Why do you need a lob wedge?

[JosephNewton293]

Rocco Mediate and Sei Young KIm only carry a 56*. That's good enough for me. 

[North Butte]

I use a lob wedge to hit shorter shots or to elevate the ball more quickly than a sand wedge does with the same swing.

 

I could in theory make do without it, just like in theory I could leave out my 8-iron and just use my 7-iron for those shots. But why would I? I'm not really good enough to make the game harder just for the heck of it so I (usually) carry 14 clubs. 

[North Butte]

13 minutes ago, JosephNewton293 said:

Rocco Mediate and Sei Young KIm only carry a 56*. That's good enough for me. 

Hacks!

 

Seve could hit all those shots with a 3-iron.

[dekez]

35 minutes ago, SJP1 said:

There’s definitely a valid question here about a lot of amateurs playing a lobber.

 

I think those that require one generally play courses where the green complexes are more severe and are firm and fast. 
 

Then there’s bag composition and technical capabilities.

 

But ultimately it’s far, far easier to play some shots with a 60 than you can with a 56. The same is also true the other way around. They’re tools for jobs, but you’ve got to have the skills to use them.

 

I agree. Another scenario is for us that play on crappy courses.  While a bigger bounce is often best for most shots, it's hard to use in rock hard packed bunkers that have hardly any sand in them.  That's when the low bounce lob wedge needs to come out.  A home run 40 yards over the green soon follows.  

[SJP1]

 

Same for Seve. But then it’s also true that tour pro’s who max out at 56 are in a clear minority. Can focus on whichever side suits your POV.
 

I’m not good enough to lay open a 54 out of firm sand to a tight, downhill pin on a firm green stimping 13, where I play. I need that 54 to do a different job.

 

But I am good enough to play that shot with a 60.

[Golfinfloridaafter40]

8 hours ago, odshot68 said:

Assuming you have a 56 degree sand wedge you like what is the function of a lob wedge?  

56 vs 60 are two very different tools for very different jobs

 

A 56* wedge needs a lot of bounce to be effective for rough and sand and is what most people use for those shots.  All of that bounce and the less sharp leading edge makes it less effective to open way up for flop shots on tighter lies, especially in the south where the ground is firm.  Having a 60* with a lower bounce is extremely valuable for those that know how to use it, again this is especially true on tighter lies and firmer conditions.

 

I see younger players make the big mistake of using a 60 for everything around the greens and full swing shots too. Surprising that no one has taught them the value of having these clubs set up specifically for different types of shots

[dekez]

7 hours ago, Phireside said:

i ditched my LW many years ago. 56 is fine by me.

 

What is the loft on your next wedge?  I've debated dropping my Lob and 54 Sand for just a 56, but that would leave a 7* gap to my next wedge (49*).  I fear that the resulting 49* - 56* gap will fall right in the 85 - 125 yard gap where it seems most of my wedge shots fall.

[jaffabell]

26 minutes ago, bvanlieu said:

 

With those fast greens had he gamed the 60 he *would have* won. So there. 😛 

 

Yes you can get a feel for opening a 56 to get a similar launch condition but the strike then is slightly glancing. A pro level of feels, sure...but the repeatability of a 40-60y square struck shot over my 55 opened a smidge when I need more loft (vs spinn-ach on the shot) makes me keep it.

 

I also use it as my primary sand club as I have a ridiculous skill for leaving myself short sided bunker shots. 

 

The top of my bag, where I don't swing 110+ MPH, I don't have to worry about 15y between clubs and 200-240y approaches on a consistent basis, so I skip a club there but scoring clubs and precision for repeatable distances inside 100y, I like having more wedges.

 

Oh yeah I totally agree, I have a 60 but don't use it as often as I did when I was a junior - I find I get a better strike with my 56 on a standard chip shot, plus I play a links course. If I played a parkland with heavy rough I can imagine the lobber being used more often.

 

I suppose Rocco has hitting thousands of shots with his 56 and knows exactly how to manipulate the face to get the strike he desires. He probably needs some more heavy goods at the top end of the bag too as he has never hit it that far really - so he gains by dropping the lobber.

[EddieEdwards]

I think you need at least a 56, and can make it work for everything.  However, a lob wedge is nice for hard bunkers and short sided shots.

[North Butte]

13 minutes ago, SJP1 said:

 

Same for Seve. But then it’s also true that tour pro’s who max out at 56 are in a clear minority. Can focus on whichever side suits your POV.
 

I’m not good enough to lay open a 54 out of firm sand to a tight, downhill pin on a firm green stimping 13, where I play. I need that 54 to do a different job.

 

But I am good enough to play that shot with a 60.

This brings up a point of recent interest to me. 

 

Maybe 5-6 years ago one of the better players in the group I play with (i.e. not a total hack like most of us!) showed me how he plays bunker shots. Lob wedge (his is a 60, I think), wide open face, pretty big swing.

 

He uses that setup for really short bunker shots like you're describing but for the more common longer bunker that's need to fly 15-20 yards he uses the same setup. He says he just swings faster or slower depending on the shot, does it by feel without changing clubs or setup.

 

I thought that was cool but pretty weird.

 

Then a year or so later I went to see my long-time golf coach for, among other things, some help with my bunker game. He puts me in the practice bunker, has me hit a few shots with my sand wedge and says, "Let's try that with some more loft". I hit a couple and he says, "Go ahead and open the face up and accelerate through impact". After a few minutes I realized I was hitting the same shots that crazy guy I play with does, wide open face lob wedge and flying the ball 15 yards.

 

For some reason, after a couple weeks of that I went back to my normal bunker play with the 54-degree and the face open. But I'd go through phases of not being able to get out of bunkers on the first try. So about a year ago I committed to using the open-face lob wedge for any bunker shot of short to medium distance and only switching to a stronger loft SW for the 20+ yarders. And my bunker game is the best it's ever been, I actually get up and down more often than I duff a bunker shot (I know that's pathetic but believe me, it's much better than I was in the past).

[bcjim]

6 hours ago, craz-e said:

I have recently taken the lob wedge out of the bag. I have great confidence in my 56* sand wedge and found it was a club I just didn't use/need. 

Same. 

[JamesFisher1990]

Flops when needed/if you have the skill

High lip bunkers

Firm sand

You aren't great at opening the face on your SW

Short sided shots from thick rough

[Honman]

I grew up on a course with tiny greens. One green was no more than 3 yards across in the centre. So you needed a lob wedge if you were going to get to certain pins. 

 

I definitely don't use it all the time, but when I've tried going to a 58, it just isn't the same. 

 

My next experiment is going to be a Vokey D grind, and try using some bounce. 

[mackepa]

I have a Vokey 56F and 60T that I use around the greens. The 56 has a lot of bounce and is great for soft bunkers, pitches with plenty of green and fuller swings. It’s almost exclusively used with a square or slightly shut face and always has a pretty flat and controlled flight for a wedge. My 60 works the exact opposite. I’m often manipulating the face to get the desired turf interaction and loft needed for the shot at hand. It’s rarely used on anything more than a 3/4 swing and gives me options to stop shots with either trajectory or spin. It’s often used in thick rough greenside situations. My 60 absolutely is my best club around the green. 
 

Sure, there are a few examples of tour players maxing out at 56° but they are the vast minority. Most players that struggle with the 60 are either using the wrong bounce/grind or using poor technique. If used correctly it’s an absolute weapon. 

[Warrick]

Have shaved strokes since dumping the LW.

 

The courses I play, just not a needed club mostly, and no issues rolling the face open on 56.  I have a decent short game, but to execute the LW at a high percentage rate, need practice.

[dfeldss]

Cause i cant hit my 3W

[ShortSticks]

Hold my Beer...

[Chunkitgood]

4 minutes ago, dfeldss said:

Cause i cant hit my 3W

Man, I was just about to say “because people have no chance of hitting a three iron.”

 

I wonder whether when a pro uses his lob wedge (except maybe for absolute flop shots) he gives it the same dynamic loft most people have (and apply) with their gap wedge.

[goalie]

I don't "need" a 60* wedge, but I'd be lost without my 58*   

 

It does great out of bunkers and around the green for me.  I could probably use a 56* instead of 58* without a big change in my scores though.

[gvogel]

11 hours ago, ShortGolfer said:

If I'm on a good fairway lie I could hit nice soft shots to the hole ten yards away with a 54* SW.

I was just practicing that with a mat in my back yard this afternoon.

But, that is a really tough shot off the hard dirt so I use a 58/6 TS lob wedge instead.

The course I play has thick rough around the tiny greens so a 58/8 Z grind is also useful.

It also have downhill lies very close to the green.  I aways pull a lob wedge when I want a short high shot from a downhill lie and the grass is too thick to putt through it.

 

I'd rather have those lob wedge grinds with 56* of loft but they  don't make them.

Vokey makes a 56* M grind wedge - 8* bounce.  M grind is useful if you want to open the face.

[miami1023]

What else am I going to use from 150 out on a windy day when I need to keep it low? Obviously I'm pulling the 60* and thinning the sh*t out of it

[Glock917]

One of the best things that happened to me recently was that prior to a round i forgot my LW and SW in my other bag.

 

So I had to use my 50* for everything greenside. It was really eye opening to be able to still have the ability to get around the greens and most startling how easy getting out of the bunkers were. Obviously there were shots I had to take a more conservative route with but still managed it very well and just used some more creativity on my end.

 

Now I still use my 60 T grind on 90% of my greenside shots but now dont always pull it for every single shot like i used to previously. 

[mikedejong33]

I only carry 13 clubs right now, and I could definitely do without my 60. I probably use it, or need it, once every 5 or 6 rounds when I am very short sided or in a deep bunker or something. For everything else I can get by with the 56. But I have space for it, so might as well carry it just in case. More often then not it gets me in more trouble then good.

[lefthack]

I do everything outside of sand and crazy thick rough with my 52. Sand and deep stuff with my 56. I bought a 60 for fun a couple years ago and it was a disaster, so I stopped.

[ShortGolfer]

1 hour ago, gvogel said:

Vokey makes a 56* M grind wedge - 8* bounce.  M grind is useful if you want to open the face.

That sounds like a great club for using just off the green where you don't want the bounce of a SW.

I play ladies flex and there just aren't many wedges outside of high bounce sand wedges but they do show up occasionally as demos.

 

 

[b.mattay]

Because having something lower bounce gives me some more options for bunker shots!

I was 67% last year on bunker shot up-and-downs.

That would drop to 50% without a lob wedge. It is very difficult to hit a soft bunker shot from a firm bunker with a 56 with 12 degrees of bounce. 

Also, it gives more options for distances in the 30-90 yard range. 

Edited March 28 by b.mattay

[Binson]

Despite its name, the lob wedge is mostly used for some version of a chip and run.  The faster the greens you play on, the more spin you'll need to control it.  So, in most cases, it's to help deliver higher spin-loft than a sand wedge with less manipulation.  A 64 can take that to another level.  But, the circumstances where a good wedge player needs that is less frequent.    

 

A high-bounce sandwedge with a low bounce lob wedge provides a ton of versatility for the types of shots you may need in a round.  Do you absolutely need both? No. But if you're good with both, you will be better equipped for what you may encounter on the course.

 

The reason to get it out of the bag of the majority of golfers is because they think the lob wedge is for flop shots any time it's in their hand.  If you watch a tour player around the greens with a lob wedge, it'll rarely get higher than their hip or chest.

 

 

[North Butte]

19 minutes ago, Binson said:

The reason to get it out of the bag of the majority of golfers is because they think the lob wedge is for flop shots any time it's in their hand.  If you watch a tour player around the greens with a lob wedge, it'll rarely get higher than their hip or chest.

I have never understood the meme of taking a normal, useful club out of the bag because having it causes you to attempt dumb shots. 
 

Lob wedges are the most frequent thing people mention, but some guys will say that about a driver. Apparently, if I believe what I read here over the years, there are people who will play without a driver, just because there might be a few tee shots on the course where an iron or hybrid are the smart play. They can’t trust themselves to hit the driver half a dozen times instead of 14 times and around, so if they leave it out of the bag altogether.

[ChristopherMcDonald]

Use my 60 for anything 50 yards and in. Can do anything I want with it really. I find it simplifies my game a bit knocking there's only one club I'll use in a variety of up-close situations

[J_Tizzle]

13 hours ago, SoCalTitleist said:

Better to have more options with scoring clubs than long irons or woods 

 

This is the correct answer.

 

I play a 58 and 62 to give myself more options vs like having a 3i and 4i in the bag.  My chances of those 2 clubs saving me a stroke vs me getting a notable difference between the 3/4 irons is pretty different.  I can hit shots with my 62 that very few people can hit with a 56 and thats where you save shots (or have the opportunity to save shots).  I'm a firm believer when you get to that 200ish range (for me at least) thats not a scoring opportunity thats get something on/around the green with no penalty.  So thats why I want more short options.