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New players, learn to flop!

• DanL24 61 Posts

  Sat, Jun 13 2020 10:54 AM

  BWerthy:

  In the coin rooms and I don’t know how many times I have seen new players chipping when they should be flopping.  Once you learn how to hit the flop, which is by hitting the line that starts the forgiveness zone before the ding, you will be able to put it close on a variety of shots from the fairway to the rough and hole it. 

  between 7-17 yards I expect to hole it every time.  I don’t every time, but I expect to. I know every player has the shots they like, not everyone likes to flop, but if you haven’t figured it out, try it, you’ll like it  

   

  Hyperbole much?  You have played 257 ranked rounds and have holed a total of 24 shots from off the green, and gotten up and down 63% of the time.  So once every 10 ranked rounds you have made a shot from the off the green.  Now sure maybe you can occasionally make one, but let's not pretend like 1/10 of them are going in.

   

  A flop shot is definitely a great skill.  It can let you have a tap in putt from almost anything from fairway to 30-40% rough.  But most of the time it has far less chance of going in than a well played pitch shot simply because the flop shot (with high spin balls and good wedges) basically sticks where it lands with very little roll.  You almost need to land it in the cup.  A pitch shot just needs to get on the right line and it can be a bit off on the speed and still drop if it's on line.

  
  Personally I use a flop shot when I want to get up and down and a pitch shot when I think I can hole it and even a chip when it is a flat shot from just off the green.  My short game is nothing special but is improving.  I have yet to master the pitch shot, but flops are definitely an easy way for lower level players to save those pars.

• Robert1893 7,664 Posts

  Sat, Jun 13 2020 6:24 PM

  DanL24:

  Hyperbole much?  You have played 257 ranked rounds and have holed a total of 24 shots from off the green, and gotten up and down 63% of the time.  So once every 10 ranked rounds you have made a shot from the off the green.  Now sure maybe you can occasionally make one, but let's not pretend like 1/10 of them are going in.

  He basically just said what he expects. That's it. No real hyperbole there. 

• BWerthy 1,009 Posts

  Sun, Jun 14 2020 12:38 AM

  Robert1893:

  He basically just said what he expects. That's it. No real hyperbole there. 

  thanks Robert. 

  i didn't say I hole out every time, but I put myself in a positive mind set that I could and so I say I expect to. Do I?  No.  And at this time the flop is a very useful shot to me. but I also thought I would offer a little of what I have learned since I started playing.  It isn’t much, but it could be helpful to a new player, maybe not a Legend though.  

• DanL24 61 Posts

  Sun, Jun 14 2020 4:51 AM

  Robert1893:

   

  He basically just said what he expects. That's it. No real hyperbole there. 

  saying you expect to make it implies there is a high chance of it going in.  Or else I could expect to make a double eagle every time I am on the tee of a par 5.  I mean sure it doesn't often happen, but I expect it!

• Robert1893 7,664 Posts

  Sun, Jun 14 2020 10:31 AM

  BWerthy:

  thanks Robert. 

  👍

• Robert1893 7,664 Posts

  Sun, Jun 14 2020 10:34 AM

  DanL24:

  saying you expect to make it implies there is a high chance of it going in.

  It was just an off-hand statement. I think you're attempting to parse it much too finely. 

• DodgyPutter 4,690 Posts

  Sun, Jun 14 2020 12:06 PM

  I got the hang of flopping very early, only wish I'd learned to suceed ;-(

• BWerthy 1,009 Posts

  Sun, Jun 14 2020 8:36 PM

  DanL24, 

  Thanks for busting my hump dude.  And yes, you could have that mentality, and you might make more double eagles, or not, those are not something I would expect to make all the time.

  Are all of 24 posts you have made in the main forums in 4 years As critical of others as you have been of me?  Probably not, but it is curious why you decided to take on my expectation of every flop shot to drop 

  i do expect it to fall. It doesn’t 99% of the time as you pointed out, but it is called positive thinking, and I’m not changing what I said.  I’m just trying to do my best, and offer NEW players a bit of what I have learned, which isn’t much, but even such a Legend as yourself pointed out, it is helpful. 

  you keeping on about one thing that is not actually the topic of this thread is just tiresome, and it is taking away from something that could be useful to a NEW player. Please. Stop.  But just to give you one more thing to focus on, here is the same topic, but without that infuriating word, expect...

  
  Using the Flop early on as a NEW player can be helpful if you are below the green or need to get up and down from close in. Check out the beginning of this thread on how to hit a flop shot.  Put yourself in a positive mindset and who knows what you might expect 

  seriously dude, give it a rest. And go ahead and block me, I don’t really want to be your friend either. 

• ZirjoGondar 94 Posts

  Mon, Jun 15 2020 7:24 PM

  Somebody asked how far to move the aim marker on a flop.  When in reverse view, looking back at your avatar, move the pin 1 grid box to the right for every 10 yards of distance.  If it's a 20 yard flop, move it 2 boxes to the right, etc.

  You can also guesstimate the wind similarly:  Move the pin 1 box into the wind for every 10mph of wind strength.

  After adjusting the pin for distance and wind, then hit the normal ding.

  It's not perfect, but it's a good place to start for lower tier players.

   

   

  I agree with several others above.  Once you have your top level wedge of choice, the pitch becomes the mostly preferred shot.  It'll stop after a short hop by using FBS.  And the less spin you use, the more it will roll out.  It gives you much more control over the shot, and a better chance to sink more of them, compared to the flop.

  I haven't abandoned the flop entirely.  There are situations where a pitch won't carry an obstacle.  So all your early game flop practice will still pay dividends in the late/end game stages of your WGT career. 

• DanL24 61 Posts

  Tue, Jun 16 2020 2:53 AM

  BWerthy:

  DanL24, 

  Thanks for busting my hump dude.  And yes, you could have that mentality, and you might make more double eagles, or not, those are not something I would expect to make all the time.

  Are all of 24 posts you have made in the main forums in 4 years As critical of others as you have been of me?  Probably not, but it is curious why you decided to take on my expectation of every flop shot to drop 

  i do expect it to fall. It doesn’t 99% of the time as you pointed out, but it is called positive thinking, and I’m not changing what I said.  I’m just trying to do my best, and offer NEW players a bit of what I have learned, which isn’t much, but even such a Legend as yourself pointed out, it is helpful. 

  you keeping on about one thing that is not actually the topic of this thread is just tiresome, and it is taking away from something that could be useful to a NEW player. Please. Stop.  But just to give you one more thing to focus on, here is the same topic, but without that infuriating word, expect...

  
  Using the Flop early on as a NEW player can be helpful if you are below the green or need to get up and down from close in. Check out the beginning of this thread on how to hit a flop shot.  Put yourself in a positive mindset and who knows what you might expect 

  seriously dude, give it a rest. And go ahead and block me, I don’t really want to be your friend either. 

   

  My posts in this thread have mostly just pointed out that flop shots are not the best way to make a shot from off the green but are really good for getting it close.

   

  Sorry you are so easily offended.