This Top 10 Course Has Just ~50 Members, and Even YOU Can Play It + Learn the Mickelson Flop

TIPS & DRILLS
Play the Mickelson Flop, No Matter the Type of Lie
No more sliding right under the ball or blading it over the green

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To Recap…

We’ve all been there - you’re just off the green, ready to hit that high soft flop shot that lands like a sack of flour right next to the hole. You get set in your stance, take the club back, and the ball only gets about 3 feet off the ground and goes 40 yards instead of 40 feet. To avoid supreme embarrassment, follow the advice of the flop master himself, Phil Mickelson:

-STEP 1: At address, make sure the club face is WIDE open. A good point of reference for this is to see the toe of the club almost laying flat on the ground. This is of course what allows the club to glide under the ball.
-STEP 2: For a traditional flop shot from just off the green in the first cut, shift your weight forward. Having your weight on your lead foot allows you to drive down and get the club underneath the ball.
-STEP 3: This part is key- accelerate your arm and club together through impact. In this shot, you don’t want to see the club head outrace your left arm, since releasing the head exposes too much bounce and can result in the dreaded blade.
-STEP 4: Adjust your weight balance for different lies. For fluffy lies out of the rough, your weight should be more on your trail foot to shallow out your swing and avoid going right under the ball.

PRO TIP: Using a 60* lob wedge is NOT the only option here. Sure, it is a better choice if you truly need the ball to stop on a dime, but it’s also prone to error. For the typical amateur, a 56* sand wedge with the face wide open is just as effective. Plus, you won’t need to swing quite as hard to get the ball up quickly.

COURSES
A World Top 10 Course That You Can Actually Get On
Another Tom Doak masterpiece, this time in New Zealand

Tara Iti Golf Club
Mangawhai, New Zealand

Tara Iti Golf Club lines the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Mangawhai, New Zealand, a small town ~100 kilometers north of Auckland. And because of it’s remote location relative to population centers, this course has flown mostly under the radar since its opening in 2015. With just ~50 members in total, all of whom had to receive an invitation to join, this club is the definition of ultra-exclusive. Tara Iti doesn’t spend any money on marketing in order to keep this hidden gem a secret from the masses - there aren’t even signs pointing you in the right direction leading up to the course. And as you pull up to the gate, it feels more like you’re entering an off-grid military base, not a world-class golf course. But man on man is it stunning once you reach the clubhouse.

Immediately upon opening, Tara Iti debuted on the World’s 100 Greatest Courses list at #6 on Golfdigest.com, making it the highest-ever debut of any golf course on any of their ranking lists. Presently, it sits as the No. 1 golf course in New Zealand and No. 7 in the world.

As a Tom Doak layout, we know what we can expect based on his style of design - using the natural landscape, maintaining the original features of the land, and letting the property showcase itself. Tara Iti falls right into this category, using the bordering Pacific Ocean to offer stunning views akin to what you’d find at Pebble Beach, and the natural sandy dunes give players strategic options on every shot. And if the above isn’t enticing enough, Doak took cues from some of the all-time greats with holes inspired by Cypress Point, Royal Dornoch and Royal St. George’s. As one reviewer wrote, “Tara Iti is pure quality from beginning to end. It is almost impossible to believe that it only opened in 2015, it feels so much more established than that.”

But how could one possibly play this course if it is kept so private, you ask? Tara Iti offers what they refer to as a “Once in a Lifetime” deal, and it is simple - write a letter to the pro shop explaining who you are and why you want to play the course. Not only will they allow you to play it one time, you can even stay on-site! So get your foursome together, work on that penmanship, and get over to New Zealand to have one of the best golf experiences you could ask for!

Rates: Private, $690 NZD greens fees + $200 NZD caddie fee (which equates to ~$500 USD in total)

Check out this overview from @randomgolfclub

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STATISTICS
Stat of the Day: Short Game Shots From < 50 Yards - Inside 5 Feet vs. Errors
presented by…

The Stat: According to data gathered by GolfWRX, the percentage of chip and pitch shots that finish inside 5 feet decreases just as fast as handicap goes up. Inside 50 yards, Tour pros hit roughly 47% of these shots inside 5 feet, whereas the average 25 handicapper accomplishes this feat just 11% of the time.

The Takeaway: Every golfer in this study is hitting less than half of their short game shots inside 5 feet, but there is another stat that paints a clearer picture here - the error rate (i.e. missed green entirely). You can’t expect to hit these short shots perfectly every single time, but one way to drastically improve around the greens is to minimize your big errors and get yourself on the putting surface more often!

So after assessing your lie and any trouble you might need to contend with, use the old noggin to determine where you can be aggressive and where you should adopt a more conservative approach.

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a GolfForever Swing Trainer Plus Bundle + 1 Year Membership Subscription
(1 winner chosen on 1/31/25 across all January trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)

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