Golfers are always striving to improve their game and lower their scores. One of the key ways to put lower numbers on the scorecard is to improve their play around the green. This is known as the "short game" and generally includes, pitching, chipping and putting. The lob wedge is a club that can help golfers improve their pitching. The lob wedge helps golfers get the ball to the green and land it softly in order to set up an achievable putt.
Function
The lob wedge is a club that will allow golfers to hit their ball high and land it softly from short distances in the golf course. It should only be used on shots of 60 yards or less. It is an ideal club when hitting over a hazard, such as water, a bunker or a tree. The lob wedge will get ball up and when struck correctly will land it softly. Golfers can reasonably expect to hit a shot with a lob wedge to within 10 feet of the flag stick once they are used to hitting with the club.
Features
The lob wedge has a rather extreme angle of loft on the club face and that is why it can hit the ball high but not far. The lob wedge is usually lofted at about 60 degrees and in some cases go up to 64 degrees. This will help golfers stop the ball quickly when it lands on the green.
History
This club was first invented in 1931, but it did not become popularized until the 1980s when pro golfer Tom Kite started using the club. Kite had always been one of the top short game practitioners to begin with and when he started using the lob wedge other pro golfers quickly followed his lead. By the end of the decade, it was a staple in most pro golfers' bags and then amateurs started using it with regularity. Today, golfer Phil Mickelson is known as perhaps the best lob wedge practitioner in the game.
Considerations
Most people think the 64 degree lob wedge has more loft than any other club. There is also an X-wedge that has goes as high as 67 or 68 degrees. This is a very difficult club because if golfers do not hit it exactly on the sweet spot, the ball will fly high but come down within a few yards of where it was struck. The lob wedge and the X-wedge both require quite a bit of practice before golfers can perfect their shots.
Potential
The lob wedge will give golfers greater control over their short game and their overall score once they learn to hit it correctly. It can take as many as five shots off a score for a given round if golfers find themselves with a lot of short shots within 50 yards of the green. Golfers must always remember to finish with their hands high if they are going to get the ball to stop shortly after it lands.
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