If you watch enough pro golf coverage, the word ‘backspin’ is probably etched into your golf brain. Pros will often hit an approach shot past the flag on the fly, then we all get to watch it land, sit still for a second or two, then start running back toward the hole. It’s fun to watch. And hard to do.

If you’re a low handicap amateur, you may already be good enough at this game to put a lot of backspin on approach shots. If you’re a medium or high handicapper, trying it on the course can ruin your day. You’re better off taking a normal swing and trying to land the shot short of the hole and letting the ball roll on the green. At this stage in your game, just making good contact and hitting each club in the right direction and the same distance each time is what you’re working on, right? There’s no need to try something fancy that you saw a pro do. Get the basics down, then monkey around at the range to learn about backspin.

Backspin is a combination of crisp contact that pinches the ball into the ground, having deep, clean grooves on your irons, and a decent swing speed. You can control the latter two, but learning to pinch the ball instead of sweeping it or lifting it into the air takes practice and confidence. That usually comes after a lot of experience. More to the point, spinning the ball back to the hole is great for showing off, but on most amateur golf courses, it might only help your score on 1 or 2 holes (if that). It’s pretty much a pointless shot, and it’s risky.

Golf is a game that requires a solid grasp of the basic fundamentals before you move on to specialty shots. Wait until you’re competent at all aspects of the game before you spend valuable practice time learning how to put excessive backspin on approaches to the green.