Yet Another "Get a Lob Wedge?" Thread

[Shindig]

I own a 60 degree, it's from when Adams was its own brand.  It was an inexpensive "Adams Tom Watson 60 degree."  It has eight degrees of bounce.  I haven't practiced with it much and I don't hit it well.  The shaft is much lighter than my other clubs, too.

I hit my 56 and 50 degree Ping Glide wedges very well;  they're 3-4 years old at this point.  I know my quarter and half swings and am comfortable hitting these.  I am debating getting a 60 degree.  I would almost certainly get another Ping Glide wedge, although with the popularity of Edel wedges among good players here, I'd give that some consideration.  

My irons (Ping G-400) go to my 49.5 degree U-iron/wedge, which I am comfortable using in almost every circumstance in which I use my 50 degree wedge;  I haven't tried it from sand, but I don't have that many sand shots where I draw anything longer than my 56 anyway.  I also tend to not have many sand shots to hit.  If I got a 60 degree, I'd probably remove my 50 degree from the bag (but keep it around in case I wanted to remove the U-iron instead).  I have also debated 54-58 wedges (removing the 56 in the process also).

I almost never hit a full shot with a wedge;  that's also a shot I'm not very good at, and from 75 yards out, I'm more comfortable hitting a half swing with my 9-iron than a full with my 56.  Maybe it's something I should practice more and get good at?  I also don't face many 75 yard shots, maybe third shot on a short par-5 or second on a very short par-4. 

Or maybe it's just that I have 14 relatively new clubs in my bag and am itching.  I don't think any of my clubs are older than 2015.  I haven't had a shot that I can think of where I was wishing I had a 60 degree in the bag.  

[imsys0042]

I have 5 wedges, although I don't even consider my PW as a "wedge" anymore because it's just another iron as fas as I am concerned.   I also rarely hit a full wedge, just my 50 degree mainly.   It's so versatile, I'd rather hit a 3/4 50 than a full 56.

Generally I find that there are enough circumstances with the shots that I can hit, where a 60 and a 64 degree wedge are very useful.   If you don't hit the shots where you either have a distance gap by not having one, or you just score the way you want with less lofted clubs then you probably don't need one.

Do you find yourself going, a lot, "If only I could have hit that higher I could have saved a shot"?   if yes, then you might consider it, if not then save the effort.

I have a 50,56,60 and 64 set.    I rarely need to hit the 64 anywhere near full, I do it maybe 4-5 times a year.   But I do use it a lot when I have little green to work with.   It is notice-ably hit and stop, which helps a lot.  60 degree might be the same for you.   There is such a different between my 56 and 60.   When I choose wrong, I frequently feel like I lost a shot because I didn't use enough loft and it ran away.

[Shindig]

Good points.  I rarely find that I have the issue where if I had been able to hit a shot higher, I'd be able to save a stroke;  or, rather, I don't yet have the skill for it.  I have also been learning the partial swings -- Erik's recent post on that topic made a difference for me.

Looks like I'm sticking with the 56 for now.  If I think of some club I'd like to try, I may remove the 50 at some point in favor of the U-iron.  

Thank you!

[Patch]

I carry 4 wedges, with one being a lob wedge. I use the LW sparingly. I use it mostly from firm, sun bake sand. 

I find that if I open the club face up on other clubs (9i-sw) I can get the same shots my LW provides for me. 

Truth be known, at this point in my golf game, I could easily get by with just a pw, and sw just by manipulating the club faces open a little. 

[RussUK]

I stopped using my LW as i was too inconsistent with it. I started using my SW for all mid distance wedge shots (50yds or so in) and standard pitches using the method Jack Nicklaus uses in his "golf my way" video.

Having one wedge (PW really a 10 iron in my mind) might make my short game a little one dimensional but at my level it just makes it so much simpler.