Golf will, at times, present you with a truly scary shot. One of these is having to play over an obstacle with a small landing area. Here, the higher you can hit the ball and the more vertical you can get the ball to land, the closer you’ll get to the hole, making two shots rather than three a possibility. If you know how to play the flop shot, the gamble is definitely worth it.
Set-up is key. You need to get the club to perform slightly differently to how it was designed to perform.
Adding loft by rotating the face and allowing the back of the clubhead to get closer to the ground will also act to lower the grip’s position. This will encourage a set-up that is lower than normal with a stance that is open to your target.
Everything you do in this set-up approach is designed to add loft to the club’s design while promoting a shallow angle of approach, the ingredients to hitting the ball higher than intended. Trust this is the case and commit to a longer swing than normal for the distance to play a successful shot.
REMEMBER:
- To get an accurate set-up, adjust the club then work into your set-up by pointing the grip directly towards your belt buckle.
- Your weight should feel centred throughout the swing. To do this, aim to swing the clubhead along the line of your feet, while rotating your body.
Scott Clark is the PGA teaching professional at Turnberry Resort. For lessons, call Scott on 01655 334190. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottClarkPGA
Originally published on bunkered on June 3, 2013.
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