maintain its posture and strike down on the ball. Here's a foolproof drill:

1. Place a tee in the ground and push it down so the top is flush with the turf.
2. Place your golf ball directly on the ground about an inch in front of the tee.
3. Set up to the ball as you normally would.
4. Your single thought for the shot is this: "Hit the ball, then hit the tee."

By focusing on swinging through the ball to hit the tee on the other side, you force your body to stay down through the shot and create a descending blow. You’ll be amazed at how this simple thought promotes solid, compressed contact. The ball will pop up into the air beautifully, and the topped shot will become a thing of the past.

The Tactical Advantage: When a Little Topspin Can Be Useful

While the topped shot is a nightmare, controlling topspin - or more accurately, minimizing backspin to get a low flight with lots of roll - is a valuable skill for any golfer. It allows you to navigate trouble, beat the wind, and get creative around the greens.

1. Playing Punch Shots From Trouble

You’ve hit your drive into the trees and have a low-hanging branch between you and the fairway. This is the perfect time for a punch shot. The goal is to keep the ball under the branch and get it to run out as far as possible.

How to Hit It:

• Club Up: Take one or two more clubs than you normally would (e.g., a 6-iron instead of an 8-iron).
• Ball Back: Play the ball toward your back foot. This naturally de-lofts the clubface.
• Hands Forward: Press your hands well ahead of the clubhead. Your shaft will be leaning significantly toward the target.
• Abbreviated Swing: Take a shoter backswing (about halfway back) and a short follow-through. Think of it as a firm “punching” motion.

This setup and motion drastically reduce the dynamic loft at impact, preventing the ball from climbing and encouraging a low, running flight. The ball will have very little backspin and will roll like a putt once it lands.

2. The Hybrid or Fairway Wood "Stinger"

On a windy day or a firm, fast golf course, getting the ball on the ground and running is a huge advantage. Pros like Tiger Woods have made the low-boring "stinger" famous. While his is a specialized shot, you can hit a simpler version with your hybrid or a fairway wood.

How to Hit It:

Similar to the punch shot, you'll want to play the ball slightly farther back in your stance than you normally would for that club and feel like you "trap" the ball against the turf with a downward strike. Focus on a low, abbreviated finish. This shot won't fly far, but it will hit the ground hot and run for days, making it perfect for finding fairways when control is more important than distance.

3. The Greenside Hybrid Chip (or "Texas Wedge")

Sometimes you’re just off the fringe, in that awkward zone where a putter might get caught up in the longer grass but a wedge feels too risky. This is where using a hybrid or even a fairway wood is a brilliant play. The design of these clubs helps create just the right amount of topspin to get the ball rolling smoothly toward the hole.

How to Do It:

Use your putting grip and posture but hold your hybrid. Stand so the club's anft is nearly vertical. Use a simple putting stroke to strike the equator of the ball. The ball will pop up gently over the thicker grass and immediately start rolling like a putt. The forward spin is consistent and very easy to judge, taking the tricky spin calculations of chipping with a wedge completely out of the equation.

Advanced Technique: The Delicate Topspin Chip Shot

Now, let's talk about an intentional "topspin" chip, also known as a "low runner" or a "pop and roll." This isn’t a mishit, it's a high-level shot for when you have a lot of green between you and the hole and want the ball to check up quickly and then release predictably toward your target.

This shot is really about killing backspin. By setting up and swinging in a particular way, you create a shot that lands softly and tumbles forward, almost like it was rolled by hand.

How a low running chip is performed

1. Pick a Lower Lofted Club: This is not a shot for your sand wedge. Instead, grab an 8-iron, 9-iron, or even a pitching wedge.
2. Set Up for No Spin: Place the ball off the toe of your back foot. This is farther back than a normal chip. Press your hands far forward so the shaft is leaning aggressively toward the target. This extreme setup takes almost all the loft off the clubface.
3. Make a "Jabbing" Stroke: Unlike the sweeping motion of a standard chip, this stroke is more of a firm, downward "jab" or "pop" at the back of the ball. The follow-through is very short and low to the ground. Maintain a firm left wrist through impact.

By "trapping" the ball against the ground with a de-lofted clubface, you pop it into the air with minimal backspin, so it lands and immediately starts rolling forward. It’s a fantastic shot to have in your arsenal for predictable rollout on long chips.

Final Thoughts

Topspin in golf is a double-edged sword. For most amateurs, it appears as an enemy - the mishit topped shot that signals a flaw in the swing. But by understanding the physics of what’s happening, you can transform that knowledge into a powerful tool for your game. It’s not about creating literal forward spin, but rather about deliberately managing backspin to produce a shot that runs out when you need it most, whether that's firing a low punch under a tree or deftly rolling a chip across the green.

Knowing the difference between hitting a high-spinning wedge and a low-running "topspin" chip is one thing, but having the confidence to choose the right one in a pressure situation is another skill entirely. This is where our digital tools can make a real difference on the course. With Caddie AI, you can get instant, expert advice for any situation. I designed it to analyze your position - you can even snap a photo of a tricky lie - and then I’ll give you a simple, straightforward recommendation on the best shot to play and how to execute it, helping you take doubt out of the equation so you can swing with confidence.