The super-flop is one of the most exciting shots in golf. Pull it off in front of your weekend group and you’re considered a god. Skull it into oblivion and you’re sure to be the butt of jokes at the 19th hole.
It’s a high-risk, high-reward shot that takes some guts and countless hours of practice to execute under the gun.
Elite players like PGA Tour winner Adam Hadwin can make the flop look as easy as a routine bump-and-run, but when it comes to the average mid-handicapper, the Canadian has some wise advice: Opt for a lower lofted wedge instead of immediately reaching for the lobber.
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“Don’t always reach for the highest-lofted club,” Hadwin says. “If you can learn to chip with the other stuff first, you’ll be able to learn to control a 60-degree wedge and know how to use that as well. I think everyone just reaches for the lob wedge thinking they can pull it off, and it takes a little bit of touch to get used to it and to be able to pull it off correctly.”
The hero shot may be fun, but so is winning money off your buddies by taking the high percentage play.
Something else Hadwin thinks golfers should take into consideration is the amount of bounce on their wedges — a piece of the equation that directly affects how the head interacts with the turf at impact. Course conditions will ultimately determine whether you need more or less bounce, but if you have trouble getting the bounce just right on each wedge, follow Hadwin’s advice and opt for more.
“I think more bounce is probably better for most amateurs,” he said. “Most conditions that they’ll play in will be soft enough that more bounce will be better.”
To hear more gear insights from Jonathan Wall and True Spec’s Tim Briand, subscribe and listen each week to GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast: iTunes | SoundCloud | Spotify | Stitcher
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