A flop shot is a very high, soft shot played around the green, usually with a lob wedge, that goes up quickly and lands with very little roll. Golfers use it when they need to get over something, like a bunker or a ridge, and stop the ball on a green that does not give them much room. It is one of the most fun shots in golf and one of the riskiest.
When should you hit a flop shot?
Pull out the flop shot when all three of these are true:
- You have something to carry, like a bunker, a mound or rough between you and the green.
- The flag is close to your side of the green, so a normal chip or pitch would run past it.
- Your lie is good, ideally sitting up in grass. You need some cushion under the ball for the club to slide under it.
If the lie is tight, firm or bare, the flop shot gets much harder, because a small mistake means a bladed shot across the green. In that case a lower chip or pitch to the middle of the green is usually the smarter play.
How do you hit a flop shot?
- Take your most lofted wedge. Most golfers use a 58 or 60 degree lob wedge.
- Open the clubface first, then take your grip. Rotate the face so it points more at the sky, then grip the club. If you grip first and then open it, the face tends to close again during the swing.
- Widen your stance and aim a little left (for a right-handed golfer) to match the open face. Play the ball forward of center.
- Keep your weight fairly even and your hands roughly level with the ball, not pressed far forward. You want the club to use its bounce and slide under the ball.
- Make a longer, smooth swing than you think you need, and keep accelerating through the ball. The open face sends most of the energy up instead of forward, so a short, careful swing usually leaves the ball short.
- Let the face stay open through impact and finish with the clubface still pointing up.
Practice it before you need it. A flop shot you have never hit on the range is a gamble on the course.
Flop shot vs lob shot vs pitch
| Shot | Height | Roll after landing | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip | Low | Most of the distance | Low |
| Pitch | Medium | Some | Medium |
| Lob or flop | Very high | Very little | High |
Many golfers use "lob shot" and "flop shot" to mean the same thing. When people separate them, the flop is the more extreme version, hit with a wide open face and a full, fast swing.
What wedge is best for a flop shot?
A lob wedge with 58 to 60 degrees of loft is the usual choice. Some golfers carry 62 or 64 degree wedges, but they are harder to control on full shots. Bounce and grind matter too. A wedge with some bounce and heel relief lets you open the face without the leading edge sitting high off the ground.
If you are adding a lob wedge to your bag, buying used is a cheap way to try one. We have hundreds of used lob wedges listed individually with real photos, loft, bounce where available, and a 1 to 10 condition grade. For more on how wedges developed, read the history of the golf wedge.
Where the term comes from
We could not find a documented first use of "flop shot" in golf. The word "flop" for a soft, falling motion is old in English, and the golf use seems to describe how the ball drops onto the green, but no reliable source pins down when or where golfers started saying it.
What we can trace is the club. In the 1980s, short game coach Dave Pelz pushed golfers to carry more wedges with more loft, and Tom Kite was one of the first tour players to follow his advice. Kite went on to win the 1992 U.S. Open. As 60 degree wedges became common, the high, soft shot they made possible became a regular part of the game, and players like Phil Mickelson made the flop shot famous on TV.
The same open-face idea gets you out of sand. See how to get out of a greenside bunker.
Frequently asked questions
Is a flop shot hard to hit?
Yes, for most amateurs. It needs a good lie, a confident swing and practice. When in doubt, a chip or pitch to the fat part of the green is the safer choice.
Can you hit a flop shot from the rough?
Often, yes. A ball sitting up in light rough is one of the better lies for it, because the club can slide under the ball. A ball sitting down in thick rough is a different story.
Can you hit a flop shot with a sand wedge?
You can, by opening the face more, but it is easier with a 58 or 60 degree lob wedge.
Why does my flop shot go too far or skull across the green?
Usually the leading edge hits the middle of the ball. That happens when the lie is too tight, the hands get too far forward, or the swing slows down before impact.
At the other end of the scale, read what is a bump and run, the lowest-risk shot around the green.
More golf terms
See every term in our golf terms glossary, or read chip vs pitch in golf next.
