1. To hit a flop, you have to maximize clubface loft at impact. For starters, use your most lofted wedge; mine is a 60-degree. Choke down an inch for control, and play the ball up, just inside your left heel. Don't push your hands in front of the ball at addressyou'll deloft the clubface.

2. The swing should be long and lazy. Hinge your wrists as soon as you start back, creating a 90-degree angle between the club and your left arm. Keep your weight centered. Then swing down, and accelerate through the ball to a full finish.

With any really difficult or awkward greenside shot, like over a bunker or from a severe slope, the first step is to visualize exactly what the ball has to do. From your position, imagine how you would toss the ball to get it close (see photo). Would you try to land it in the fringe or at a certain spot on the green, and what sort of speed and height would the toss have? Actually making tosses is a good way to practice these tough shots. When you face one on the course, pantomime the tossing motion with your dominant arm and hang on to that feeling.