30 yards out.

[Fourputt]

Depends on how much green you have to work with. If the pin is front, then it's probably a 58° wedge for me.... if there is green to roll out on then I just try to play what feels right at the time. Could even be a 50° GW or 45° PW if the conditions work for that.

[Zeph]

Usually 56º or 60º wedge. Weight on front foot, short backswing, trapping the ball on the ground so it pops out nice and high. A good shot saver for my game.

[I <3 Titleist]

Always a 8 or 9 iron chip. If I'm clearing anything, it's 56 or 60 over it, but I often times come up far shorter than when I chip.

[yeis20]

Very easy to get overactive with the right hand and bottom blade the ball straight over the green is it not?. Surely the flop is high risk?. Necessary with a bunker in the way in some respects but no bunker in this scenario.

Not a high risk shot at all if you have it in your repetoire

[Fourputt]

Not a high risk shot at all if you have it in your repetoire

I dispute that. It is always a riskier shot than a normal chip if there is no obstacle in the way. There is so much more that can go so very wrong with a mishit on a flop than there is on a simple chip or pitch with a less lofted club.

I don't deny that it is a great tool to have in your arsenal... I use it myself when it's indicated. But I also see it used and abused far too often by players who do it more to try and impress the others in their group than because there is any actual need for it. Then too, most amateur players can't bring themselves to swing as hard as it is necessary for a flop, and so usually come up well short of the target, often still short of the green.

[Sandy Sammy]

The problem I have with the flop is that here in the UK the ground can get very wet and heavy and it can be like that 11 months of the year (the last 2 years summers have been awful - solid rain), around the green you're sometimes playing off mud, this makes the conditions for the flop shot in my book not ideal at all.

If the condition are right (I also wouldn't like to play the shot on a downward lie or perhaps in the thick stuff at the back of the green) and you have it in 'your repetoire' perhaps, but for the high(ish) handicaper like me playing in constantly poor conditions with little confidence around the green, I think the basic pitch shot (with a lot of practice) would the shot of choice just to stop the shot being a score killer.

I agree with Fourputt generally also even if the conditions are right there just appears there is more that can go 'wrong' with the shot.

[FairwayMan]

Bump and run a 8 or 9 iron depending on the contour of the green under normal conditions.

In wet conditions I'll hit a choked up 60 wedge.

[DJYoshi]

if it's an elevated green i'd most likely flop it if there's sand in the way
no sand...forget it...pitching wedge and play a bump and run (if i have an uphill lie)

[Sandy Sammy]

I actually tried the pitch shot in the you tube videos I posted with a fair degree of success yesterday, the main difficulty was trying to get my distances correct (kept dropping short of the green). I've been practicing it a bit on the range before hand but I was quite pleased with the results.

God was it windy it yesterday though when I was playing, I hit a shot towards the fairway on the left (running parallel to the fairway I was playing) to compensate for the wind, and it ended up on the fairway on the right . I'm sure I didn't slice it either.

[photoballmarker]

I have a short swing I use on shots from 80-30 yards. Bring it half way back and choked down to the bottom of the grip. Just a little wrist for feel and accelerate through the shot. Basically, a punch shot and choked down grip. Same swing regardless of distance and I use the following rules:

1. 7-iron from 90 yards.
2. 8-iron from 80 yards.
3. 9-iron from 70 yards.
4. pw from 60 yards.
5. gap wedge from 50 yards.
6. sw from 40 yards.
7. 60 degree wedge from 30 yards.

Works great with my Pro V ball, OK when I am playing my harder golf balls. They just don't want to check up so much.

This has worked great for me. I remember 8 iron - 80 yards and then 10 yards per club for shorter distances. I only need to practice one of the shots and I am working on all of them.

[clubhousehero]

I have a short swing I use on shots from 80-30 yards. Bring it half way back and choked down to the bottom of the grip. Just a little wrist for feel and accelerate through the shot. Basically, a punch shot and choked down grip. Same swing regardless of distance and I use the following rules:

I also have problems from these disances so i'm going to try this out tomorrow. Thanks.

[SubPar]

Go to the range a few times and hit 10-50 yard shots with a variety of clubs (7 iron-LW). Practice high lofted shots and low runners. You'll figure it out.

SubPar

[hamletsdead]

1/4 swing PW gets it up 30-35 yards for me every time (except when I take too long to think about it and chunk the shot 8 feet).

[Kltdefer]

It's been said before and I agree:

Bump and run w/ 7 iron

If wet conditions, I would use a wedge with a partial swing.

[og512]

30 yards? I might chip a 6-7 iron.

same here.

[nevets88]

I'd chip it with a gap or pitching wedge (52*, 48*)

When I started playing, my chip/pitch shots never checked and I hit alot of skulls.

Now that I'm more experienced, my short shots check up alot more, even with the $1-$2 balls. With the expensive balls, I can get alot of check. And when I hit it thin, it's not as bad because it still checks up, although farther out.

I'd work on making contact with the ball first, keeping your lead wrist flat.

[photoballmarker]

I also have problems from these disances so i'm going to try this out tomorrow. Thanks.

Start with the 8 iron to 80 yards and the 9 iron 70 yards and go from there.

Good luck and let me know how it works for you.

[ks8829]

I would practice hitting solid 7 irons on the practice green and find the distance by the length of your backswing and running the ball up is the low risk shot and the highest risk is the flop shot.