How to Play the Flop Shot: When You've Got No Choice

The flop shot causes more double bogeys in amateur golf than almost any other shot. Usually because it shouldn't have been attempted.

This guide starts with the honest truth: the bump-and-run, the standard chip, and the conventional pitch will serve you better on the vast majority of short game situations. The flop shot is specifically for when there is genuinely no alternative — good lie, obstacle with no route around, flag near the edge, confidence available. When all four are true simultaneously, you need to know how to play it.

Inside: the four prerequisites that must all be present before attempting the shot, the four situations where you must not attempt it, the complete set-up sequence (open face first, then grip — not the other way round), why the swing is longer and faster than almost every golfer expects, and two practice drills that build the feel before you need it on the course.

Open the face. Open the stance. Swing longer than you think. Accelerate. And if in any doubt — find another way.