Epson Tour professional Natalie Sheary (New Britain, Connecticut) returns with Episode 14 of her weekly instructional series, “Staying Sharp with Sheary.” The Wake Forest University alumna and past Epson Tour champion at the W.B. Mason Championship in 2016, gives advice and drills to keep your game sharp—both physically and mentally—while at home and in practice at the course.
This week, Sheary discusses the flop shot. In order to execute a successful flop shot, the golf ball must be sitting up in the grass so that the clubface can slide underneath it. Other variables to analyze before setting up to the golf ball include distance from the hole, the lie and slope where the ball is resting. The clubface should also appear to lie flat at the start of the setup process.
Ultimately, the goal is to hit the golf ball high with a soft landing and minimal rollout. “If there is a lot of grass under the ball, we need to increase club speed to help lift the ball into the air,” said Sheary. “Make sure to get under it, otherwise blading the ball is very likely.”
— Natalie Sheary (@NatSheary) July 15, 2020A level stance with weight evenly distributed is another key factor. “When faced with a flop shot, we aim to swing as shallow as possible, similar to a bunker shot,” Sheary said. “Everything about the flop shot is very similar to hitting out of a bunker. You take a little wider stance to get comfortable over the ball.”
Finally, Sheary makes sure the clubface is aligned to the target. With the face open, she points out the need to reposition one’s stance until the clubface points in the desired direction. “The most important thing here is confidence,” said Sheary. “We're taking a longer swing to a very short distance, so we have to keep acceleration. This will make the ball go high and land softly with a decent amount of spin.”
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