Flop shot vs. Pitch shot out of the rough

What do you guys prefer out of the rough with little green to work with?  I use a flop shot from time to time and I'm either money with it or it's a poor shot.  I also use a pitch shot with little roll (not hinging my hands).  I find this is the safer play with a bunch of decent shots but hardly any gimmies out of tough positions.

I specefically say out of the rough because I think using a  flop shot out of the fairway is not a great idea. Too much of a high percentage when a pitch shot will work just fine.

Flop shot is the last resort when I have no other choice.

As a general rule, I will keep the ball as low as I can get away with. That being said, I prefer to use one club (my 60*) for most all shots within it's full swing yardage excepting sand shots. I can still get it low, but it won't be as low as if you were to use a 7-iron.

In this case, I would go with a pitch shot 9/10 times depending on the conditions of the shot. With a buried lie, a flop shot for me is almost completely out of the picture. I have hit a flop shot from a buried lie exactly once in a competition round, and it sticks out only because I was amazed that it worked due to pure dumb luck. With a fluffy or good lie a flop shot comes into play, but only if it fits the conditions of the pin. If the fringe short of the pin is slanted back towards me I will hit a higher than normal pitch and land it there to get it to check up.

What I'm trying to get at here is that I will only hit a "true" flop shot (face nearly flat on the ground, pointing almost 45* away from me) is when I am playing on a course with quick greens and hitting onto a downslope. I'll swing away to try and launch it into the air, while still attempting to land it on the fringe. If it doesn't land there my best bet is that it will come down from high enough to negate most of the rollout. If the greens are soft enough you can get the shot to stay within 6 inches of its mark, whereas firm greens mean trouble. Bouncing a ball in the rough to slow it is preferable to me as opposed to flopping onto cartpath greens.

Depends upon the lie.  If the ball is sitting up, a flop shot is a fine choice but if its sitting down or it isnt a fluffy lie, I'll take the pitch shot.

You have to go with what you are dealt with. The problem with rough is that the ball can be up, down, or hovering in the middle. If you get cute with the 60, you have the potential of a glancing blow that will go nowhere. If I attempt a flop type shot, I will hover the club at the same level as the ball, shallow out my swing and not crank open the face to ensure solid contact. It takes practice and experience to decide on the best course of action. In most cases the flop shot is the last resort if a more straightforward approach is available.

A pitch shot is the safer shot.  If you have room to land and roll a bit, then pitch away.  A flop shot in this case would be mostly uncalled for.

A flop shot is the more difficult shot for some players.  However it is necessary if you are needing to clear sand and the pin is tucked close.  In this case the you may clear the hazard with a pitch shot but run the risk of scooting well past the hole.

The flop gets up high to clear hazard and lands soft and has little roll.

In rough with little green to work?

Rough thickness varies as to grass and growing season.

If down in thick rough, I will hinge and hit down hard to pop it out and up. Typically, there is not much follow-thru in thick rough. It has stopped your momentum. WIth thinner rough, you will get more ball - swing length will be shorter but still aggressive. Sitting up as if on a tee in the rough? That's a judgment call. I tend to hit more of a pitch than "flop" in that situation. As to shaft lean, it also depends on the ball sitting up and distance needed to cover.

Most of the question centers around thickness of rough, lie (sitting up or down in rough) and distance as to the extent of opening the club face and the weight - it's typically on the front foot, but if the ball is sitting up, too much front weight can have you go under the ball.

Out of dense rough, I would consider a third option: a grassy "explosion shot" with a SW, allowing for roll.

If you get a lot of ball, you'll get a bit of check spin to slow it down.

If you get true "explosion" contact, the ball will hit and release forward.

Also, it depends on the turf at a particular course. At my home course where we have zoysia turf, you get lots of dense lies. At another course I used to play a lot, the rough was bluegrass, and shade area greenside lies weren't as dense. Less dense turf is friendlier to a PW pitch and run.

Yes, the grassy explosion is an option when the ball is sitting down in the hay. If you hit it correctly allow for roll out.  Good point.

Okay, I did not explain it correctly - I attempt a follow through, but the thick rough typically stops the momentum. I do not leave the club in the grass and I do not chop and pop. It is a swing but an aggressive swing, and may be more as one described as an explosion shot. It all depends on the rough.

That seems to be an issue w my entire game :-)

This right here summed up a lot of problems I used to have with my short game. I would take a large backswing, then have to "ease" into the golf ball to avoid flying the green with it. Keeping it shorter but applying a consistent amount of force to it throughout the shot has helped me greatly.