Do you carry a Lob wedge or is 56 Degree enough?

[rcain1us]

Walk and carry, 51/54/60

 

60 used more from the bunkers and/or when I need to carry a bunker or water and want the ball to just land and stop.

 

Never take a full swing with it.

[Boricua Golf]

Like mentioned a few times, I walk 90% of the time and I carry:

 

PW (46* iBlade): 140-150

50: 125-135

54: 110-120

58: 105 and under

 

I found myself not using the 58, left it in the car and then I had shots that called for it, so I leave it in the bag even if I don't use it as much...

[net_worth]

I carry 50, 54, 58 in the spring (mid bounce and it's wet here until mid June). 50* is for full shots and ~65yard half swings. Everything under 50 yards I use the 54. The 58 is reserved for sand and tight lies.

 

In the summer I carry 52, 56, 60. Same deal as above basically. These 3 wedges have less bounce than my other set.

[dsmil]

I go PW, 54, 60. I definitely use the 60 a lot and wouldn't be as comfortable with a 56 as my highest wedge. I'm guessing that you go PW, 54, 58 now, and going PW and SW as your only wedges seems difficult. What about going PW, 52, and 58?

[nicoy3k]

54 for any shot 105-in, 60 around greens most of time

[Foxee]

Haven't found a shot yet that I felt I needed a 60 and couldn't play it with a 56. mine's 14 degrees of bounce. i dropped the 60 several years ago and have played 56 or 57 as my highest loft ever since. i prefer a single go-to wedge for short game work. i also carry a 50 with less bounce for fuller shots or when lie is an issue.

[bodhi555]

I've gone 50, 54 and 58, whilst dropping the PW from my set which was 49 degrees anyway. I don;t get much distance on my wedges at all, so tend to use

 

50 - 80 - 100 yards in, and chip and runs (also use my 9 iron for those)

54 - 50 - 80 yards in, most other shots round the green and longer bunker shots

58 - less than 50 yards in, any shot where I need it to stop quickly, and greenside bunkers. Can slo lay it wide open for the full Mickelson effect if needed.

 

Always have the full 14 clubs in my bag and carry most times, I found a driving iron (currently my 1 iron) led to much lower scores for me than a LW.

[moneystrokes52]

Just wonder how many (especially walkers) carry a lob wedge I been carrying 54, 58

and struggle using the right tool for the job sometimes, Thinking maybe going 56 and spending more time

with it inside of 100 yd. instead of bouncing between 54, 58. What your thoughts?

 

Thanks

 

I carry a 50, 56, and my 64 degree cleveland BEAST. Don't think i could imagine life without it its stupidly easy to get up and down out of a bunker and its amazing when you are short sided. People always say its too much loft but its the only thing i use around the greens. lean forward and put the ball in the back of your stance and boom its a 56 degree.

[repsolreppin]

52* 100-115

56* 80-100

60*

[deadsolid...shank]

I've been contemplating this recently. Currently carry. 54* & 58*. But I also like to carry both a 4i and 4hybrid, and for me to do this I have to eliminate a club.

 

I'm pretty much ok around the greens, it's adjusting to approach shots that I'm struggling with (as of right now I only go out with the 56* setup for practice or casual rounds, and I don't do too many of those).

[smeddy]

I carry a 50, 56 and 64. I use the 64 probably 2-3 times per round. We have pretty deep green side bunkers where I play most of my golf and I appreciate the fact that I don't always have to completely open up the blade to hit a decent flop. I rarely use it for anything outside of 20 yards out. The only time that happens is if I have to go over a tree or have very little green to work with.

[shuddleston]

I only use a 52 and 56. the 56 I mainly use out of sand. the 52 is the club I have the most confidence in and I typically use it and just control ball flight depending on what the shot calls for. I rarely use the 56 outside of the odd flop shot.

[orangeology]

52, 56, 60 play. and i'd ditch 56 if i'd have to choose between 56 & 60.

[smileykj218]

Another 4 wedge walker here.....48 (PW), 52, 56, 60

[Tex1986]

I go 50/58 with my PW(10iron) being 45 degrees.

 

I'm comfortable hitting 95% of shots inside 120 yards with this setup. Occasionally I have a shot that a 54* would be perfect for but I usually can make it work with the 50*.

[oxtail]

52/58, 48 9 iron. It's just about what gaps you want to maintain and how comfortable you are "stepping on one" or "backing off," while having grinds that fit your game around the green

[empa]

I really think the answer depends on what kind of conditions you normally see related to bunkers, rough, fairways, etc.

 

The bounce is more important to dial in than the loft in my humble opinion. When playing golf on vacation in warm climates that rely on bermuda, it changes my decision making about what bounce to roll with far more than the loft.

[Gladan]

Walk and carry the bag. Lower end of the bag is pw(47) and a 54/11 wedge at the moment no more no less. Simplify the game for me.

[BishopBreaking80]

Similarly to some, I also carry 4 wedges (47, 52, 56, 60), and find that I use all of the wedges on a pretty regular basis. Honestly, I feel like I use the 52* less often than the others, but love both my 56* and 60* inside 50 yards (depending on the shot I'll use one or the other ), and use my 60* extensively for checking chip shots, certain pitches, and even the occasional flop. I generally prefer to chip with my 56* (that thing is a pin-seeker for chips) and almost exclusively out of bunkers.

 

Taking the 52* out of my bag would leave too much of a gap than I would be comfortable with. And, I have 14 clubs in the bag, so I'm good if I ever decided to play a tournament, and am currently in love with my new setup.

 

-Bishop

[nix]

I carry PW, 52, 56 and 60. More yardages and somd different bounce options.

[dlygrisse]

So is a 56* enough? Sure. But you never see it on tour any longer even though short game superstars like Seve and Watson pretty much just used a 56*..

 

Greens on tour and the ball are different than their day, all the guys on tour use at least 58* I believe. But if you don't play courses that have extremely fast greens or you just don't need the stopping power of a lob wedge then simplifying your wedge game is probably a good thing.

 

I use a 58* and have for many years, I used to use the 56,60 set up but found I used the 56 a lot and the 60 just got me in trouble. When I went 58* it seemed to be the best of both worlds.

 

So personally I would say with the modern ball and greens a 58* is optimal for most people, if you are comfortable with a 56* then go for it.

[jslane57]

So is a 56* enough? Sure. But you never see it on tour any longer even though short game superstars like Seve and Watson pretty much just used a 56*..

 

Greens on tour and the ball are different than their day, all the guys on tour use at least 58* I believe. But if you don't play courses that have extremely fast greens or you just don't need the stopping power of a lob wedge then simplifying your wedge game is probably a good thing.

 

I use a 58* and have for many years, I used to use the 56,60 set up but found I used the 56 a lot and the 60 just got me in trouble. When I went 58* it seemed to be the best of both worlds.

 

So personally I would say with the modern ball and greens a 58* is optimal for most people, if you are comfortable with a 56* then go for it.

This sentence probably sums up most golfer who walk with their bags on their shoulders these days...

[cschenck89]

56 is plenty of loft. most average joes will slide right under the ball with a 58+. I've seen it time and time again. you can turn the 56 into a 62 and the 58 into a 64 if needed. tour guys have it because they need it.

[acemandrake]

50/58 for me...Just replaced a 56 with the 58...It seems easier to "finesse" the ball with the 58

 

50/54/58 is probable ideal for me but I like a light load when walking

[Drsmithmm]

I'm a 50* and 56* guy. Don't have a need for a 60*, tried for awhile but never got comfortable.

[Drsmithmm]

I've fiddled around with every combination there is, settled on the 50/56.

56 is a vokey 11deg bounce, works just fine out of green side bunkers and hits a decent flop when situation demands.

Allows me to carry 3w5w and 3hybrid/4hybrid along with 5i-pw.

Gives me easy gaps from 225-75 yards.

[1puttTUT]

I use my 58º for anything inside of 100 yards, including bunkers. My 54º only comes out for 105-120 shots.

 

I rarely ever walk. Where am I supposed to put my beer cooler?

[NRJyzr]

So is a 56* enough? Sure. But you never see it on tour any longer even though short game superstars like Seve and Watson pretty much just used a 56*..

 

People seem to focus on 56° because it was the loft of a SW in the era of the late 70s / early 80s and forward. And most folks around here aren't old enough to have extensively played anything earlier. ;)

 

Go back a decade or so to the late 60s (or prior), a SW was frequently 58° or even 60°. A fellow golf nerd from another forum has a rather large collection of early sand irons, a large portion of them are 58° or 60°.

 

I've heard it said Watson's wedge (82 US Open) was actually 58°. Verification is another story. LOL

 

 

Getting on topic...

 

Do you carry a Lob wedge or is 56 Degree enough?

 

I've done both. As has been mentioned by at least a couple posters already, it really depends on the course conditions you're encountering, your game, and how you approach your short game.

 

In my case, I've found I can do OK with a 56° on top of my 50°/51° PW, but prefer having a 60° in the bag. I run into not-infrequent occasions where it's fairly useful around the greens. Only rarely use it for anything approaching a full shot.

 

And, the golfball you're using matters, as well. I have a stash of Maxfli HT-100s I'll take on the course from time to time. When those come out, I've found the LW is superfluous, I've played with just a 55° quite a bit. I've found the 2016 model of FG Tour isn't far off that. With some others, the 60° is a bit more necessary.

[paydon9]

My 60 deg (Glide TS) is absolutely one of my favorite clubs in my bag. It is so versatile, inside of 80ish yards I feel like I can hit almost any shot there is. Ok so maybe I don't always execute them perfectly, but the club has the potential to do so and is not going anywhere, ever.

[Atrayn]

I carried 4 wedges for years until I finally learned how to actually use one....

Now, like Carnoustie I can turn my 54 into basically any wedge I need. I carry the 58 for two basic scenarios:

1) Short bunker shots

2) a half swing is my 50 yard money shot...