I watched this video over the weekend. Now, I did learn a few things that will help to tweak my game, but mostly I learned that I'm doing a lot of things right.

Now let me just say this. Anyone who is shooting a handicap over 20 should watch this video. People with handicaps between 10-20 might pick up a few things. People with handicaps under 10 probably already know most of what Phil teaches.

There are a few things I don't agree with. First and foremost, I don't believe that 100% of amateurs under-read all of the breaks on their putts. That's just pure nonsense. Another thing that I have since tried and struggled with is trying to chip from outside of 30 yards. Phil has a strategy for those shots that works well for him, and he explains it well in the video. However, I lose a lot of accuracy when I use a strict hinge-and-hold method from outside of 30 yards. Now, you might say that I need to use more club. The problem is, my ego gets in the way. I'm deadly accurate with my lob wedge between 30 and 70 yards by changing the length of my backswing. Inside of 30, I go strictly with the hinge-and-hold.

Now, most of the rest of what he talks about is very sage advice. For instance, I agree that the only way to chip successfully is with his hinge-and-hold method. I simply can't see how a player can maintain any kind of control that close using any other method. Second, I learned a lot about when to loft the ball into the air and when to play a running shot. It's not always about how much green you have to work with. In fact, lie is the most important factor. I also learned about weight distribution. Finally, I learned what I was doing wrong with my bunker shots.

Not only is this a good video, but it's currently available on Netflix. I gave it four out of five stars. I think it deserves 4.5 out of 5, but I tend to round down.

i agree! i just recently learned how to do a flop shot. somehow phil recommended it to players that have a high scores! HELLO flop shot... lol.

id3st wrote:

i agree! i just recently learned how to do a flop shot. somehow phil recommended it to players that have a high scores! HELLO flop shot... lol.

lol...I practice the flop shot a lot mostly because it's fun. But I think that Phil also points out that players who find themselves using the flop shot a lot tend to not score very well.

ah! i translated that incorrectly then. but one thing's for sure. that shot can be used once or twice a round. in one of my recent rounds, i was at green side and pitching it will overshoot the target and chipping it wont make it due to a bad lie. executed a weak flop shot (first try) and manage to get under the ball, but somehow instead of going forward, it just jumped in front of me and rolled down to a better lie for me chip it to the green.

well, guess what, i just added a stroke for trying to be creative. lol. i still have a lot of golf in me and one day that shot will matter. until then, i need to discipline myself and have a better shot selection. love the dvd. watching it again as i'm typing this.

A properly executed flop shot during a round is just awesome. The first time I pulled one off, the other guys in the group just stared at me... it was great.

I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to use a flop shot on the course. The only real time where it really should be the shot-of-choice is when you have to hit over something like a tree. I don't think I've ever pulled it off perfectly, but I've always gotten it to a spot that was better than if I had utilized some other type of shot from the lie I had.

Once out of like 30 attempts have I pulled it off. The bad news: It was during a scramble. Good news: It was for eagle and earned us a mighty good skin.

Ever since then I tell myself that I can pull it off, but never do.

I forgot what I watching the other day, but the guy gave the advice to use the 75% rule. Which is, "If you can't make the shot 75% of the time, don't try it." Now, if I could only take that advice...

Bryan K wrote:

The only real time where it really should be the shot-of-choice is when you have to hit over something like a tree.

Mine was the ideal (I think) situation for it. The pin on this par3 was tucked into a little jut-out on the green, right behind bunker. I was on the other side of the bunker from the green, and had to get over the bunker and have the ball land softly, so that I didn't roll off the green into the bunker on the other side. I didn't see any other option, other than the flop.

mjaber wrote:

Bryan K wrote: The only real time where it really should be the shot-of-choice is when you have to hit over something like a tree. Mine was the ideal (I think) situation for it. The pin on this par3 was tucked into a little jut-out on the green, right behind bunker. I was on the other side of the bunker from the green, and had to get over the bunker and have the ball land softly, so that I didn't roll off the green into the bunker on the other side. I didn't see any other option, other than the flop.

It's an interesting situation, but I dont' think there is any way I go for the pin in that spot. I'm going for the middle of the green and hoping I can save the hole with a two-putt. If I was in a situation where I had to shoot for the hole, I'd feel a lot more confortable with a normal chip-like pitch shot than I would with an actual flop shot. My flop shots are hard to control. They look awesome, but I never know how much distance I'm going to get. And I feel like I can control the roll of my shots with a chip shot better than any other shot, so that's the shot I'd go with. Plus, using a chip shot actually gives the shot a chance to go in the hole.

jarick098 wrote:

I forgot what I watching the other day, but the guy gave the advice to use the 75% rule. Which is, "If you can't make the shot 75% of the time, don't try it." Now, if I could only take that advice...

Wouldn't that take away 80% of the shots you hit?

Precisely. I guess I'll retire on top.

Golfnut Jim and I played on sunday with a guy who used the flop pretty exclusively around the greens. He had it down mostly. Wasn't all that accurate with it, but he never failed to get under it and lob it up there. Good thing too because the cuts this guy was taking at the ball would have shot his wedge like 300 yards. i think he broke 100. maybe not. i wasn't really paying attention at all as i was exploding myself.

Golfnut Jim and I played on sunday with a guy who used the flop pretty exclusively around the greens. He had it down mostly. Wasn't all that accurate with it, but he never failed to get under it and lob it up there. Good thing too because the cuts this guy was taking at the ball would have shot his wedge like 300 yards. i think he broke 100. maybe not. i wasn't really paying attention at all as i was exploding myself.

lol...I've golfed with that guy!

why does he call everything a chip shot when hes doing pitch shots and why does he never talk about the basic chip shot. great video though