Jordan Spieth’s Warning to Amateurs on His Favorite Shot

Jordan Spieth has never been shy about showing off his creative short game. The three-time major champion’s hands around the greens are the stuff of legend - those sprawling, fall-down, impossible-looking saves from thick rough that leave broadcasters speechless. But here’s the kicker for the everyday golfer: when Spieth practices his favorite shot, he doesn’t want you to join him.

Back in 2023, during a candid sit-down on the My New Favorite Golfer podcast with host Dylan Dethier, Spieth dropped a truth bomb that golf media has been recycling ever since - because it’s just that good. He revealed that the flop shot is his "favorite shot in golf," a high-risk, high-reward lob that’s pure magic when executed correctly. Then came the warning that should have every weekend warrior snapping their 60-degree wedge in half: amateurs should not be practicing this shot. Why? Because it’s a "low-percentage shot" that feels glorious when it lands soft and dies next to the pin but wreaks absolute havoc when it goes wrong. Think skulled missiles over the green, chunks that travel four feet, and scores that balloon from double-bogey to triple in a heartbeat.

But Spieth’s warning cuts deeper than just avoiding the occasional duff. The real danger, he explained, is what over-practicing the flop does to your entire wedge game. The high, floating lob requires a unique rhythm and a steep, aggressive swing path that can completely wreck the tempo of your standard pitch shots. Spend an hour flipping your wrists and sliding the clubface under the ball, and you’ll walk to the next tee box with zero feel for the boring, workmanlike chip you actually need to post a number. It’s the hidden cost of chasing highlights.

The Bump-and-Run Alternative: Spieth’s Prescription for Lower Scores

So, if the flop is the shiny, forbidden fruit, what does Spieth actually want you practicing instead? Brace yourselves, because it’s about as exciting as watching paint dry: the humble bump-and-run. That’s right. The shot your grandpa uses because his hands can’t get it airborne anymore is the exact weapon Spieth - one of the greatest short-game artists of his generation - prescribes for amateurs who actually care about their handicap.

During that same podcast, Spieth laid out the prescription in simple, no-nonsense terms. He urged amateurs to spend their valuable practice time hitting low, checking chip shots using a 9-iron or pitching wedge with a putting-like stroke. No wrists. No fancy spin. Just a repeatable, forgiving motion that minimizes the margin for error. The logic is bulletproof: the bump-and-run is far less dependent on pristine lies and perfect contact than a flop shot. It’s a shot that minimizes risk and maximizes consistency - two things desperate amateurs need when the hands start shaking over a 20-yard chip with a water hazard lurking beyond the green.

Spieth’s advice runs counter to everything the golf industry sells you. Nobody buys a new lob wedge dreaming of hitting a boring runner that skips through the fringe. But Spieth’s track record around the greens speaks louder than any highlight reel on Instagram. He’s not telling you this because he’s your coach; he’s telling you this because he’s seen what happens when recreational players try to replicate Tour-level magic on public courses with tight lies and lightning-fast greens. The message remains as relevant in September 2026 as it was in 2023: stop chasing the highlight, start building a repeatable scoring motion.

📊 Flop shot success rate drops exponentially outside Tour conditions - The flop is Spieth's favorite, but its high-risk nature for amateurs often leads to lost strokes and ruined wedge tempo.