Lob Wedge or No-Lob Wedge

[rickybooby25]

Hey WRXers, let's debate on this subject...

 

Do you use a Lob wedge in your current set-up or not?  Players nowadays immediately default to using a LW when playing a chip shot around the greens.  I currently have a LW in the bag but have been debating on taking it out completely because it creates bad habits when facing a chip shot.  What are your thoughts?

[bvanlieu]

You can check out a bunch of winter conversations on this. threads that discuss 2 s 3 wedges, or 3 vs 4 often go there as do you want a 60, stop at 57/58 yada yada yada.

 

Some folks like to master 1, others use several wedges. 

 

I personally really enjoy my PM grind 60 and have gamed for several years. Its only short coming is launching a bit high for full shots compared to some other 60's I have. I used to do everything < 50 with my 60 but have worked on other clubs to offer more consistency based on lie and conditions (why de-loft the 60 to pitch and run, use your 56 or 50) kind of thing.

 

 

 

 

 

[makana]

Interesting thought...We watch pros on TV...we assume they are hitting lob wedges all over the place but in reality...56 degree wedge is utilized more than you would guess. Jordan Spieth final round at San Antonio (Valero) when he needed to get up and down flew a slope with spin to a tiered green to tap in range with his sand wedge...great shot under pressure...

 

 

Personally...50/54/58 guy...use the 58 a lot...maybe I should consider pulling 54 more...

[Chadwickog]

As mentioned, this has been discussed a lot on here.  I am in the NO lob wedge camp, it simplifies the decision making when it comes to wedge play, and all shots are still possible if you know how to hit them.

[North Butte]

If you're not mentally disciplined enough to use another club when another club is needed, then by all means toss your lob wedge out of the bag. By the same reasoning, maybe take your fairway woods out of the bag so you won't try to hit a heroic shot 200 yards over a lake, off a downslope out of 4" rough with your 3-wood.

 

But if you're going to just turn around and use your sand wedge with the face opened up because the lob wedge is out of the bag, then you've accomplished nothing.

 

I personally can't see the connection between a "Players nowadays...." generalization and you deciding what club to use on a given shot. That seems like a non-sequitur. 

 

If you've got to fly the ball 20 yards to carry a bunker and then stop it quickly because there's only 10 yards of green to work with, that's a shot that Seve could probably play with a 3-iron. But the high percentage way to play it is with the highest lofted club in your bag. It seems to me if the highest lofted club in your bag is now going to be a 56-degree wedge then that shot forces you to open the face up and turn the SW into a de facto LW. I'd personally rather just playing it with a stock pitch shot using a 58-60 degree wedge.

Edited April 23, 2021 by North Butte

[jholz]

Yes, this is a constant debate around here...but always an interesting topic. 

 

I've always looked at the lob wedge as a specialty club for special situations. Lower lofted wedges (54* or 56*) are the ones I use for the vast majority of generic chip shots. 

[mogc60]

When I began playing golf the lob wedge wasn’t a thing. It was just starting to pop up here and there. Most players at that time had the highest lofted wedge at about 55-56*. If you wanted a lob wedge or more loft you had basically no options other than bending and grinding a wedge to try it. Starting in the late 80’s or so you started to see a few more 59-60* options. Most of them were crap actually but they created interest. Fast forward to today and there are countless options of grinds and head shapes and because of that the higher lofted wedge is very heavily used. Over used? Possibly by many players but those who become extremely skilled with a higher lofted wedge can hit every shot with them.  For me, just simple setup changes create three distinct ball flights (high, medium, low) with the same motion. Those three flights and the same motion account for 95% of my shots around the green and I am a very good wedge player. Granted I’ve hit thousands of practice shots to find what works for me but I rarely have any need to change from my 58* wedge around the greens. Until about 5 years ago all those shots were done with my 60* but I switched to a 58* to get my full shot yardage where my 60 used to be. I’m old, I don’t like new tricks 😂

Edited April 23, 2021 by mogc60

[chussey]

The 60deg that I have is the oldest club in my bag and I don't know what I'd do without it. Sure, it has gotten me into a lot of trouble but it also has made my low rounds. Its basically having the discipline to use the correct club for the correct shot; I've figured out that I will never use the 60deg on anything over 50 yds and use it primarily around the greens when needed and never in the bunker (low bounce). The flop is my favorite shot to hit because of how on edge it is—you either fail miserably or end up with the most glorious shot in golf.

 

Personally, there is always a need for a LW in the bag. It is basically a paint brush.

[Hawkeye77]

32 minutes ago, rickybooby25 said:

Hey WRXers, let's debate on this subject...

 

Do you use a Lob wedge in your current set-up or not?  Players nowadays immediately default to using a LW when playing a chip shot around the greens.  I currently have a LW in the bag but have been debating on taking it out completely because it creates bad habits when facing a chip shot.  What are your thoughts?

I use a 58. 
 

Players do not necessarily default to a lob wedge for chip shots. 
 

What are you describing as chip shots and what are the bad habits you feel you developed?

 

Need more info to “debate”!

[Tatertuck]

17 minutes ago, jholz said:

Yes, this is a constant debate around here...but always an interesting topic. 

 

I've always looked at the lob wedge as a specialty club for special situations. Lower lofted wedges (54* or 56*) are the ones I use for the vast majority of generic chip shots. 

 

I agree with you here. Very rarely am I using my 60* for pitching; let's say 40 to 60 yards. But when I need something high and soft greenside, or a bunker shot, I'm quick to grab my 60*. I'm learning I probably should be trusting myself more with using it for pitches, but even as a lower handicap player that hozzle rocket is still in play (mentally).

[Gnucastle]

I carry a 60 and am likely going to sub for a 58 soon to deal with yardage gaps in the higher clubs. I figure 1) I NEVER hit a full shot 60 LW - they tend to balloon and go too right of my target. So I use 60 for when the shot calls for it. Delicate bunker shots with limited green to work with. Chips into super fast greens where I need to land it on the green. Etc. 

 

I think what a lot of people may be over looking is not only the loft but the bounce and grinds of your wedges. Different bounce and grind combos help create different type of shots around the green and within <70 yards. a 56/58 degree wedge with low bounce and a tight grind can hit a really nice lofted and spiny shot the same as a stock 60 can. Just need to practice. 

 

My new wedge setup may look like 51 (P-770 GW), 54 (weakened to 55),58. Should true up some of the gaps and still give me that touch. 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Gnucastle

[jholz]

6 minutes ago, Tatertuck said:

 

I agree with you here. Very rarely am I using my 60* for pitching; let's say 40 to 60 yards. But when I need something high and soft greenside, or a bunker shot, I'm quick to grab my 60*. I'm learning I probably should be trusting myself more with using it for pitches, but even as a lower handicap player that hozzle rocket is still in play (mentally).

 

Yes, confidence is key and practice is the only way (at least in my mind) to build that confidence. Every time I go out to the practice green, I run through a variety of shots, from a variety of distances, with a variety of clubs. If I need something high and soft, I'll use more loft, and vice versa.

 

When I encounter those shots on the course, I know what club I am going to pull and have the confidence that I can do it.

 

Now, whether or not I actually do is a completely different matter. 

[nostatic]

bounce, grind and loft tend to matter, but it depends on the shots you want/need to play. I grew up using a PW for everything including sand. As a consequence, partial shots and getting creative are part of how I play. Doesn't mean I always execute them correctly, but the best way to a hole isn't always a straight high arc. I do have a 58 with an aggressive grind that is specifically for tight lies and short shots where elevation is my only option. Never swing it full, and it tends to be a last resort because I feel more comfortable with less loft. Ymmv.

Edited April 23, 2021 by nostatic

[North Butte]

I just keep going with one club after another up through the irons and wedges until I get to my 58-degree wedge. Each one goes about 12-13 yards shorter than the one before it so I'm down around 80 yards with the LW. But I swear it's not a big harder to make a stock swing with the 58 than with the other wedges or a short iron. And it's certainly easier to hit well than a 5-iron!

 

I've never really understood what's supposed to be so unforgiving or disaster-prone about a wedge just because it has 58 or 60 degrees of loft. Around the greens I usually putt or pitch the ball with a gap wedge but the LW sure comes in handy for short pitch shots. 

 

Now if we're talking about 14-year-old kids who like to play a 10-yard chip shot with an open-faced lob wedge and hit it 50 feet in the air, like a Phil Mickelson commercial, that's silly of course. But the cure to that isn't eliminating a club from the bag. They just grow up. Or don't.

[WasatchBogey]

I use my 60 deg lob for most stuff under 60 yards or so. Greens around here are really hard now, you can’t even see a ball mark on a green hit with a good high iron shot, so even short chips are hard to stop. I can play a ball back in my stance a bit to bump & run, or more forward for more height. 
 

All my wedges are just set wedges (JPX 900 HM), but I like the lobber, its the one I practice short shots with the most👍

[Ri_Redneck]

A Lob Wedge is a tool. If you need THAT TOOL, then you should carry one. If you don't, then you shouldn't. I played for years with a 56° wedge as my highest loft. I could hit soft flop shots with it as long as the lie was suitable. Once I got a 60° wedge AND learned how to use it, I found that I could hit those soft shots in even tighter lies. I found this to be of benefit on some courses, so it became a part of my bag and I dropped a long iron. 

 

Do I use my 60 for chips? Very rarely. I use it for flops and soft pitches on fast downslopes. I use it sometimes for low checkers, but that shot can be hit with just about any wedge. You just have to use the proper one for the distance you have. In greenside chipping, I look at the distance, slope and contour of the green when choosing the club to use. It may be my 60 or it may be a 5i. It all depends on what I need the ball to do.

 

BT

[phizzy30]

For a period of time even though I had one in the bag I wouldn't use it very often.  It wasn't until I put in a ton of time at the range hitting all sorts of shots from full swing to chips that I felt comfortable using it more often.   I find it very useful when the pin is tucked in a corner and I'm forced to hit it high with a lot of spin.  I also use it around  the greens when rolling it isn't an option. 

[timmekang]

I've mentioned this in prior posts but I carry 2 lob wedges.  not all lob wedges are created equal to don't be afraid to bring more than 1 out on the course with different bounce/grind/etc. and see what works best depending on your lie and circumstances.

[rickybooby25]

54 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

I use a 58. 
 

Players do not necessarily default to a lob wedge for chip shots. 
 

What are you describing as chip shots and what are the bad habits you feel you developed?

 

Need more info to “debate”!

A little info here we go!

 

I used to play in college and I've always been able to hit the ball far.  So I was always told to use a 4 wedge system.  I've always struggled with chipping because I felt that there too many options.  So last golf season, I started playing with a short set which didn't include my LW and I found out that I shoot a lot lower when I'm only using my SW.  So that got me thinking, do I need a LW?  Jack Nicklaus didn't use a LW when he won his majors.  Rocco Mediate doesnt use a LW.  Greg Norman didnt use a LW when he played.  Seve didnt use a LW at ALL.

 

With that said, if I were to go to a 56 bent to a 57 and use that as my highest lofted club.  Then what happens to the top of the bag?  If I were to put Driver, 3w, 2-PW, GW/SW, I feel like it would be too congested at the top of the bag.  I rarely use anything higher than a 3i going into a par 5.  And if the green is 260+, then I usually take the conservative play.

 

Clearly I have a lot of scenarios going on with my bag set-up.  I just need a little direction LOL

[b.mattay]

Yes, I carry a lob wedge. I use it based on need. 

 

As in most things golf it is really context dependent. My home course has the greens rolling 11-12 and FIRM in summer, with rough and fairways where the ball tends to sit down, making ball first contact very difficult. 90% of my green-side shots there are with lob wedge. Another course in my city that I play from time to time has "wiry" grass where the ball tends to sit up, so I will play a lot of shots with sand wedge because you can still get spin with lower loft. Another course has slow greens rolling 7-8, where I will often go to a pitching wedge or gap wedge around the greens. Point is, use the tool that is the best for the job at hand.

 

I use a lob wedge for all bunker shots up to about 35 yards though. 

Edited April 23, 2021 by b.mattay

[lefthack]

I bought one, learned to hit it, but didn't find a need for it in my bag when there are other clubs I would use more.

[ChipNRun]

I have done it both ways.

 

Had heard of LWs in late 1980s, but didn't use one until it showed up with a component iron set I had build in 1994. Mid-bounce 60* was useful in the fluffy bermuda and bent grass in Dallas area. But when I relocated to southwest Oklahoma - Lawton area - lots of dry, tight lies and too many bullet skulls with LW.

 

When I got new irons in 2008, big challenge was facing down the dozens of wedge options within each specialty wedge model. Along the way, I had tried some LWs, but the 60* never quite worked for me. Anything more than a half swing was a pop-up with lost control.

 

Played 50-54-58 in Cleveland CG14s for a few years.

 

Then I went with Callaway 48 - 54 - 60 for a season (see below). The 48* replaced a 46* PW and 50* GW. The absent 60*/10 MD-PM U-grind was a replay: good for close-in, but risky for fuller shots. The current 58*/8 knocked 60* out of bag after a half hour at the practice green.

 

I guess it depends on part what courses one plays. Most of the ones I frequent were built in late 1990s onward, and have those tricky little shelf nodes on the greens where  you need to drop a dart to hold. (Steep descent angle really helps stop tight shots)

 

And I redid my close-in strategy: Inside 20 yards, I use either a 7i chip-and-run or a LW cut shot (not a lob). Three birdies last season came from sinking greenside LW shots.

 

Overall assessment:

• You probably don't need a LW, until you do!
• Beginners should probably wait until Season 2 or 3 before considering LW. It takes a lot of practice to get the hang of it... early on you need to learn more basic swing skills.

[makana]

3 minutes ago, ChipNRun said:

I use either a 7i chip-and-run

Hence the name! lol thats another discussion as well...why a 7i...i use a 9i to bump and run...toe down easy does it 

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, rickybooby25 said:

Hey WRXers, let's debate on this subject...

 

Do you use a Lob wedge in your current set-up or not?  Players nowadays immediately default to using a LW when playing a chip shot around the greens.  I currently have a LW in the bag but have been debating on taking it out completely because it creates bad habits when facing a chip shot.  What are your thoughts?

Would really hurt my short game if I didn’t have my 60*

[95124hacker]

Started playing a 64* this year in addition to a 58*. I’m getting pretty comfortable with the 64*. I feel it’s more consistent than opening up my 58* BUT I know this is controversial & bottom line, there’s no universal right or wrong . Just right or wrong for EACH INDIVIDUAL.

[ChipNRun]

12 minutes ago, makana said:

Hence the name! lol thats another discussion as well...why a 7i...i use a 9i to bump and run...toe down easy does it 

 

Before 1994, I used a 7 iron. I was told it was the chip-and-run club when I was a beginner.

 

Next two sets of irons, lofts were stronger than my earlier irons, so I went with an 8i so  the shot wasn't so hot. Then I got my CB Pro Tungstens, which have hollow heads, and the 8i popped the ball up too much to get decent roll.

 

So, I went back to the 7i, and hit it almost like a putting stroke, bounce-glide sole across the ground.

 

I'll also use a LW when in close and need quick stop... or, if I need a pitch and run, I'll use a PW so I get height and release run.

 

(Sorry WRXers, didn't mean to hijack thread...)

[RolandofGilead]

1 hour ago, rickybooby25 said:

A little info here we go!

 

I used to play in college and I've always been able to hit the ball far.  So I was always told to use a 4 wedge system.  I've always struggled with chipping because I felt that there too many options.  So last golf season, I started playing with a short set which didn't include my LW and I found out that I shoot a lot lower when I'm only using my SW.  So that got me thinking, do I need a LW?  Jack Nicklaus didn't use a LW when he won his majors.  Rocco Mediate doesnt use a LW.  Greg Norman didnt use a LW when he played.  Seve didnt use a LW at ALL.

 

With that said, if I were to go to a 56 bent to a 57 and use that as my highest lofted club.  Then what happens to the top of the bag?  If I were to put Driver, 3w, 2-PW, GW/SW, I feel like it would be too congested at the top of the bag.  I rarely use anything higher than a 3i going into a par 5.  And if the green is 260+, then I usually take the conservative play.

 

Clearly I have a lot of scenarios going on with my bag set-up.  I just need a little direction LOL

I would counter that greens on tour are much faster nowadays than in the Jack/Seve eras, and more loft is helpful for that.

 

I recently added a 60* not for greenside play, but for better distance control on those 30-70 yard shots that come up on par 5s and when out of position on par 4s. I still stick to mostly GW and SW around the greens. LW only for extreme circumstances.

Edited April 23, 2021 by RolandofGilead

[jwhite86]

My LW and 3 wood are my "insurance" clubs... i don't use them often, but I'm happy they are there when I need them

[cgasucks]

When I started golf in 2000 I wanted my bag setup like the pros back then with a wedge setup of 48,56, & 60.  I took out the 60 and put in a 52 because making full shots between a PW and a SW bugged me.  I'm a much better wedge player now because of the extra practice due to the lockdowns and don't need a LW since I can simply open the face of my SW which gives me plenty of loft.

[LUXOR54]

I'm on team lob wedge, but with an asterisk* attached. Go ahead and carry a lob wedge, BUT, only use it when the course FORCES you to use it. So many people carry a 60° and use it on every single hole full swinging when they're within 70 yards of the green. for most amateurs, their own inconsistency will cause erratically inconsistent distances with the 58°+ wedges, and a high chance of the dreaded 150 yard bladed shot, or the 10 yard chunk. Personally for most lies 100 yards and in I'm using a 51° gap wedge. I have a 58° PM grind That I only reach for in specific situations, and a 64° that I reach for even less of the time. In the round I might only use the 58° 4 times, and might not use the 64° at all, but there if I need them. Adopting this mentality greatly improved my short game and drastically reduced my strokes 100 yards and in. No more chunked full swing lob wedges for me, instead of a wasted stroke I'm advancing the ball nicely. They get a thumbs up for me, but only if you're using them properly, and most people aren't, they're just using them because that's what they were told to do.