The Sunday Bag: Topspin vs. Backspin, Hovering the Putter, Lead Tape
8/2/2026
Happy Sunday, golfers.
Let’s get into it.
Today’s quote:
“Happiness is a long walk with a putter”
— Greg Norman
Topspin vs. Backspin
If you’ve played golf for any length of time, you likely understand the concept of backspin and its importance.
But how many of you understand the importance of topspin in putting? @engineergolf posted a great graphic on X which shows the difference in rollout between a ball that’s struck properly (topspin), and a ball struck improperly (backspin).
The post goes on to state why backspin is not ideal when putting.
For those who want a great visual of what it looks like to hit the top half of the ball and to get it rolling end over end, check out this closeup of Gary Woodland’s putt.
This is a topic that may deserve its own Wednesday post in the future. But for now just know that topspin is your friend in putting.
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Hovering the Putter
Part of my “content-creation” strategy comes from combing through all the highlights from the PGA Tour app and then providing commentary/analysis on clips that I think are educational to the average golfer.
While I was doing my research for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, I came across a great clip of Rickie Fowler hovering his putter. You may have heard me talk in the past about why I’m a huge fan of doing this.
Watch the clip and then we’ll talk about why I think it’s such a great technique.
I started hovering the putter a few years back and now I can’t imagine not doing it. I originally started hovering as a way to prevent the club from sticking/dragging on the ground.
But I found its true superpower is acting as a trigger to give my putting routine better tempo and consistency.
This is something very easy that I recommend trying for anyone with the putting yips. Or if you find yourself hitting the ground on the takeaway.
I even wrote an entire post on it back in March for anyone that’s interested.
This Week’s Premium Post
This week’s premium post will be on the true putting gap between amateur golfers and Tour pros.
A preview:
It’s a Sunday afternoon and you turn on PGA Tour coverage. It starts with a clip of the leader draining a 20-foot putt to extend his lead. Then they cut to someone back in 10th place making an 18-footer. After that, they flash back to a highlight of a guy earlier in the day sinking one from 50 feet.
Wow. These guys are amazing putters. How could anyone draw any other conclusion?
Meanwhile, you’re stuck missing over half of your 6-footers. And putts beyond 20 feet? Good luck. Those only fall once in a blue moon.
If only you could improve at putting. And not just any form of putting — if only you could make long putts like the guys on TV. Then you’d finally break through to the next level.
Except for none of this is true.
This post will be for premium subs only. If you’d like to upgrade, I offer a special discount for The Sunday Bag readers HERE.
Lead Tape
I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about lead tape on X recently. Many of you probably already know about it, and some of you may have even tried it.
Either way I figured I’d break it down a bit for those who are unfamiliar. It may save you from spending hundreds of dollars on new clubs.
Essentially lead tape is placed on the back of the club head or shaft to add a small amount of weight. The purpose of this is to shift the center of gravity to encourage a draw or fade, or reduce whatever your miss is.
You can also use it on your putter, which Tiger has famously done for years.
“Virtually every single Open I’ve played in, I would put lead tape on my putters to try and get it a little bit heavier and get the ball rolling.”
— Tiger Woods
I’ve never used lead tape, but for those who wanna play around with it, you can get some HERE.
That’s it for today. Hope you all have a great week and get out and play!
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to email me at tourswingstommy@gmail.com. I read everything.
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