MovieChat Forums > Tin Cup (1996) Discussion > Back spin questions

Back spin questions

posted 17 years ago by Topher88
12 replies | jump to latest

I've seen a lot of comments about the back spin on the final shot Tin Cup makes from the fairway with his three wood.

I think everybody is making a mistake by thinking what happened with the shot was back spin. When you watch the movie on the previous shots Tin Cup attempts to the 18th green the ball rolls down the slope of the green into the water.

Obviously the green is sloped. Tin Cup was attempted to hit the ball onto the back part of the green and have it roll up close in order to make an easy putt for an eagle. However, his first few shots didn't have the right distance and landed on the steeper area of the green and they rolled into the water.

On the 12th shot MacAvoy hit the correct shot, high enough on the green that the slope rolled it slowly back into the hole.

That's just my interpretation.

[–] LacyHumpsSangster 16 years ago

Jkl durl wot duj kempte?

[–] KillYourShadow 16 years ago

Correct. It wasn't backspin that pulled the ball back. It was the slope. The pin was in the front of the green not the back though. Watch it again. Also, "the steeper area of the green" where he hit it? Well, if you watch, his ball rolled up like 2 feet from the hole on that first shot. The hole must have been cut on that slope which is implausible.

Ignore the smoke.

[–] rick03 15 years ago

yea, his first shot actually gets pin high. If you know a little bit about golf then the only possible explanation would be backspin because there is no way that a hole could be cut on that steep of a slope. Of course then you would know that backspin is completely unrealistic as well.

[–] B-Dubb 15 years ago

No, that was a very fake part of the movie. Had he hit into that green with a 3-wood the ball would have bounced at least a couple of times, probably rolling off the BACK of the green, even if it was uphill.

This is B-Dubb, and I approve this message.

[–] Doom 15 years ago

“Somebody tell this clown he doesn't have to hit it from there!”

------

Wait a minute... who am I here?

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Alyssa-the-Critic 14 years ago

Wow I remember posting in here like 5 years ago with this same question. IMDB has purged the boards since then.

Listen, the ball backspins a few feet after a short hop. Enough to get to the steep slow in the front of the green where it picks up momentum. It's factually correct that for great strikers hitting a 3 wood off the carpet (not a TEE : important) in a soft fairway where your aim is to go OVER water, you hit it HIGH and so it gets a crazy amount of spin and length carry ; compared to a draw shot aiming at rolling/bouncing it on a fairway strip.

If you watch the trajectory off the club in later shots its a nice fade angle he puts on it bringing it slight left to right into the green, increasing the height and backspin chance vastly.

Those of you who think you are golfers mustn't be all that crafty or strikers anywhere near strong and swift as the character Roy Macavoy is. He has the form and understands the mechanics to make this short hop + backspin shot.

If he mis-hit it, sure it would be flatter and go bouncing off the front slope over the back. But hes good, not terrible like some of you seem to be (who think this shot type is impossible) :P

[–] BillyBarue 14 years ago

Remember, Jim Nantz did say something about needing to get the ball on the upper tier of the green when Roy was hitting his wedge on the 2nd day. So there WAS a slope cutting across the middle of the green.

[–] rick03 14 years ago

the ball gets pin high, the false front cant include where the pin is cut.

[–] rick03 14 years ago

ummm, you seem to have a lot of hostility for a bunch of people giving their opinions on this issue. Seems quite unwarranted, especially since you are wrong. It is absolutely impossible to spin back a three wood on US Open greens. Guys have difficulty spinning back wedges sometimes on those greens cuz they are absolutely rock hard. Of course a 3wood could stick on soft greens but that aint the case here. Notice that not once in your whole response did you mention the greens oh holy golfing god that you claim to be.

[–] nutsberryfarm 12 years ago

the spin part was crazy.

Where there's smoke, there's barbecue!

[–] 12 years ago

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