Paul Stankowski practicing the Flop Shot

The single most important step to a successful flop shot is setting up correctly.  As you can see from the photo, Paul plays the ball well forward in his stance.  The ball is positioned off the left instep or toe, and the club face is wide open.  Notice that his grip is neutral, but the face is open.

The open club face is crucial, because it increases the loft on the club and helps to insure that the bounce of the wedge will slide the club under the ball as it goes through impact. 

Other key set up components are the narrow stance and 50/50 weight distribution.  A common flaw is keeping too much weight on your front foot which will make the club descend too steeply into the ground, causing chunky divots and delofting the face.

Remember these set up keys when you hit your flop shot and you will carry those green side bunkers with ease.