Something I'm wondering about

[Robert L.]

I watch a lot of videos from some of the British golf instructors like Rick Shiels, Peter Finch, Andy Carter, James Robinson, and Matt Fryar (my favorite). My question is about their chipping. I notice that they oftentimes chip with their 60° wedges, even on the edge of the green. Why do they use their lob wedges to chip? I use my 8-iron to chip from close to the green, unless I have a long way to go in which case I'll use my 6-iron. I don't get it! I think more can go wrong with a lob wedge than an 8-iron.

[klebs01]

2 minutes ago, Robert L. said:

I watch a lot of videos from some of the British golf instructors like Rick Shiels, Peter Finch, Andy Carter, James Robinson, and Matt Fryar (my favorite). My question is about their chipping. I notice that they oftentimes chip with their 60° wedges, even on the edge of the green. Why do they use their lob wedges to chip? I use my 8-iron to chip from close to the green, unless I have a long way to go in which case I'll use my 6-iron. I don't get it! I think more can go wrong with a lob wedge than an 8-iron.

I only use my 58* around the green though I often open the face. It’s easy to get comfortable hitting all the shots with one club, it’s way easier to control  the ball and spin with the higher lofted club, I find it more forgiving out of rough (if it is a glancing blow it will come off with less spin but generally end up going a similar distance, and it I can get the ball rolling right away like  with a 6 iron I would be better served just using a putter. 

[Wham49]

4 minutes ago, Robert L. said:

I watch a lot of videos from some of the British golf instructors like Rick Shiels, Peter Finch, Andy Carter, James Robinson, and Matt Fryar (my favorite). My question is about their chipping. I notice that they oftentimes chip with their 60° wedges, even on the edge of the green. Why do they use their lob wedges to chip? I use my 8-iron to chip from close to the green, unless I have a long way to go in which case I'll use my 6-iron. I don't get it! I think more can go wrong with a lob wedge than an 8-iron.

PP my man, I use a 62 almost always even a yard off the green, I play it way back in my stance till it is like an 8 iron loft, just feels right to me, have more control IMO shorter club not too much shaft above my hands.

 

i've started playing hickory and I can chip with much lower lofts but still preferr the highest lofted club and back in my stance

[Abh159]

With an 8 iron (or similarly lofted club) there is one type of shot you can play - a bump and run.

 

With a 60* you can play just about every shot out there including a low, running pitch.

[kmay__]

Its just what your familiar with, I do most greenside chipping with my 52, for me to try an 8 iron, I wouldn't know what to do, how far to carry it, how its going to roll out ect. But I know what my 52 will do because I use it so often.

So as confident and familiar as you are with your 8 iron, I am with my 52. So that's why. 

[Fuscinator]

If I can't putt it, I mostly use a lob wedge. Playing the shots around the green like little pitches pretty much eliminates chipping and all the practice all those clubs need. I find air less variable than the ground, so for me, that's a plus.

[jvincent]

53 minutes ago, Robert L. said:

I watch a lot of videos from some of the British golf instructors like Rick Shiels, Peter Finch, Andy Carter, James Robinson, and Matt Fryar (my favorite). My question is about their chipping. I notice that they oftentimes chip with their 60° wedges, even on the edge of the green. Why do they use their lob wedges to chip? I use my 8-iron to chip from close to the green, unless I have a long way to go in which case I'll use my 6-iron. I don't get it! I think more can go wrong with a lob wedge than an 8-iron.

 

Other than comfort factor my next guess would be that because the green speeds are slower they are playing for more carry than roll because it will be more consistent.

[ShortGolfer]

I play a course with small greens.  A lob wedge allows me to put the ball on the putting surface and stay there.

A bump and run will roll off the green onto the thick grass around the green.  

 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by ShortGolfer

[mat562]

On 11/18/2022 at 6:48 PM, Robert L. said:

I watch a lot of videos from some of the British golf instructors like Rick Shiels, Peter Finch, Andy Carter, James Robinson, and Matt Fryar (my favorite). My question is about their chipping. I notice that they oftentimes chip with their 60° wedges, even on the edge of the green. Why do they use their lob wedges to chip? I use my 8-iron to chip from close to the green, unless I have a long way to go in which case I'll use my 6-iron. I don't get it! I think more can go wrong with a lob wedge than an 8-iron.

 

I play 95% of greenside shots with a 60 degree wedge - bunkers excepted, where I generally use my 56.

 

I've always been a good, aggressive chipper, and hole a lot of straightforward greenside shots over the year. For me, I like playing my chips with spin. I find it much easier to control distance with a lofted club, and the check I get allows me to zero in on distance control. The difference between a chip which finishes six feet short and one which runs six feet past feels huge. If I were to chip with a six iron, I could hit two chips which felt almost the same, but which were twenty feet apart, pace-wise. I can also play a variety of shots with a lofted wedge; whereas an 8-iron, and certainly a 6-iron, are very much one trick ponies. Chipping with a straighter-faced club has the ball coming off way too fast for me, and the shot with no checking spin feels far too hot to have any proper control of pace or how the ball reacts and releases when it hits the green.

 

I'll also happily take the L wedge from the fringe over a putter. Although the adage is that your worst putt is always better than your worst chip, if I'm facing a shot where I have a decent chance of holing it, I'd bet my life that with two dozen balls I'll hole more shots with a lob wedge than I will with a putter.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by mat562

[North Butte]

Can't speak to the specific guys you mention but in general there are PLENTY of golfers who use their lob wedge for almost every shot within 30, 40, 50 yards of the green.

 

Back when I first started playing golf there were two kinds of short game I saw. Some golfers used everything from 7i up to SW with a very basic swing that was the same for all the clubs. They just varied the club to vary the trajectory. And some used a wedge (either a PW or a SW, usually PW) and manipulated it as needed to vary the trajectory.

 

Fast forward three decades and I see a lot of golfers who use LW for everything and just manipulate it as needed for various shots. And I see golfers who use maybe an iron and two different wedges to get various trajectories. Can't remember the last time I played with someone who does the 7i, 8i, 9i, ..., SW, LW one-shot-type thing. That seems nearly obsolete for some reason. 

 

The only-LW guys are just the modern version of the only-PW or only-SW guys back in the day. There's always been plenty of golfers who want to manipulate one club rather than switch clubs from hole to holes.  

[Roody]

On 11/18/2022 at 1:48 PM, Robert L. said:

I watch a lot of videos from some of the British golf instructors like Rick Shiels, Peter Finch, Andy Carter, James Robinson, and Matt Fryar (my favorite). My question is about their chipping. I notice that they oftentimes chip with their 60° wedges, even on the edge of the green. Why do they use their lob wedges to chip? I use my 8-iron to chip from close to the green, unless I have a long way to go in which case I'll use my 6-iron. I don't get it! I think more can go wrong with a lob wedge than an 8-iron.

I use my 60 degree the majority of the time while around the green. I like being able to get the ball up in the air fast, and have it stop a little more quickly. I can control distance by the length of the backswing. And it's especially great when you don't have a lot of green to work with, or the greens are really fast. I love my 60 degree for just about everything 80 yards and in. 

The only time I move down from the 60 degree is if I have a lot of green to work with and want it to run. And even then I only go down as far as PW or 9-iron most of the time. 

[Pepperturbo]

On 11/18/2022 at 10:48 AM, Robert L. said:

I watch a lot of videos from some of the British golf instructors like Rick Shiels, Peter Finch, Andy Carter, James Robinson, and Matt Fryar (my favorite). My question is about their chipping. I notice that they oftentimes chip with their 60° wedges, even on the edge of the green. Why do they use their lob wedges to chip? I use my 8-iron to chip from close to the green, unless I have a long way to go in which case I'll use my 6-iron. I don't get it! I think more can go wrong with a lob wedge than an 8-iron.

If that works for you, fine, no need to get it, and you're right, more can go wrong.  No matter, a great many skilled golfers believe "if you want to hole out, choose a wedge", "if you would like to get it close, use a putter."   I subscribe to the former.

 

Nine times of ten, I use LW or SW because I have great confidence in both clubs, plus proper execution requires greater skill.  Using a putter is almost ho-hum for me.  Choosing a club (8i, 9i, PW, 52' SW or 58' LW) depends on the size of green, lie, how far my ball is from green edge, distance to the pin, what the green speed is, and surface has between my ball and the cup, and whether there's a game.

Edited November 21, 2022 by Pepperturbo

[Ifelloffladder]

I use my 60 if I want less roll, and its much easier to use than a stronger lofted iron where I have a hard time with distance control.

[mikpga]

Preference…

[Sean124]

Most people barely practice enough short game to be proficient with one club around the green. Might as well make that the higher lofted, more versatile club. 
 

[phizzy30]

The old school guys chip the ball with a variety of wedges and irons depending on the conditions and situation.  The modern method to chip is to use your lob wedge to chip around the greens.  I saw a segment on Playing lessons with the pros where Patrick Cantlay briefly touches on this.  I myself was taught to use my sand wedge to chip because there was no lob wedge when I was a kid, but have moved onto using both lob and sand.  I'm not comfortable with using lower lofted irons to chip and will instead use the putter or hybrid to chip onto the green if the situation calls for it. 

Edited November 25, 2022 by phizzy30

[Sean124]

19 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

The old school guys chip the ball with a variety of wedges and irons depending on the conditions and situation.  The modern method to chip is to use your lob wedge to chip around the greens.  I saw a segment on Playing lessons with the pros where Patrick Cantlay briefly touches on this.  I myself was taught to use my sand wedge to chip because there was no lob wedge when I was a kid, but have moved on onto using both lob and sand.  I'm not comfortable with using lower lofted irons to chip and will instead use the putter or hybrid to chip onto the green if the situation calls for it. 

I saw that episode with Cantlay. He said his short game improved dramatically when he started using his 61* for almost every shot. 

[North Butte]

When a large majority of the absolute best players in the world do something, when virtually every very good young golfer does the same thing and when ever a fair proportion of weekend golfers do the same thing...

 

...it's possible they are all deluded or just really stupid. Maybe. But the more likely explanation is all those folks do that same thing because it works better than the alternatives. I'm willing to believe playing most routine shots around the green with a lob wedge is one of those things. 

 

I personally do have that particular skill set. So the "entire short game with a 60" option isn't really available to me. But from my little bit of experimenting, I can see what it would be a skill worth acquiring had I but world enough and time. 

[bcjim]

56 or 58 for usually these days,  but I've tried everything. From closely mown areas near the green I'll usually putt.  I find that small differences in the strike quality and club head speed with an 8 iron or whatever make a huge and unpredictable difference in how far a chip goes.  

[bluedot]

I’ll guess that one factor for instructors from Great Britain MIGHT be at least slightly higher mowing heights?  That might make using a higher lofted club more desirable.  Just a guess based on my home course here, with extremely tight lies around the greens.

[ewaldbeukes]

I was listening to a podcast with Lou Stagner, he does amazing stats on golf (you should look him up on twitter and online). Was really interesting... I hope I am getting this right in summation. I believe the data shows that higher handicaps should work on becoming proficient with a single lower lofted club around the greens and putting as much as possible - this gives them the best outcomes. While lower handicaps, benefit from more versatility in club selection. Thought it was interesting... The spinning shots look great around the green, but I think I last had the practice time and artistry as a scratch teenager to do that, I would more easily fluff it now! Think this data really supports the OPs notion on this - I agree! 

 

The thing about loft is that the angle of the blow means the greatest variance in performance ie catching my lob wedge slight wrong vs my 8 iron the 8 iron is going to get a much better average result. That said, its really going to be about what you can practice. I am a lower handicap player and like to use the putter (I have a heavy Broomstick) and sometimes my hybrid off the green... otherwise I am using a lofted shot or low controlled runner with either a 50, 54, 58 but we have a busy course with hard and silly fast greens so the loft is essential. If I am playing slower greens or at the coast that ball is on the ground!

[Ri_Redneck]

Most accomplished golfers do what they have had success with. If they score best using a LW for green-edge shots, why not continue? Personally, I don't like to use my LW with very tight lies and/or any lie against the grain. I prefer to putt those because I have much more success with the putter. The ONLY time I will use a LW from green-side is if there are SERIOUS undulations/slopes between me and the flag. I'll hit a hop and check because it takes all the breaks out of the equation.

 

BT