January 18, 2020- by Steven E. Greer
I have been trying to convince top golf instructors to pay attention to the unique flop shot that I developed. It is arrogantly called the Greer Flop Shot.
I prefer it over the bump-and-run barbecue it takes out all of the variability of reading the green slope, judging the friction in the fringe grass, etc.
More people do not use a flop because they are doing it all wrong. If you listen to Phil Michelson, or anyone else, about doing a flop, they teach a complicated process requiring weight to be on the left foot, the face open, the toe elevated, etc. It is all a recipe for a bladed disaster.
Instead, I stand over the ball like a pendulum stroke putt. The ball is in the middle of my stance as I look straight down over it. I choke up on the grip.
I do open the face, but the club is square, or perpendicular, to the target line. The leading edge is flat on the ground. Wedges have plenty of loft and bounce.
You do not need to elevate the toe and have a super-open face, elevate the toe, or lean my weight to the left foot. I do not go into weird contortions.
Then, I simply make a very “wristy” swing, barely moving the body and arms.
It is important to keep your head down to avoid the skulled shot. Do this by not looking at the ball after you hit it.
I can hit this from tight lies. I can hit the Greer Flop from as far as 70-yards to as short as 10-feet.
Of note, I have trouble using this shot on Bermuda grass. The leading edge catches. I have been on Bermuda and have had to learn other methods.
However, while out in Palm Springs, on rye grass, I brought the Greer Flop out of hibernation. It worked insanely well, with no practice. I have not used it for many months.
I was on the PGA West Nicklaus course. The greens can be 20-feet above your feet. On several occasions, I nearly holed it out. It is as if the ball has a magnetic attraction to the cup.
Watching the Masters this year, I saw many occasions where players would have been better off with a flop. They tried impossible bump-and-runs and ran it a mile by the hole.
In the video below, you see Tiger on his way to his 82nd win. He used the bump-and-run and missed badly on several shots in the final round alone. In this shot, he did not get lucky and he left it more than 10-feet away.
Any bump-and-run that gets close is pure luck because it is impossible to guess what the rough and green will do. No one can check up the ball consistently. So, don’t try.
Drop the ball down with the precision of an aerial drone strike. Do the Greer Flop.
In the video below, I am using the Greer Flop from long distance as well as near the green.