So your approach shot hits some wind and lands ten yards short of the green. As you walk to the ball, you think about all the time you’ve spent practicing chip shots and you feel pretty confident about your next move.
But when you get to the ball, you realize a chip shot isn’t going to help in this situation—there’s a bunker between you and the pin, which is set really close to the front edge. You can’t run it through the bunker, and a pitch shot wouldn’t have enough backspin to land softly and stop near the pin.
Thankfully, there’s a perfect shot for this situation: the flop shot.
Step 1: Lofted Wedge
First, you’ve got to pull out a high-lofted wedge from your bag. A set-included sand wedge will work fine.
Step 2: Open the Clubface
Turn the club in your hands so that the club face opens up even more, almost facing the sky.
Step 3: Open Stance & Aim
Because of the turn, your club face will aim pretty far to the right. To set up straight, open your stance so that you’re almost facing your target, and then make sure your club is aligned correctly.
Step 4: The Swing
Start your backswing once you’re comfortable over the ball. The flop shot is heavy on wrist-action, so make sure you break your wrists when you take back your club. This way, when you come down, you can snap your wrists under the ball and get it high in the air.
Practice
Because you’re hitting the ball with such a thin part of the club during a flop shot, it’s easy to hit your ball thin or to skull it—sending the ball darting across the green and into the tee box of the next hole. You’ve got to make sure to keep your head down on the ball and really let your wrists lead the way.
Most importantly, you’ve got to practice it a lot before using it on the course.
