Is it difficult to hit a lob wedge?

[PingPoncho]

What loft is considered a lob wedge? What is the best technique? What is the lob wedge purpose?

[arkstorm]

A lob wedge is typically anywhere from 58 to 64 degs. Their purpose varies based upon the loft, but generally speaking they are used as a chipping club for situations where you don't have a lot of green to work with and need to get the ball up high and land it soft. Some players will play full shots with a lob wedge as well.

 

Techniques vary. A lob wedge can be layed open for shots out of rough, sand or from soggy lies. They can be played square for full shots or for pinch shots from tight lies. At the extreme, a lob wedge can be opened up all the way for a flop shot. But most often, they are used for a basic chip shot.

 

Many players (myself included) carry a 58* lob wedge instead of a sand wedge. This pairs well if you're planning on carrying a 50-52* gap wedge (which I do). I play 95% of my blast type sand shots with my 58* lob wedge. I also believe it is most versatile for chipping out of rough because the loft allows me to play the shot with a little more oomph to get the club through the spinach. As a matter of practice, I play almost any shot from inside of 50 yards with my 58* lob wedge because I can take an aggressive line to the target and get the ball to stop quickly.

 

The pitfalls of lob wedges are that for the less skilled player they turn into skulling machines. Despite the loft you still need to commit to the shot by hitting down on it. A lot of high 'cappers have trouble with this and try to scoop the ball up with the loft, which causes thin skulled shots that skip over the green. This can be very frustrating to a higher handicap player when first experimenting with a lob wedge.

 

Also, due to the delicate nature of the shots it is used for, the bounce angle is a key to success with a lob wedge. Too little bounce will cause the club to dig in the turf, which in turn will promote a shallower swing, which in turn leads to the skulling effect mentioned above. Conversly, too much bounce will cause the lob wedge to skip off of the turf before contacting the ball and yield the same result, a skulled shot.

 

My recommendation is to be well adept at playing shots with a 56* sand wedge before going to a lob wedge. But when you're at the level where you have the skill to use it, the lob wedge will become an indespensible weapon.

[nunee]

 

 

The pitfalls of lob wedges are that for the less skilled player they turn into skulling machines. Despite the loft you still need to commit to the shot by hitting down on it. A lot of high 'cappers have trouble with this and try to scoop the ball up with the loft, which causes thin skulled shots that skip over the green. This can be very frustrating to a higher handicap player when first experimenting with a lob wedge.

 

My recommendation is to be well adept at playing shots with a 56* sand wedge before going to a lob wedge. But when you're at the level where you have the skill to use it, the lob wedge will become an indespensible weapon.

 

GREAT Post!!! That just about sums it all up. The Lob wedge is a great tool when used correctly, but a very dangerous one as well. Due to its high loft, a strong swing is required to advance the ball. If the ball is skulled, instead of going 15-30 yards, it may go 50- 75 yards. It is quite possibly the most dangerous club in the bag, and is a high risk/reward play.

 

Personally, I use my lob wedge around the green when I need to get up and over something, and stop quick. If I can use a sand wedge, I will. No full shots with the lob wedge for me. A 1/2 swing with a SW will provide the same distance as a full LW, and the risk is a lot less.

 

The lob wedge is nice to have, but not a necessity. Come to think of it, I may pull it from my bag, and ad an iron back in. We'll see how that goes.