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Is the lob wedge overrated?


dalehead

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Most recreational players are not very good with their wedges to begin with. Adding a lob wedge just gives them another option to use to skull or chili dip a shot. Tour pros could hit the same shots with a 56 degree sand wedge as they do with a lob wedge. The one exception is the short side pitch over a bunker and even there the sand wedge would work, especially with the hours of practice those guys put in on their short games.

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Depends. Idk about other players but I prefer a bit more bounce on my 54* because I play it mostly square. I would not want to open up a mid to higher bounced sand wedge on a tightly packed/firm bunker... let alone one with a larger lip. That's where my lob wedge comes in. It also gives me the option to hit high soft pitches to front pins in that 20-30 yard range... tough for me to do with 54*.

I tend to agree that for not very good players... the less loft you have around the greens the better, but a lot of us also don't play on PGA Tour set ups, with fine white sand as fluffy and soft as pillows. Many of us just get dirt.

 

 

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Considering almost 100% of golf pros carry either a 58 or 60 deg. lob wedge and some even a 62 or 64 deg. ,I’m sure they would tell you that the lob wedge, especially under the course conditions they see, is an essential tool. Now, if you are talking about the utility of a lob wedge in the hands of an average handicap player, then I would say most would be better of with a 56 deg. as their highest lofted wedge.

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Waste of a spot in my bag, so I removed it.

I found that I could do the same with my 56* and preferred to use the 56* over the lob anyways.

I dropped the 3 wood and the Lob wedge as well. In their place I was able to carry a strong 2 hybrid and a 2 iron.

lob wedges were not a staple in professional golfers bags till the 80-90’s, and it seems like they are more of a rescue club from tough lies around the greens. You don’t see many full swings from 85 yards on tour like you do in public golf.

 

 

 

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Also depends on your gapping. Currently, I go 52/56/60 because my PW in current set is 48*. In my previous set my PW was 45 so my wedges were 50/54/58. For me its all about a specific distances.

DRIVER - CALLAWAY PARADYM X 9*

FAIRWAY WOODS - PING G430 15* / 18* / 21*

IRONS - PXG 0317 CB [5i-GW]

WEDGES - MIZUNO T22 54.08 / 58.08 / 62.08

PUTTER - LAB Mezz.1 Max Broomstick

PXG 0317 X

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i can't chip with a 56 degree, actually for me that's probably the most useless club in the bag....almost everything from inside 50yds is lob wedge including bunkers

I think it's my strong grip, i just have a really hard time using the loft effectively, so i need max loft

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Srixon ZX5 w/PX Hzrdus Red 60

Srixon ZX 15 w/PX Hzrdus Red 70

Tour Edge C723 21* w/PX hzrdus black 80

Titleist T150 4-AW w/PX LZ 6.0

Titleist Jet Black 54/60 with PX LZ 6.0

Deschamps Crisp Antique 

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Those who believe the LW is overrated haven’t had the chance to use it fully to its potential. Pros would rather use 260cc drivers than give up the LW.

 

Former professional golfer. Current amateur human being.

Driver: PXG 0811X Gen 4 7.5 HZRDUS Smoke iM10 Green 60 TX 45.9" D3

Driver 2: Taylormade Burner Mini 11.5 HZRDUS Smoke Green 70 X D5

Fairway: PXG 0311XF Gen 5 4 Wood; Smoke iM10 Green 70 TX D6

Irons: PXG 0317X; PXG 0311T Gen 5; 5-GW DG 105 X D7

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 56 S Grind;  Cleveland RTX Full Face 64 DG 120 X E0

Putter: PXG Battle Ready Raptor 38” Wristlock Grip

 

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Amen. Thats why I dont carry a lob wedge anymore. There isnt a shot that I need to hit that I cant hit with a 56 and the shots that you can hit with a 60 but cant hit with a 56, I probably shouldnt be trying anyways. Taking the lob wedge out of the bag and taking the flop shot out of their game is one of the smartest things a high handicapper can do to lower their scores.

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I think it depends on the person. I use my 60* quite often from 75 yds and in and most greenside bunker shots. I have 2 friends who threw theirs in the trash can. They would rather have another club at the top end of the bag where I like the higher lofted wedge.

Callaway mavrik max 10.5

Callaway mavrik max 3 & 5 wood
Ping g30  26* & 30* hybrids
Ping i200 6 - UW

Ping glide 54* & 60* wedges
Odyssey #7 putter

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For some yes, for others it’s a versatile weapon that gives them more options.

I would struggle without one

Driver = Callaway Smoke-Ai Max-D 

3 wood = Callaway Smoke-Ai Max HL

3 Hybrid = Taylormade Stealth Pro
Irons = 4-PW Miura KM 700
Gap Wedge = Miura HB 50*

Sand Wedge = Taylormade MG3 TW 56*

Putter = LAB DF3

Ball = TP5x v’s Chrome Tour 

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I use lob wedge for every shot inside 70 yards. with the exception of maybe a 50 yard bunker shot. I use it for everything around the green I can go low or high, pitch it, flop it, low checky ones. It's magic for me but my short game is my strength. I don't know I could go back at this point to using a 56. Its all in what your comfortable with and have confidence in. I find it easier to use one club and vary ball position and opening of the face to control distance and trajectory. I find it harder to figure multiple clubs distance control and roll out. For what its worth I love my PM grind 2.0 i loved the the original but the newer version is even better.

WITB
 Ping G425 Oban Kiyoshi White 65 stiff
Titleist TSR2+  Oban Kiyoshi White 65 stiff
Titleist TS3  18* set to C1 Oban Kiyoshi White 65 stiff
Callaway UW 21* Oban Kiyoshi white 75 stiff
Ping I210 5-UW Veylix arcane copper mod 1010
Edel SMS V grind  54* Accra SP Wedge 
Edel SMS V grind 58* Accra Hybrex Wedge
SiK DW 2.0 slant neck LA Golf Soho Green or Argolf Merlin Accra FX200 shaft
Titleist ProV1 Yellow

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Overall for mid handicaps, unless you practice a lot - the highest lofted wedge should be 56 with higher bounce and a versatile sole.

Too many wedges creates issues with club selection and often times wrong shot choice. As soon as I helped friends get into fewer wedges their short games got way better.

 

Even as a lower handicap my highest lofted wedge in 58 and it it loaded with bounce for emergency situations.

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Cleveland 60

RTX 2.0 and 900

Both simple to use,i even grabbed original TA 588 56..superb outa bunkers..less spin but i Regained Confidence

2020 18 July mid winterNZ
Ping Rapture 2006 10.5
Nike VrS 3wood
Callaway Razr Edge5 wood

MP100=33 9876 5/mp63
54     RTX2
60     RTX2
ProPlatinum NewportTwo
2002 325gram +8.NewGrip
Dont hesitate to buy one!






 

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I'm considering changing from 52*, 58* to a 56* since my new irons have a 50* gap wedge. Really like my 58* though, so tough choice. Used to play 50*, 56* so pretty confident I could adjust pretty quickly.

PING i20 10.5*

Adams a7 19*, 22*

Maltby TS3 Forged 5-9

Vokey SM7 46F, 52F, 58M

PING BeCu Anser

Srixon QST

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Over rated? No

A lot of amateurs will have at least one club in their bag that is in their "head" and they struggle with it even more so than other clubs because they swing it without confidence. That may be a 60° a fairway wood, a long iron, or even a driver. It doesn't mean that the club is over rated or is useless. It just means that the player has not learned to be proficient with that club yet........and if they take it out of the bag they never will.

In the right hands any club can be a weapon....Just ask Tiger's ex-wife !

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Theory of the day: amateur golfers who never practice are more likely to have trouble with LWs than those who do.Tip of the day: LW requires golfer to pull firmly with left (or leading) arm to get consistent distance. Babying a shot leaves you 10 yards short. @Z1ggy16 said:  "That's where my lob wedge comes in. It also gives me the option to hit high soft pitches to front pins in that 20-30 yard range... tough for me to do with 54*."
In LWs, the difference between 58* and 60* is quite noticeable. I carry just three wedges. Last season I used the Callaway MD-PM 60/10, but an MD4 58*/8 C-grind knocked the 60* out of my bag after a half hour test in November.
As per Z1ggy, I have a 54/12 wide-sole SW I also use as a pitching club. But, it's best as square face - the 58* lets me open the face when needed.
I rechecked my wedge matrix the past week, and the 58* gives me a three-quarters shot; 60* was only good for half swings or less. Inside 20 yards, the 2020 plan is go high (58*) or low (7i chip).

What's In The Bag (As of April 2023, post-MAX change + new putter)

 

Driver:  Tour Edge EXS 10.5° (base loft); weights neutral   ||  FWs:  Calla Rogue 4W + 7W

Hybrid:  Calla Big Bertha OS 4H at 22°  ||  Irons:  Calla Mavrik MAX 5i-PW

Wedges*:  Calla MD3: 48°... MD4: 54°, 58° ||  PutterΨSeeMore FGP + SuperStroke 1.0PT, 33" shaft

Ball: 1. Srixon Q-Star Tour / 2. Calla SuperHot (Orange preferred)  ||  Bag: Sun Mountain Three 5 stand bag

    * MD4 54°/10 S-Grind replaced MD3 54°/12 W-Grind.

     Ψ  Backups:

  • Ping Sigma G Tyne (face-balanced) + Evnroll Gravity Grip |
  • Slotline Inertial SL-583F w/ SuperStroke 2.MidSlim (50 gr. weight removed) |
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A club is a club. Thats like saying is a driver overrated because some people are more accurate with their 3 woods? Different clubs play different roles for different people. If you get along with a LW and it works for your game great, if you wanna drop one and have an extra spot at the top of the bag thats great too.

Ping G400 LST (10) - Tour AD XC 7TX

Taylormade 300 Mini Driver (13.5 @ 43") - Tensei Pro White 80 TX

Mizuno STZ 5 Wood - Ventus Red 9X

-or-

Mizuno MP20 HMB 3 Iron (18*) - Aldila RIP Alpha 105X Hybrid Shaft

Taylormade P750 Tour Proto (2017) - PX 6.5 - 4-P

Cleveland RTX4 Black - 50/54/58

Scotty Phantom X5 (2022) - 34" - 10G weights

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