Golf lessons with Scott Connor - Flop til you drop
Lob/Flop shots are a shot that every golfer should have in the bag. From a pro golfer to a 30 handicapper there will come a time when you short side yourself and you need a shot that elevates but then lands softly.
Many golfers watch tour players such as Phil Mickelson hitting the flop shot everywhere and anywhere and because this looks cool they try to replicate.
It's worth noting that tour greens are set up to punish and the average course will probably only require this shot during our hot and balmy summers when the greens start to dry out! Beware, this shot should only be used in the right circumstances...and not every time you get within 20 yards of the green. A lob shot is not the percentage shot to play when you have plenty of receptive green to work with.
So here's some advice on what to do when you are faced with a shot over a bunker, mound or other hazard with little green to work with towards the pin.
PACK A LOB WEDGE
Having a lob wedge in your golf armoury is essential. I hear many players say that they just use a sand wedge and open the face. This is not a good move.
To start with a sand wedge is designed to work well in the 'sand' as it has a high level of bounce which helps the club glide through the sand. Too much bounce and chipping from a hard surface can become a problem as the bounce causes the club to skid leading to inconsistent shots.
To make matters worse, opening the face of a sand wedge will increase the bounce even more and will also make it harder to control the initial direction of the shot. I would recommend that to play this type of shot efficiently you should invest in a lob wedge with a minimum of 58 degrees of loft with a mid-low bounce angle.
GET IN THE GROOVES
If you already have the necessary armoury in place make sure your wedge grooves are not worn out and that they have the latest technology with sharper grooves. The loft of the club and its grooves work together in harmony to produce the correct spin rate on the ball, this allows players to control the trajectory and the roll they want on their shots.
New groove rules for professionals will not become effective for amateurs until 2024 so take advantage of this rule and buy the best wedges that are suited to you.
OPEN YOUR STANCE
At address your body should be open to the target which will be to the left for a right hander. This moves your leading hip out of the way of your follow through allowing the club to flow better through impact. The open stance also promotes a steeper backswing which will also help the ball to spin.
Don't play the ball back in your stance as this will encourage the club face to de-loft. Play it in the middle or slightly ahead of centre.
For ultimate stopping power you need to start with the club face pointing towards the sky and maintain this from address through to impact. Don't release the club head through impact as you would a normal shot as this will de-loft the club and increase the speed the ball comes off the club face. This will make it harder to control the distance. Let the leading edge of the club stay open through impact.
WORK ON TEMPO
I encourage players to keep the tempo of the swing the same but to alter the length of the swing to alter the distance. A common fault on a flop shot is to make a long aggressive backswing than decelerate and finish shorter on the follow through. This causes many people to 'duff' the shot. Take the club away slowly but then allow the head to accelerate through impact leading to a longer follow through.
SEE SUCCESS
Last but no means least is visualization. In order to carry this shot off you must visualize the ball floating and landing softly. It's all about feel. Pick your spot, setup to target, imagine the shot, accelerate through the ball and then stand back and admire!
GOLF LESSONS WITH SCOTT CONNOR ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE GOLF PERFORMANCE CENTRE - www.golfperformancecentre.com
Date published :
18 Feb 201009:10:55
