you were hitting out of the fairway.  But you do have to follow through. 

The punch shot is easy to curve in one direction or another because you are generally using a lower lofted iron and they tend to exaggerate the angle of that loft.  This shot is great for getting yourself out of a sticky situation involving natural hazards on the golf course.

The Flop Shot

        A flop shot is a high shot that travels a short distance and is used to get over objects such as trees.  It is designed to sail high and clear these objects easily.  If you are unable to hit a punch shot and your only option on a hole is to navigate the tree, you will want to use a flop shot.  It will sail high in the air and land softly on the green with little or no forward spin.

You can also use a flop shot if you have a pin that is tucked tight – or there isn’t much green in between your ball and the pin.  In this situation, you will need to get the ball up in the air quickly and land softly. 

For a good flop shot, you will generally use a sand wedge or a lob wedge.  The ball is played more forward in your stance and you will open the club face wide and choke down on the club.  The club will be taken back using your wrists more than anything. 

Cock your wrists quickly in the backswing and during the down swing, you will release your wrists quickly.  Your wrists will also cock in the follow-through.  Essentially, this is a fast swing that requires you to abandon natural form to get the desired results.

Playing Into the Wind

Another of those trouble shots is dealing with the wind. Many players advise teeing up the ball lower for a drive into the wind.

For average golfers it is better to tee the ball as normal and hit as solid a shot as you can make. The wind will exaggerate any side spin put on the ball at impact. This shot demands a solid hit with a nice even tempo.