• Wild Golf
  • Posts
  • Tuesday Quick Tip: Hit the Flop Shot Like Seve Ballesteros!

Tuesday Quick Tip: Hit the Flop Shot Like Seve Ballesteros!

Plus, in Trivia: Who holds the record for the fastest round ever played on Tour?!

Author

Wild Golf
January 21, 2025

Happy Tuesday all - if you watched The American Express tournament this past weekend, you got a front row seat into a golfer’s biggest annoyance - SLOW PLAY. I’m sure everybody reading this has experienced a 5+ hour Saturday round and getting stuck behind a foursome that takes foorrrreevvveerrr to complete each hole. There is little in this world that is more frustrating than standing in the fairway leaning against your wedge waiting for the green to clear!

If you’ve been on the verge of yelling at (or hitting into) the group in front of you to speed them up, just know that you aren’t alone. In the words of an old golf pro - “If you’re going to play bad, play bad fast!”

TIPS & DRILLS
Seve Ballesteros Explains His Flop Shot Wizardry
Seve shows exactly how he set himself up for success
To Recap…

Seve Ballesteros has permanently implanted his place in golf history as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, there is no doubt about it. The part of his game that sets him apart from the res was his insane ability to get up and down from literally ANYWHERE. Here, Seve talks through how he sets up for a flop shot, (and he even goes on to hole it… show off):

-STEP 1: Open the club face BEFORE gripping the club- it’s important to open the club face and then grip the club to ensure you don’t close the face down through impact.
-STEP 2: Place the ball forward in your stance in line with your left heel, make sure your hands are behind the ball at address and your weight is more on your back foot. All of these help to maintain loft on the wedge and hit it high.
-STEP 2: On the backswing, make sure your wrists hinge and as you come down through impact, feel as if your right hand slides “under the ball and inside the line” to ensure the club head glides under the ball and pops it up in the air.
-STEP 3: Swing hard with a light grip. Since your club head is so open and there is so much loft, it requires a little bit of speed to get the ball in the air. It won’t go very far, so it requires a bigger swing.

PRO TIP: This is a great shot to have in your arsenal, but know WHEN to use it. The flop shot should only be used when you have no green to work with between you and the pin, or if you are hitting to a green sloping away from you. Learning this shot doesn’t necessarily mean you should use it on every chip shot - use it strategically and your scores will come down!

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)

Who holds the record for the fastest round ever played on the PGA Tour?

Hint: He played an entire 18 hole round in a Tour event in 88 minutes!

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

LIKE THIS EDITION?
Forward it to a friend! —> —>

SPONSORSHIPS
Feature Your Brand in this Newsletter!

We have a growing audience of 20K+ loyal readers and an additional 22K Facebook + 18K Instagram followers. If you’d like to promote your brand or course to our audience, click the button below!