Should I Carry a Lob Wedge?

[Wilbersmith]

 I'm an 17 h/cap and I am not sure weather I should carry a lob wedge or just a sand wedge

[boogielicious]

3 hours ago, Wilbersmith said:

 I'm an 17 h/cap and I am not sure weather I should carry a lob wedge or just a sand wedge

I carry a 58 degree lob wedge in addition to my 54 SW. if you are good with the sand wedge, you can probably handle a 58. I would not recommend a 60 though. They are harder to hit.

[Piz]

I have collected enough wedges, over the years, to open up my own shop.  My two favorites, at present, are a 54/10 and a 58/8.  The only time I carry both is on trips to the range.  When playing; I do better sticking with one or the other.  A few degrees does not make a wedge more or less difficult to use; but it does require a slightly different mind set.  A higher lofted wedge, in the right hands and circumstances, can be quite useful; but you have to use it often enough to have confidence in what you are doing.  Otherwise...in my case...you spend the day landing short or dribbling long.

[Wilbersmith]

Thanks for your comments. I have come to the same conclusions. I have now taken the lob wedge out and put the 5 iron back in.

[Patch]

Owning a LW, and being able to get positive use out of it, is sort of a badge of honor for a lot of amateurs. It can also be a very humbling club. I suspect many LWs are resting on the bottom of more than a few water hazards, being thrown there by frusterated ball strikers. 

A possible negative to owning a LW, is that it will take up space in the golfer's bag. Space that could be better used for a more stroke saving club. 

On a positive note, using a LW, and sticking the ball near the pin feels pretty darn good, and is a great confidence booster.

I carry a 60 LW, and I find situations to use it in just about every round I play. That said, I could probably get by without it, while using other clubs in those same situations. All I would need to do is manipulate those other club's faces by opening them a little. An open club face, with a shorter swing, using another wedge,  will do what a LW will do in a lot of situations. 

Edited September 15, 2018 by Patch

[chilepepper]

I carry a 60. But only after I put some pratice into it. 

[MarvChamp]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I would not recommend a 60 though. They are harder to hit.

Agree with this, at least it is my experience. I can hit it in practice but results are not as consistent as my 56. I followed my pro's advice and left it at home. Best, -Marv

[Hacker James]

Awhile back I gave my grandson a starter set of clubs that did not have a sand wedge. I threw in a Lob from my 3 piece set of Tom Watson figuring I could get by without it and it would suffice for use in bunkers for him. In retrospect, I probably should have kept the lob and given him the sand.  This also gave me an excuse to buy a new set of wedges, one of which is a 60 degree lob. I have no problem hitting it and it usually comes into play several times during a round.

Edited September 15, 2018 by Hacker James

[Wilbersmith]

4 hours ago, MarvChamp said:

Agree with this, at least it is my experience. I can hit it in practice but results are not as consistent as my 56. I followed my pro's advice and left it at home. Best, -Marv

I also agree, we all need to be more consistent. I'm taking mine out & putting the  5 iron back in.

[Moxley]

Agree with a lot of what @Patch has said. 

Although of late I've been getting by with just my 54, where I do like the lob wedge is for shots that are fairly tight/hard lies, and with little room to work with - in these scenarios I'd tend to open up my 54, but it's a more difficult shot than if I had a 60+ degree wedge with less bounce that I could hit with a squarer face. It depends a lot on course too - I have a lot of those types of shots on my home course, whereas at other courses with softer ground it isn't an issue. 

[Wilbersmith]

🤠Yes that makes a lot of sense regarding tight lies and the courses that you are playing. I have found that on my own course Whetstone Hinckley Leicestershire I can go a number of rounds without using my lob wedge. Also when I carry it plus SW I only get confused as to which one to use in various situations.  So I'm taking LW out.

Edited September 16, 2018 by Wilbersmith

[iacas]

FWIW I don’t go along with the idea that you should have less bounce in a lob wedge. My lob wedge has over 20 degrees of bounce and I can hit it off hardpan dirt if needed.

Bounce is your friend. Just make sure the sole width isn’t super wide.

[Wilbersmith]

Thanks iacas. There r so many different opinions on this subject all valid for each individual. After a lot of reflection I shall take the LW out and see if I miss it. If I don't itell stay out.

[iacas]

17 minutes ago, Wilbersmith said:

There r so many different opinions on this subject all valid for each individual.

Let's not get carried away now.

BTW @Wilbersmith, you should finish filling out your profile with things like your handicap index, handedness, etc.

[billchao]

Wow, there's a lot of "hate" out there for the LW. I play a 60/08 and it's my primary short game club. Part of it is due to the fact that I dislike almost everything about my 56° now, but I digress.

I don't find it any harder to hit good shots with the 60° than the 56°, but I also never hit full swings with either club. It took me some time to learn when I shouldn't open the face with the 60°, but that was really the only learning curve. I can hit a variety of shots with it and any lies that might give me difficulty with the 60° would be hard with any wedge in my hands. 

[Wilbersmith]

Hi billchao. You'll be talking me into putting my LW back in the bag and trying shorter swings with it. At the moment I am more consistent with the 55 degree SW😖

[Vinsk]

13 hours ago, Wilbersmith said:

Hi billchao. You'll be talking me into putting my LW back in the bag and trying shorter swings with it. At the moment I am more consistent with the 55 degree SW😖

It’s best to mention someone by using the “@“ then start typing the name and choices will appear to which you can select your intended member. @Wilbersmith

[Wilbersmith]

@ Vinson. ThanThanks for the heads up 😊

@Vinskthink I got it correct thiis time. Thanks for the heads up 😉