Lob Wedge

I have a brand new lob wedge that I just purchased on Black Friday (YAY!!) but I haven't been able to practice much with it since then. Is hitting a lw the same as like a pw or a sw? I LOVE my sw, its my best friend :) but I know that for 50 yards and in, I don't want to be using my sw because I have a tendency to over hit it, and the lw should work great for 50 and in. Is the setup the same, do you address the ball the same way? Do you keep the lw open more? I know its supposed to just pop high and drop! Haven't been able to do that yet :(

There are quite a few reasons to have a lob wedge (flop shots become easier, etc.) but in answer to your question...YES...do everything in the same (hopefully) correct manner you do for your regular SW. The reason you got a lob wedge is the added loft...that in itself with everything consistent should make the LW fly higher and softer than the SW (more loft=higher). All of this said it is not going to be an extreme difference when hitting a "stock" shot. To get the real high, soft lob shot you make adjustments and that is for a different thread!

Dave

I find there's a huge difference in chipping.
The ball stops twice maybe three times as fast.
That'll take a bit of getting used to.

Also in full shots I find them great.
Your going to have to put in a good bit of practice to get the most out of a lob wedge.

What brand of lob wedge did you get?
what is the loft on it?

I got a Lynx club, they were all 50% off, and it matches my current set :) and it s 60 degree. I still need to practicing hitting with it. I'm comfortable right now with my SW. For $20, not bad

Like the others have mentioned. In hitting a normal shot, I would approach it the same way that you would hit your SW or PW. That's how I approach the shot and seem to do find with it.

Like James said, chipping with it around the green is a little different than a SW. Take some time to practice with it. I usually chip back and forth in my bedroom to keep the feel of chipping with it.

"Zack, what are doing in there? You've been in there a long time - why is the door locked? Are you praticing your chipping again!"

You do everything the same while hitting a lob wedge. The big thing is to make a nice and easy swing.
A LW has a much smaller sweet spot than does a PW, GW or SW; so you need a smooth swing and need to hit the sweet spot in order to get the proper distance out of it.
A lot of people have problems with consistency with the LW for this reason.
The LW can be a difficult club to hit well, especially for high-handicappers; but onces mastered its a club that opens up a lot more options around the green.

One other thing about the 60-degree wedge is that until you're used to it, you have to hit it a lot harder than you would like to in order for the ball to get to where you're shooting for.

My LW is a specialty club for when I have to get the ball over something or stop it in a hurry. I might use it twice a round, often not at all.

Yeah, I've noticed this. If I use the same stroke as my PW or SW it doesn't get as far. I've yet to practice with it...Do you keep the face of the LW more open when using it?

I use my SW for most of my greenside work....club gets some serious use and is versatile for a number of different shots.

My game is a bit rusty from not playing much at all and zero practice these past two months....gonna change that I hope by the end of this month.

Played Monday and found that I was nuking my LW way long. My finesse and short game touch wasn't really great in regards to the partial wedge shots.

Putting and chipping were spot on, though.

For full shots I simply square up the LW just like any other stick and let it ride.

I do open it up some for those testy short distances that you need a high shot that stops. I open it a fair amount and aim slighly left...give it a slight forward press and swing confidently through imact. The ball will come out nice and high with the stopping spin you want.


Most of my LW use is for full shots, though.

I tend to play the closer in shots better if I chip and run with the SW. It's much more predictable and my go-to shot if the terrain allows.

Good deal on the LW. Anytime you get a good stick for a fair price it's a super feeling. I was talking to someone the other day at the course about our gear. I realized that every stick in my bag was way, way under m.s.r.p. except my hybrid which worked out well enough on a very good trade in of my old hybrids.


Good luck with the LW. It's a club that requires lots of practice. It can be a very rewarding club but I'll say this, if I ever had to lean up my bag....it'd be the first club I'd sacrafice.

my 60* is my favorite club in my bag.

i use it for everything from 3/4 swings from 70 yards out to little 2 bounces from the fringe to flops/high pitches when i need to clear a bush or a high mound or whatnot...

like others have said.. you need to practice with it. its not as predictable out of the rough as it is out of the fairway(ive hit completely under a ball before, taken a divot and had the ball rest in it)

i rarely ever take a full swing with it. ive hitten myself in the forehead with a 61* wedge before a couple years ago, and for some reason i'm just not comfortable taking more than a 3/4 swing with a lob wedge anymore...

but its definetly a great club if you can use it properly.

i open the face and aim left and swing along the target line with it most the time.. but if i were you i'd practice straightforward pitches and chips and get comfortable with those before you start trying other shots...

My SW is my favorite club that I have been able to hit the best with! But I figure that with my new LW, I won't need my SW and risk over hitting it/over swinging it when I'm within pitching/chipping distance.

I don't open the face since it has so much loft to begin with. I get all the height and spin I need with a square face, hitting down on the ball and not sweeping it, and arresting my wrist break at impact.

I wish I could unsee this picture. Damnit!!

The strange part is - she also claims to be dating Tiger Woods - I wonder if she has any special talents!?!?

I call it the Lobotomy Wedge. 'Cause if you mess up you look like you just went through brain surgery

One thing you said that no one has answered is its just supposed to go high and drop right? Not necessarily. I have mastered many shots with my 60. In order to hit it far, high and straight you want to take the same swing you would with your other wedges. If you have 20 yards over a sand trap and you want to flop it or stick it you open the club face to where the club is almost flat to the ground, aim 10-15 yards left of the target and take your swing. Also if your already bringing balls back 10 yards a brand new 60 will backspin a ball 20 easy. Hitting a full swing perfect with a 60 is a very good feeling especially with a front pin posistion and you watch that baby come right back at it. My favorite shot is not the 50 yard lob shot with my 60, i love using it over high bunkers when im short of the green and using it to get over trees. Basically its my lift raft when it seems my ship has sunk. I love using it to get out of trouble and it always saves my a**.