Spin is a tricky thing. When you're trying to avoid it - say, on a tee shot, where sidespin puts you in the trees - it's easy to make it happen.
The good kind of spin - backspin - comes from hitting the ball cleanly, then making a divot after impact.
The key is to hit the ball first, then the sand. Even if you catch it a bit thin, you'll still get plenty of run. Hitting it fat is what you want to avoid.
The biggest mistake is trying to pinch down on the ball and ripping out a big divot, often hitting the ground before the ball. You'll dig up some turf, but you won't create much backspin.
I like using a 75-percent swing for wedge shots instead of full force.
Miniature golf, like billiards, is a game of angles. And, like billiards, most of the fun is in pretending you know what the hell you're doing. The worse you do, the more you have to laugh.
I created a little thing with my hands, just to create a more consistent plane to backspin balls, and obviously growing into your body helps. It's kind of complicated, more about starting the barrel flat and then creating a movement - flat to up, I guess - going towards the pitcher.
It's tough to control the ball on the clay.
