Flip
Also known as: flipping at the ball, scooping
A flip is when the hands flick or scoop under the ball at impact rather than the shaft leaning forward — it adds loft, kills compression, and is a defensive reaction to poor sequencing.
Flipping is often a compensation: the golfer feels the low point is behind the ball, so the hands scoop upward to avoid hitting it fat. The result is thin shots, or high, weak, ball-first contact with excessive loft. The root cause is almost always sequencing — the body stops rotating and the hands rescue the shot. Curing the flip requires fixing the pivot (weight transfer and hip clearance), not just the hands.
Example
A player who hits a lot of thin shots with "hollow" feel is often flipping — the hands arrive at the ball before the body clears, forcing a scoop.
Related terms
- ScoopingScooping is the instinct to "help the ball up" by flipping the wrists upward at impact — it adds loft, reduces compression, and produces weak, high, short contact.
- Shaft LeanShaft lean is when the grip end of the club is ahead of the clubhead at impact — the hands in front of the ball. It reduces dynamic loft, compresses the ball, and is the signature of good iron contact.
- Early ReleaseAn early release is when the wrists unhinge and the forearms fire before the hands reach the hitting zone, costing lag, speed, and compression.
- Hip ClearanceHip clearance is the rotation of the lead hip out of the way through impact, creating room for the arms and club to swing freely past the body.
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