You’ve probably seen the clip by now — that ridiculous sideways flop shot Phil Mickelson pulled off at LIV Golf Virginia on June 8, 2025. The ball went up, curved behind him, and rolled into the hole like it had a homing device. Bryson DeChambeau called it “one of the greatest shots I’ve ever seen.” Honestly? He’s not wrong.
But before you head to your backyard and try to recreate it with your 60-degree wedge and a half-dead lawn, let’s pump the brakes. Because learning the flop shot — the real flop shot — without launching balls into your neighbor’s shed requires more than just guts.
It requires a Phil-level commitment to the details.
What Makes Phil Mickelson’s Flop Shot So Different?
Phil Mickelson isn’t just good at the flop shot — he basically owns it. He’s turned it from a last-ditch desperation move into a legitimate weapon. His secret? Complete control over chaos.
That viral shot in Virginia wasn’t luck. It was years of fine-tuned technique meeting a high-risk, high-reward opportunity. He was in a bunker, ball above his feet, pin tucked hard to the right. He said afterward, “I have to aim so far left because I’m hooking it over my shoulder and trying to guess how much it’s going to hook is the challenge.”
It wasn’t flashy just for the sake of it. It was a calculated decision based on decades of experience.
Let’s Talk Setup (Because That’s Where Most People Blow It)
If you’re thinking “eh, I’ll just open the face and wing it,” stop right there. The setup is what separates a high, soft parachute from a low screamer that skips into the parking lot.
Here’s how Phil Mickelson sets it up:
- Open stance. Feet aiming left. Like…really left. Clubface stays pointed at your target.
- Weight forward. Around 70% on your front foot. No cheating here — you should feel like you could stand on that leg alone.
- Ball forward of center. But not too far. Too forward and you risk catching it thin. Too back and the bounce won’t do its job.
- No forward press. This is not a bump-and-run. Hands stay neutral, grip end near your belt buckle.
If any of that sounds extreme, that’s because it is. The flop shot is basically golf’s version of a high-wire act. You don’t want to improvise mid-swing.
The 64-Degree Wedge — Necessary or Overkill?
Phil’s 64-degree wedge is famous. It’s also not required.
He’s said himself that most players can pull this off with a 58 or 60 — the trick is how you use it. Open the face until the toe almost brushes the ground. Grip it after the face is set. Don’t adjust mid-swing. Trust the angle.
And don’t just go by loft — Phil looks at bounce. A wedge with 10+ degrees of bounce helps the club slide under the ball instead of digging a trench.
So no, you don’t need Phil’s wedge to hit Phil’s shot. But you do need to think like he does when choosing the right tool.
The Wrist Move You’re Probably Getting Wrong
Here’s where most of us mess it up: the wrists.
Instinct tells you to help the ball up by flipping your hands through impact. Phil does the opposite. He keeps his lead wrist cupped — that’s extension, not flexion — the whole way. This keeps the face open longer and helps the ball launch up and land soft.
His swing path? It’s outside-in relative to the target, which matches his stance. The club glides under, the ball pops up, and he follows through high with the face still looking at the sky.
It’s not a handsy flip. It’s a body-led motion. And it’s committed. That’s the real trick — no slowing down through impact.
Lies Matter (More Than You Think)
Phil’s not just swinging the same way on every lie. He adapts.
- Tight lies: Steeper swing. Weight way forward. You have to hit behind the ball, but just barely, so the bounce does the work.
- Fluffy lies: Flatter swing. Weight more centered. If you go steep here, the club slides under and misses the ball entirely.
- Mixed lies: Somewhere in between. This is where feel comes into play — and why Phil practices this stuff a lot.
If you’re only practicing on one type of lie, you’re setting yourself up to fail when it counts. Which brings us to…
Practicing the Flop Without Embarrassing Yourself
You don’t need to hit bombs over your garage to learn this. Start small:
- Use a practice green or short rough with some cushion under the ball.
- Rehearse the setup without a ball until it feels automatic.
- Make short swings. Like chip shot distance. Just feel the club skim the ground and lift the ball up.
- Gradually increase swing size as you gain confidence.
Phil says it best: “It’s not a high-percentage shot.” So don’t expect it to be. Think of it like your golf insurance policy. You hope you don’t need it — but when you do, you want to know how it works.
Should You Ever Actually Hit a Flop?
Phil will. You probably shouldn’t — at least, not until you’ve put in the reps.
He uses it:
- From short-sided rough with an obstacle
- When a bump-and-run won’t stop in time
- When he’s confident in the lie and needs something heroic
He avoids it:
- On firm or bare ground
- On downhill lies
- When there’s plenty of green to work with
- If the risk outweighs the reward
Translation? Use your brain. Not your ego.
Final Thought: You Don’t Learn the Flop Shot to Show Off
You learn it because sometimes golf gives you no other choice. You’re behind a bunker. The pin’s tucked. You can’t bump it. You can’t run it. There’s no safety net.
And in those moments — the oh crap moments — having a flop shot you can trust might be the difference between saving par or walking away shaking your head.
Just don’t expect to hit it like Phil Mickelson did at LIV Golf Virginia. That was the kind of thing you see once in a decade.
But you can learn from it. And maybe, someday, you’ll hit your own version of the shot that makes your buddies say, “Wait… how did that just go in?”
“I have to aim so far left because I’m hooking it over my shoulder…” — Phil Mickelson