Lob: 58º vs. 60º

[WUTiger]

I had a 60º lob wedge with my old irons (Ping Eye-2 clones). It was iffy, some super shots but more likely a chunk or skull. Only place it worked well was near Dallas with really plush turf grass. Basically quit using it with tighter lies and shaggy grass in Oklahoma.

I got a small-shop 60º lob wedge at a golf event, and have been trying to use this spring. Lots of skulls, plus distance variation on the shots I hit clean. When I do hit a fairly decent shot, I can feel the ball climbing up the clubface, with shot falling short.

Questions: Is there much difference in set-up and shot zip between a 58º and a 60º LW?

I'm not sold on the idea of using a LW. I use my 56º for pop-and-stop shots from around the green. A LW would be useful mainly from really dense rough situations. And, I would have to drop a long club to make room.

Any advice?

[lcfd42]

sounds like a bounce issue on your earlier 60*. The tighter the lie the less bounce you want and the more fluff, rough, or sand use it will see add bounce respectivly. I play mid bounce clubs to try to cater to most courses and situations eventhough it's still not a perfect senario, it's working for me right now. Get some of these + HI guys here to give you some pointers on this as well. Good luck on your club choice.

[Dub]

I love my 58* LW.

If I had to drop a wedge it would be my UW. I'll go 2-3 rounds and not use it. The LW gets played every round at least twice.

My 58* LW has a ton of bounce so I'll use it from bunkers as well.

[Zeph]

What kind of shots do you mess up? Only shots the bounce comes into play is bunker shots and flop shots. On chipping and fairway shots you are supposed to hit the ball first, so the bounce doesn't make much of a difference. My bet is that you are trying, maybe not consciously, to get under the ball. With a shallow angle of attack you will bounce the club on the ground and into the ball, skulling it. It works better on plush grass because the ball sits up and you can get under it.

You should not try hitting a flop shot on tight lies, only when you got enough grass to get under it. You have to practice hitting the ball first. I use my 58º from anywhere, except hardpan lies, divot holes and the likes. Use it a lot for chipping around the green and approach shots inside 60 yards.

[walfice]

Try playing the ball way back in your stance, as far back as just inside your back foot, this will give you a steeper angle of attack and give you a more consistent strike.

[Fourputt]

I had a 60º lob wedge with my old irons (Ping Eye-2 clones). It was iffy, some super shots but more likely a chunk or skull. Only place it worked well was near Dallas with really plush turf grass. Basically quit using it with tighter lies and shaggy grass in Oklahoma.

No rule of golf says you have to carry a LW. I don't, and I seem to get on just fine without it. I've carried one in the past and it mostly just leads to inconsistency in my short game. When I leave it out, I seem to chip and pitch better, because the temptation to use is no longer there. I HAVE to make the shot with my 56° SW or my GW or PW, so there are fewer decisions to make on the course, fewer wedges to practice with off the course, and for me that leads to a more consistent overall wedge game. My setup isn't for everyone, but it works for me.

For anyone who is having trouble with the LW, I almost always recommend just leaving it out and focusing on getting steady with the SW and GW, then reconsider whether or not you actually need the LW. Because it is the most difficult club in the bag to hit with consistency (because of the high loft angle, it has a very small effective sweet spot), most mid to high handicappers are better off without it.

[right handed phil mickelson]

I had a 60º wedge a while back, and took it out of my bag because it was too unpredictable. I was hitting it thin all the time and when I would hit it clean, it would be different distances for the same swings. Now I don't go higher than a 58º, and I love it to death. It's the only club I chip with, even though I have a 54º, and a 50º gap wedge. Very consistent with it too. Maybe a good 80 yards every time. I say go down to the 58º. You won't really lose any height on your shots, and still get the same amount of spin (if it's the same model that you're comparing with a 60º of course).

[sean_miller]

You don't have to play very long before you can classify your typical misses are falling into one of 3 groups.

1.) pin high and a few yards off the green (in either direction)
2.) on line but short of the green
3.) on or off line, but definitely long. Or maybe short - spin the wheel.

If you're in group number 2 - pull the LW in favour of something else.

If you're in group 1, and especially group 3, I'd say bag the LW and practice like crazy. Get comfortable getting the ball to the pin, to the front edge, to the apron just over the greenside bunker etc. You may want to consider the possibility of a higher bounce 62 or 64* wedge. You can even deloft it to a 60, for cleaner contact when you have to.

We're all different.

[Leftygolfer]

The key for me is having my hands ahead at impact. I try to hit my wedges low with lots of spin usually. If you are skulling and fats I suspect the club is passing your hands before impact.

Difference in spin, none that I can see. I have vokey 60 and 58 SM and the SM spins more but also is new. I don't see much difference in the two. I can hit the 58 maybe 5 yards farther on a full shot.

[James_Black]

The key for me is having my hands ahead at impact. I try to hit my wedges low with lots of spin usually. If you are skulling and fats I suspect the club is passing your hands before impact.

60* stops faster around the greens have tried 58* and 60*

[snowsurfer]

I recently started playing a 58* instead of 60* for my lob wedge and couldn't be happier. I too had problems with the 60 as far as consistancy, and I'm a pretty good ball striker. I had Volkey SM oil can 56/60 and changed to Cally X Forged vintage 54/58 c grind and MD grooves (ball eaters). My pitching wedge is 45* and my gap is 50*. I'm not completley sold on this wedge make up, but as I said, I like the 58 alot better than the 60. I can play it from alot of different lies, and feel comfortable with ir on full shot from about 65/70 yards.

[WUTiger]

Good job, guys. I appreciate the advice. Here are some patterns in the discussion:

RH Phil says... I had a 60º wedge a while back, and took it out of my bag because it was too unpredictable. I was hitting it thin all the time and when I would hit it clean, it would be different distances for the same swings. Now I don't go higher than a 58º, and I love it to death. It's the only club I chip with, even though I have a 54º, and a 50º gap wedge. Very consistent with it too. ...

Since I have a 50º GW I like, I was considering picking up a CG14 54º and 58º to add to the set. This would give me an even, mechanical yardage progression for my wedges, partial and full shots. The X20 PW has 45º, and it goes 10-15 yds. farther than the 50º and would fit close enough.

Also, I saw the 50º | 54º | 58º mix in the bag of some of the players at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship this summer. A couple of local male pros have told me they have the mix too, because the 58º is a little more stable than 60º and above. Also, several people on our blog have a 52º-58º pairing along with their PW. I will probably go with my current wedge mix for this season. I have started practicing with the 50.08 I got at Christmastime, and it is far superior to the clunky X20 AW I had trouble with last year. And, the 56º SW works fine for short pop shots around the green. The mechanical side of me says the 50º | 54º | 58º would be easier to manage, but the player side of me says my current wedges will work fine if I just practice a little and map the yardages. (And, the current set-up would be $180 cheaper - I already have it in my bag.)

As Fourputt said: No rule of golf says you have to carry a LW. I don't, and I seem to get on just fine without it. .. II HAVE to make the shot with my 56° SW or my GW or PW, so there are fewer decisions to make on the course, fewer wedges to practice with off the course, and for me that leads to a more consistent overall wedge game.

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Sean_Miller said... You may want to consider the possibility of a higher bounce 62 or 64* wedge. You can even deloft it to a 60, for cleaner contact when you have to.

I'll have to try the above 60º wedges some time. If you throw in special sole grinds, I bet you could get some aggressive trajectories.

[PlanoGolfDad]

I would agree that it a bounce issue. At a recent demo day I had the opportunity to try the new CG15 wedges. The version that impressed me the most was the Dual Grind Sole (DGS) which have dual soles that will allow you to adjust the bounce very easily.
Here's a link, http://www.clevelandgolf.com/US_cg15...od_wedges.html
While I am not really sold on the milled face, i think they'll put to much scuff on the ball. I am opting for the CG12 version and saving a few bucks as well. Hope this helps.

[J_Bone]

Good job, guys. I appreciate the advice. Here are some patterns in the discussion:

I've tried a lot of those combo's you were talking about. They just didn't work for me. My 50º was a 52º that I had bent to 50º. By doing that, it de-lofted it slightly. My 60º was a 58º that I also had bent to 60º. It added a bit more loft, but I tend to use my 60º in bunkers more than my 56º. I use the 56º if I have a lot of green between me and the flag. If not, I still use the 60º.

I suggest, if you do change, think about having them bent to the º you want. Don't go a buy new ones. Now, If you don't like the new º, you probably can bend them back with out too much problem. I wouldn't bend them more than twice.

[WUTiger]

I would agree that it a bounce issue. At a recent demo day I had the opportunity to try the new CG15 wedges. The version that impressed me the most was the Dual Grind Sole (DGS) which have dual soles that will allow you to adjust the bounce very easily. ..

Cleveland had some DSG clubs in the CG10 and CG12, skipped the CG14 models. Bridgestone and several small-firm club makers (Eidolon, Solus) have come up with variable bounce also.

An online review of wedges mentions some of them: http://www.golftipsmag.com/equipment...ers-guide.html Some caution against the DSG grinds, as being really risky to use on days your swing is off. I look for medium-bounce wedges, and normally only open or close the clubface a couple of degrees on partial wedges. I'll have to test out DSGs sometime, as I normally just hit basic shots with wedges. (I also use a 6i or 8i chip and run a lot more than most people). BTW, the one good season with a LW came down in your neighborhood, when I was going to school at University of North Texas. Really good turf grass around DFW area. I then moved to SW Oklahoma, and got lots of tight lies due to coarser, less dense turf grass (ball sank to dirt a lot). Really bad during dry spells. Gave up on LW quickly. Yes, probably a bounce problem. Have a good season!

[snowsurfer]

As you stated, you could always learn to hit differnt yardages/ shots with what you got. It's easy to become too mechanical in your thinking and lose the creativity that adds alot of fun to the game.
The pro at my club really emphasized to me the importance of being able to hit different shot vs. having a club for "each" shot.