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  • How To Make It Suck Back

    • How To Make It Suck Back

    One of the most dramatic things anyone can do to a golf ball is apply so much backspin that, after landing, it sucks backward as if on a string. In addition to being fun to watch, this is a useful shot, especially when you're playing to rock-hard greens or when you need to get close to a pin that is positioned just beyond a bunker or other trouble.

    In order to play this shot successfully, you need to have several factors in your favor, only one of which is the proper swing. The first essential is a clean lie, to enable maximum application of clubface to ball. It also helps to be playing into the wind and to a green that slopes toward you. Finally, your chances of applying backspin will be enhanced if you're playing with square-grooved irons and striking a soft-covered ball.

    The key to the technique is to make crisp, brisk impact with the back of the ball. Ideally, in fact, you want to hit the top-back quadrant of the ball, so that you squeeze the ball against the turf for a millisecond. That's what creates the friction that makes the ball spin.

    Begin by positioning the ball a few centimetres or so back of its usual position in your stance. Don't move it any farther back, because that will simply produce a low, squirting shot. Grip the club more firmly than normal, to reduce wrist action - you want hand speed but not wrist speed.

    The swing should be aggressive from top to bottom. Contrary to common belief, the suck-back is played with the big muscles - it is not a flick. Keeping those wrists firm, swing through briskly with the arms as your legs and lower body move toward the target.

    You don't want to pick this ball cleanly, but you don't want a divot either. You'll know you've played it well when at impact you slick down the grass in front of the ball.

    • Previous Tip
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    Part I: Before You Swing

    • Clap Hands For The Grip
    • The Short Thumb
    • Look High, Look Low
    • Aim The Clubface First
    • Your Feet Can Fool You
    • Don't Toe The Line
    • Posture Is Natural
    • The Root Of Many Evils
    • One Spot For Every Shot
    • Suit Yourself
    • Get The Picture
    • Consider A Bit Of Flare
    • Open Up On Short Irons
    • The Right Height
    • Why Jack And I Hover The Club
    • A Game Of Inches
    • Get A Countdown
    • Step All The Way Back

    Part II: The Long Game

    • Pulling The Trigger
    • The Left-elbow Lead
    • The Extension Bench
    • R.P.B. For Long Drives
    • My Swing Doesn't Change
    • Three Wrongs And A Right
    • Read Your Wrists
    • It's A Horse Race
    • Hit The Second Ball
    • Tempo And Rhythm
    • How To Hit It Off The Deck
    • On Long Irons
    • For Battles In Britain
    • The High Shot
    • How To Make It Suck Back
    • The Spinless Shot
    • Shotmaking Made Easy

    Part III: The Short Game

    • Throw Yourself Into the Short Game
    • They're Just Shorter Swings
    • Fit The Swing To The Shot
    • Hit Your Short Shots Hard
    • One of the Few Laws
    • Master The Method, Vary The Clubs
    • Chipmaking
    • Blast from Bermuda, Putt the Rest
    • Deaden Impact with a Putter Grip
    • How To Miss It Close
    • The Knockdown Punch
    • The Seven-Fingered Shot
    • The Sand Wedge Putt
    • Putters Aren't Just For Putting
    • Why You Should Putt Aggressively
    • I'm An Apex Putter
    • Trust Your Technique
    • Keep Your Eye on the Back
    • Hold the Hold in Putting
    • Know The Breaks
    • The Ultimate Nerve Test
    • Part IV: Bunkers And Trouble Play

      • Four 'Musts' In Bunkers
      • It's Just a Splash
      • Play Detective
      • Double the Distance in Sand
      • The Long Distance Runner
      • How To Make It Sit
      • Take a Stab at Short Shots
      • Seve's Softee
      • Slice An 8-Iron
      • How to Play the Hardest Shot
      • The Best Two Hours You Can Spend
      • Slash Your Way Out of Jail
      • Grass Knowledge
      • Debunking Flyers
      • How's It Growing?
      • The Lazy Lob
      • Living With Divots
      • Go Ahead, Have A Blast
      • Lean Against The Slope
      • Tips For Playing In Rain
      • Into A Hard Wind, Take A Light Grip
      • Don't Fight Crosswinds

      Part V: Managing Yourself And Your Game

      • Know Thyself
      • Pace Yourself
      • Get The Stiffest Shaft You Can Handle
      • Be Bold with Your Strengths
      • Pep Talks
      • Go To The Movies
      • Why I See the Apex
      • Suit Your Shot To A Tee
      • The Secret Weapon
      • Look For 'Bad' Lies
      • Play The Hole Backward
      • On A Tight Tee Shot, Get Loose
      • Walk Smartly
      • 3-Way Yardage
      • Yardage Is Only the Beginning
      • Between Clubs, Go with Your Tendency
      • Gauging the Greens
      • Don't Be A Sucker
      • Read Greens From Afar
      • My Practice Practices
      • Have A Post-Round Agenda
      • Shake It Off
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