The lob wedge is a club that can help a golfer gain a significant competitive advantage when playing the short game. This club, which usually has a loft of between 57 and 60 degrees, is used to hit the ball over hazards like water, bunkers and trees, and is designed to land the ball softly on the green and come to a stop shortly after landing. While it is an effective club to use to help your short game, it will not hit the ball a great distance.
Considerations
You should use your lob wedge when you have a short pitch shot left to get your ball on the green. What does short mean? It has a different meaning to most golfers because everyone hits their shots different distances. However, most medium-handicap golfers can hit their pitching wedge about 100 to 110 yards. That means you should be able to hit your lob wedge when you are 70 yards or less to the green.
Function
The idea behind the lob wedge is that the golfer will be able to hit the ball very high with the club and that the extreme loft of a lob wedge enables the golfer to land the ball "softly" on the green and stop quickly. A well-struck shot with the lob wedge should enable the golfer to land the ball within 12 feet of the hole.
Distance
There is a trick to getting extra distance from all your irons, including the lob wedge. If the golfer angles the face of the club forward so there is less of a loft angle at impact, your lob wedge can get the same distance as your pitching wedge or 9-iron. So instead of hitting it 65 to 75 yards, you can hit it 100 to 120 yards. However, if that's the distance you need to hit the ball, take your pitching wedge or 9-iron. No reason to take your lob wedge for any other purpose except a short shot to the green or to pitch the ball over and past a hazard.
History
The lob wedge became a much more popular club when pro golfer Tom Kite started using it in the 1980s. Kite was a master of the short game to begin with, but when he started using a lob wedge with its high angle of loft, he became even more dangerous. His shots landed softly on the green and other pro golfers followed his lead and started using the club. Amateur golfers started using the club regularly in the 1990s and it is now one of the most popular clubs in the game.
Effects
Using a lob wedge can easily take two to three shots off your average score and can lower your handicap by two or three strokes by the end of a golf season. While it may take two or three rounds to get used to the club, it should give you more security around the green. When you learn to hit the lob wedge correctly, it will allow your shot to land close to the hole and then stop shortly after landing.
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