60 lob wedge only for talented low cappers ?

[Gerald]

Practice, practice, practice ..... I know....., but I see almost no use in practicing a shot I need once in maybe 5 rounds....... a flop shot might look be great, but often there lots of safer options and if you thin a flop shot (easely done) it may end anywhere.

I have been using lots of wedge sets, mine are now 44, 48, 52 and 58.

Cheers, Gerald.

[klineka]

4 minutes ago, Gerald said:

Practice, practice, practice ..... I know....., but I see almost no use in practicing a shot I need once in maybe 5 rounds....... a flop shot might look be great, but often there lots of safer options and if you thin a flop shot (easely done) it may end anywhere.

I have been using lots of wedge sets, mine are now 44, 48, 52 and 58.

Cheers, Gerald.

Just because you use a 60 degree wedge doesnt mean the only shot you are allowed to hit with it is a flop shot...

I use my 60 for a wide variety of shots including pitches, chips from the rough, bunker shots, and pretty much anytime I'm 50-100 yards out. The only time I dont use my 60 inside of 100 yds is chipping from the fairway/fringe with no trouble in front, chipping with a lot of green to work with or when the rough around the green isnt very thick or the grass is bare. 

None of those shots are flop shots at all.

I could play all of those same shots I mentioned with a 58 degree wedge.  Its just not that different from a 60. 

[cooke119]

I use a 58* but only out of a trap or if I have to go over a green side bunker, (which I hate). Other than that I use an 8 iron and bump and run it. I feel I have much more control. My success rate with a wedge is low, I hate sculling it across the green, drives me nuts!

[mdl]

For a while I played with my lowest lofted club as a 54˚.  Years ago I got a 60˚ and never looked back.  I've started to branch out a bit more, but I still use it for almost all shots inside 80 yards unless the wind is howling.  Honestly I never found it that hard to hit.  Any shot I could hit consistently with my 54˚, I could hit with my 60˚, but with more options for control of the ball.  The only miss that happens more often with the 60˚ is in a soft fluffy lie, every once in a while I'll slide the club most under the ball and come up way way short.

[Gunsmoke]

I use mine a lot, because I don't hit many greens in reg.  My 60 has zero bounce which I would not recommend...

[HJJ003]

I’m a HHC player. I use the 60 and it’s my go to club around the green. Once I learned how to pitch it became a great club for me. My handicap is on its way back down and using this club properly is one of the reasons. 

[onthehunt526]

On 4/23/2018 at 11:57 AM, Gerald said:

I see that a lot of midcappers have a 60 degree lob wedge in the bag, but I see only very few able to do some magic with them.

For me personally a 58 is the lobbiest I can handle, but I have zero use for a 60 or 62 ..... or am I wrong ?

Well, I have my two cents on this.

I have got to sort out my game from 50-100 yards. If you go by my clubhead speed which is about 102 mph with a driver (though Monday I think I was swinging in the mid 90s my back was hurting from work). I was driving about 220 yesterday without the benefit of roll, I was only swinging at maybe 60% effort though. On my normal days when I am hitting it well, I drive it around 250 carry. I should be able to hit my 56° sand wedge about 100 yards... I'm scared to hit it more than 85. I can hit it fairly well with a half swing, but a full swing, forget it.

My lob wedge, I've hit it 3 times since I got it in February. 60° of useless club. I cannot hit the damn thing. To me 60° wedges should be avoided until one can confidently hit their 56 or 54 or 58 degree wedge in any situation. I honestly, am going to address it with my instructor next month.

[David in FL]

On 4/23/2018 at 11:57 AM, Gerald said:

I see that a lot of midcappers have a 60 degree lob wedge in the bag, but I see only very few able to do some magic with them.

For me personally a 58 is the lobbiest I can handle, but I have zero use for a 60 or 62 ..... or am I wrong ?

My brother from another mother!   

Now let’s talk chippers!   

 

[WUTiger]

On 4/25/2018 at 1:31 AM, onthehunt526 said:

Well, I have my two cents on this.

I have got to sort out my game from 50-100 yards. ... .

My lob wedge, I've hit it 3 times since I got it in February. 60° of useless club. I cannot hit the damn thing. To me 60° wedges should be avoided until one can confidently hit their 56 or 54 or 58 degree wedge in any situation. I honestly, am going to address it with my instructor next month.

OTH, I'm confused... with your new Exotics CBX Blades, don't you get mainly GIR on your approaches? 😕

[gregsandiego]

On 4/23/2018 at 9:56 AM, allenc said:

Very few mid handicappers can do something “magic” with any of their clubs.  But if they can take their lob wedge and do exactly the same move as they might do with their sand wedge, then the ball will go higher and shorter, which is what they want.

Also a 58 and a 60 are pretty close to the same thing.

Exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes I get "magic" from my 56 - and sometimes not. I bet the 60 would feel about the same.

[onthehunt526]

9 hours ago, WUTiger said:

OTH, I'm confused... with your new Exotics CBX Blades, don't you get mainly GIR on your approaches? 😕

Usually yes, I struggle in the 50-100 yard range, mostly third shots on par-fives, being out of position off the tee and just taking 4-wood or hybrid and advancing it... I'm also swinging a little slower because I've been on my feet a lot the last week or two, so my back is tightened up. So when I go play today... maybe I'll hit the practice area, and work on it for a while.

[Carl3]

I had always had a 56* as my most lofted club until this year. 3 years ago my 56* maxed out at 80 yards leaving me a dilemma at 90 yards:  Take a little off my gap wedge, which is my 100 yard club or step on my 56* and hope I didn't, hook, skull, chunk it. I also had trouble from like 60 yards to about 20 yards with my 56*. I felt real confident just off the green getting up and down about 50% of the time. This got worse last year when I purchased a new 56* that could barely fly 70 yards. I think it is because it had a lot more spin than my old one. So this year I have a new 54* and 58* and gave up a long iron. I was hoping that my 54* would be about 80 yards and my 58* about 60 yards. I am having a lot of trouble hitting these consistently especially the 58*. The turf interaction seems problematic for me. Sometimes the club goes over 60 yards and sometimes barely 50.

I also think that I am not hitting these lofted clubs as far as I would expect based on the distance my other clubs go. A 5i is my 175 yard club and my driver SS is about 100 MPH. So I would tend to agree with a statement about a 60* being for skilled players. I would also suggest that high handicappers carry fewer clubs and think less about which club to use and more about trying to make solid contact.  

[shortstop20]

A 60* wedge is very unforgiving if the proper action isn't used. Most struggle with them because they're steep and/or flipping. If the 60 digs and you don't make perfect contact, you're screwed. 

I use mine alot within 100 yards of the hole, but I also use my 54, it just depends on the lie, pin location, wind, etc. 

Being able to hit a 60 properly makes it alot easier to get at those front pins. 

 

[MGN]

On 4/23/2018 at 10:57 AM, Gerald said:

I see that a lot of midcappers have a 60 degree lob wedge in the bag, but I see only very few able to do some magic with them.

For me personally a 58 is the lobbiest I can handle, but I have zero use for a 60 or 62 ..... or am I wrong ?

I personally think the bounce on your wedges plays an equally if not bigger factor in how you are going to use your wedges.  All else being the same, there should be little to no difference between your 58* and 60* wedge.  I use a 56* with a 14-deg bounce for conditions here in TX (apart from a 52* with a smaller bounce).  For increasing your options, it may be good to see what is the bounce on your other wedges have and what shots having that set-up helps you or prevents you from executing.  Hope that helps.

[rehmwa]

I use my LW all the time and consider it one of the best clubs in my bag (58 or 60 or whatever).

like all the clubs - if you can play it or not it is pretty much an individual call vs some generality on handicap.

[Club Rat]

I have had a 60* in my bag since the beginning some 40+ years of play.
I hit many poor shots and good shots in the early days while I was learning, but quickly learned 
when to use it properly. 

While it is not necessary my go-to club around the green, it certainly opens options when needed.

[ncates00]

I don't see why 60+ would be an issue.  I carry a 60 and 64.  On full shots they really help dial in that part of the bag.  I carry my 64 75y and my 60 88y.  Around the greens I use mostly the 60, but I'll use a 64 if I've short sided myself or need to get the ball up really, really quickly.  It just takes practice and really...commitment to the shot.  If you're not committed, you'll get bad results.  For me it's all about keeping the loft on the face with my right hand going back and coming through.  I don't really accelerate through (feeling wise)- I more or less just keep the same speed back and through- sort of like making a simple tossing motion.  Open up the face and use the bounce.

[Patch]

A little true story about a 72* wedge. I may heve told this already, but it is fun story. 

I was with my nephew at some course north of Ft Worth. "Willow" something was the name of the course. 

The day before we were at Sports Academy (?), and there was this 72*  wedge being sold for $30. We laughed about it, but I went a head and bought it. 

Now I could hit my 60* wedge consistently well at the time. However, this 72* was something not of this world. I couldn't hit it to save my soul. I actually didn't think I could hit it, so it was more fun than frustrating

At the range, a guy was in  the station next to me, with a caddy no less. There was tournament going on. He saw me fooling around with the wedge, and asked about it. Showed it to him, and asked if could hit a few with it. Both he, and his caddy tried it. Neither one had much luck with it. The golfer kept hitting it trying to figure it out. 

After we were finished with our own range session, we went to the 19th for s soda. The golfer's caddy saw us, and came over.  When asked why he was not with his pro, he told us that 72* wedge screwed him up so bad, that he withdrew during the second hole. He couldn't hit anything in their bag. That he was indeed a scratch golfer, and they were there qualifying for something. 

I left that wedge in Texas.