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To lob or not

Golds said:
You don't NEED a lob wedge but I can vouch for having a 60* U-grind and it has been awesome. I don't use it that much for the "flop" shot, I actually use it more for versatility with all different lies and distances. I even close the face dramatically and do short bump and runs with it and the back spin is awesome. I think people are missing out if they only view lob wedges as "flop" wedges.
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I am totally 100% in the "love my lob wedge" camp. I use it a lot, for various shots around the green but RARELY use it to hit flop shots. I can flop the hell out of it if needed but, on the course, it hardly ever necessary to do so.
 
There is nothing wrong with having a Lob wedge. I personally have a PW, GW, 52, and 56. I'm confident enough with my 56 that I can open it up if I want more loft on my shot, in most occasions. Having a lob wedge, for me, just doesn't fit my game needs in most cases. However, I have had one in the past, and there is nothing wrong with one, if you learn to control it well.
 
Since testing the Hopkins 60 degree, I have fallen in love with it. I have not been practicing as much as I should with it but that is changing ASAP. This coming from Someone who never played a lob wedge and never even attempted to lob a shot before the testing. I am confident opening the face and taking a full swing (off of the right lie). I am team "to lob".


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I play a Cleveland S wedge which is 58°, I almost always it for green side bunkers. I hit 2 very nice lobs with it yesterday, one was probably the best I have ever hit. 45 yards over a sand trap with only 8 yards of green to work with. 2 feet for the bird. :thumb:
 
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Hawk said:
I think the LW as an inherently difficult club to use is an internet myth mostly put forth by poor wedge players or people that don't practice with them. If you're blading balls then the loft on the wedge isn't the issue. This coming from a guy that admits to sucking at the full swing pretty mightily.
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I agree with this 100% Hearing a lot of people talk about how hard it is to hit a 60* if you are not a low handicap stopped me from buying one for a while. As soon as I bought my 60* and started practicing in my backyard, my first thought was "what are these people talking about?" I haven't had an issue with it since day one. I think it is a mental thing or an aesthetics thing for the people saying it's a difficult club, if you are comfortable with your wedges a 60* is a nice addition to your short game.
 
I carry a 58* and I really like it for full shots around 70-80 yards. It absolutely stops dead when it hits, gotta love that. It also gives me more options around the green, particularly since it has lower bounce than my 54*, and it's my go to sand club. So yeah, I like it haha. I could probably manage with just a 54* if I needed to add another hybrid or something, but for full shots and sand shots I'd have so many less options.
 
I use my 60 for mostly full shots. I have no problem hitting it either. The times that I dont hit it well is because of my swing or for trying to do something that I haven't practiced. It has nothing to do with the loft or club for me. Its all swing related.
 
I'm not a great golfer, but really not sure where the stigma comes form that lob wedges are so difficult to use? In fact, isn't it true that the great the loft, the less ability to hook or slice? What's the mishit, getting it thin and skulling it? Wouldn't that happen with any club if it's going to happen at all?
 
I use my 60° for about 95% of my bunker shots around the green and I have about a 90% success rate with it. It is my go to club out of the sand as I find it get the ball up and out with little effort. I will use it for a flop shot if I have a good lie and have to get over a bunker or something similar, that is very rare though.
 
Excellent information! I am glad I asked. I have been on another forum in the past and refrained from such subjective posts because many on that forum replied with snide, condescending remarks. I enjoy the overall constructive core to this forum. That said I guess for me it comes down to one basic element my first instruction session drilled in my head..."let the club do the work". Still learning the game and if I can minimize the various manipulations of club position, ball position and body position then I may actually utilize the club for it's design. By no means am I suggesting those various factors won't be needed. I think I will just grab in inexpensive lob wedge and practice with it. The worst that can happen is what? If it becomes usefull great, if not then I know where I am with the other wedges. Thank you all very much!
 
i almost never use my wedges for full shots. I will occasionally hit my 54 full, but it's very rare. the 58 never gets a full shot because I just never need that. I use my 54 the most and can hit lob shots with it or the 58 depending on how tight of an area I have to work with. I might be strange, but I have a *lot* more success taking more green out of the equation by not rolling the ball to the hole as much. so, I hit a lot of high soft shots. you might call them flop shots, you might not... but bump and run is just too low percentage for me. 8-12 feet of rollout is the max I really want to deal with. 2-3 is even better. for the really short ones, the 58 does that job for me much better than the 54.
 
dropped mine in favor of a 4i, my 60 had its purpose but I have found the 56 to be more just as good for me. I will put a 58/53 combo in my bag when I swap irons out next.

I don't think the LW is harder to use just takes practice to be proficient with it the same as every other club in the bag.
 
A friend of mine can hit his lob wedge over 100 yards and it's cool to watch. But he has no business trying flop shots because all it ever does is piss him off! And he doesn't stop trying, and I have yet to see him hit a good one.
 
When I first tried a 60* wedge I couldn't hit it to save my life. I always bladed the ball. As I got a little better and learned more, I went with a 60* with low bounce and found I used that for a lot of different shots around the green but especially when I need to chip over bunkers or a short pitch over a tree. I have taken full swings with it too if I am far enough out. It is definitely a club you need to get the feel for how to use it with your swing and playing conditions.
 
blugold said:
Depends on the individuals home course and gameplan. I will tell you to avoid a LW because bagging one will only give you an excuse to try to hit flop shots. Which you shouldn't be
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So what do you do if you need to hit over a trap to a tight pin position?
I picked up a 58 TM ATV which I've hit some good flop shots with...some pretty bad ones too though :)
Also, use my 54 from the sand and the rest is a PW.
 
moosejaa said:
So what do you do if you need to hit over a trap to a tight pin position?
I picked up a 58 TM ATV which I've hit some good flop shots with...some pretty bad ones too though :)
Also, use my 54 from the sand and the rest is a PW.
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When I didn't carry a lob, I would take a 56* and just aim for the fat part of the green. There is no rule that says you have to aim for the pin.
 
blugold said:
Depends on the individuals home course and gameplan. I will tell you to avoid a LW because bagging one will only give you an excuse to try to hit flop shots. Which you shouldn't be
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I actually hit a flop a lot better than I chip. Not sure why that is other than the chipping motion feels awkward to me while the flop is comfortable.
 
Hawk said:
Lob wedge is probably the most used wedge in my bag and really the most versatile as well. I say get one and learn how to use it. If you get some proficiency there you're only going to improve your short game options. Doesn't really need to be a flop club either. I have probably hit less than 10 true flop shots in the last 18 months on the course.
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Totally agree here Hawk. I use mine all the time - and I hit very few flop shots. I probably have more confidence in that club than any club in my bag. Around the green I tend to use 2 clubs - GW for shots I want to roll out, LW for shots to tight pins, heavier rough, etc. The ATV has taken that confidence to another level as well.
 
I have no idea what the lofts on my wedges are..no idea. Old equipment that I have used since early 90's the wedges anyway. Ping eye 2's .. The handle 1 st contact is imperative to hitting off of tight lies and controlling the loft of lob wedge ..( not sure if I even have one in bag..grooves are worn..and lettering ). When I have a tough lob over a bunker as blu gold said..I'm not flag hunting ..10 feet is my goal and I will let my putter do its thing. Over aggressive and too cute with lobs is a real score wrecker
 
I carry a 52 & 58 so no true lob wedge i do have a 62 if need but it is rarely in the bag I find that only having the 3 wedges makes shot choices much easier
 
I always have to laugh when I hear someone say that a high handicapper shouldnt carry a lob wedge or try to hit a flop shot. Its really not a difficult shot to hit, you just have to know when to use and when not to.
Its not a shot that you should attempt off of a tight lie because theres a chance you are going to hit it thin. However, theres a lot of circumstances where not having a lob wedge and not being able to hit a flop shot is a detriment and where hitting a lower, running shot isnt going to work.
 
If you have the time to practice with it ( and I mean a LOT of practice) then it's a great club to have.

I have a 60 degree wedge, and I don't practice enough and, as a result, it is a skull machine. Not the club's fault.... entirely my fault.

IMHO, you can pick up a 4 iron, or a 7 iron or a fairway wood and take it out on a course right away and use it. That doesn't usually happen with a lob wedge.
 
I've started to use my 59° more often, in conditions full shots maybe 3-4 times a round. Usually my half swing wedge shots are made with a 55°.
 
Hawk said:
I think the LW as an inherently difficult club to use is an internet myth mostly put forth by poor wedge players or people that don't practice with them. If you're blading balls then the loft on the wedge isn't the issue. This coming from a guy that admits to sucking at the full swing pretty mightily.
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I really, really agree with this.

It's a lob wedge, not some new and mythical club with resistant magical properties. If you can hit a 56, you can hit a 60. You just need to practice.

I actually disagree that "many amateurs should have more clubs at the top of their bag, not the bottom". That's ridiculous to me. Anyone can learn to play wedges, and doing so will actually make them better scramblers and will increase their scores. Just spend time working with them and they'll be some of the most comfortable clubs in the bag. The big issue is that so few golfers really spend time on their chipping/pitching.

More importantly, you need a wedge with mid to high bounce for soft conditions or rough pitches (like a 56.14), and you need a wedge with lower bounce (60.08 or less) for tight lies or hard lies. Getting good with these two different wedges and their bounce properties will take away a ton of mis-played shots in the short game, and it's so much easier to learn than some here have made it sound like.
 
I've stopped lobbing. Instead if I need a 60 or 70 yard drop and stop I will use my 56* (50-60y) or my 52 (60-70y) and do a high toss shot.
 
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