Equipment

Is the lob wedge overrated? – GolfWRXers have their say

Published

6 years ago

May 4, 2020

In our forums, our members have been discussing the lob wedge after WRXer ‘dalehead’ suggested that the club might not be necessary. ‘Dalehead’ says:

“Most recreational players are not very good with their wedges to begin with. Adding a lob wedge just gives them another option to use to skull or chili dip a shot. Tour pros could hit the same shots with a 56-degree sand wedge as they do with a lob wedge. The one exception is the short side pitch over a bunker, and even there the sand wedge would work, especially with the hours of practice those guys put in on their short games.”

Our members have been having their say on the subject, with plenty of interesting takes being offered up.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

Fuscinator: “If you practice enough with a lob wedge, it’s worth carrying. You can go for more pins if you’re less worried about missing it on the short side. They CAN be addicting, though.”
Z1ggy16: “Depends. Idk about other players but I prefer a bit more bounce on my 54* because I play it mostly square. I would not want to open up a mid to higher bounced sand wedge on a tightly packed/firm bunker… let alone one with a larger lip. That’s where my lob wedge comes in. It also gives me the option to hit high soft pitches to front pins in that 20-30 yard range… tough for me to do with 54*. I tend to agree that for not very good players… the less loft you have around the greens the better, but a lot of us also don’t play on PGA Tour set ups, with fine white sand as fluffy and soft as pillows. Many of us just get dirt.”
Drivingrangehero: “Waste of a spot in my bag, so I removed it. I found that I could do the same with my 56* and preferred to use the 56* over the lob anyways. I dropped the 3 wood and the Lob wedge as well. In their place, I was able to carry a strong 2 hybrid and a 2 iron. Lob wedges were not a staple in professional golfers bags till the 80-90’s, and it seems like they are more of a rescue club from tough lies around the greens. You don’t see many full swings from 85 yards on tour like you do in public golf.”
Pingistheanser: “Amen. That’s why I don’t carry a lob wedge anymore. There isn’t a shot that I need to hit that I cant hit with a 56 and the shots that you can hit with a 60 but can’t hit with a 56, I probably shouldn’t be trying anyways. Taking the lob wedge out of the bag, and taking the flop shot out of their game is one of the smartest things a high handicapper can do to lower their scores.”
Powderedtoastman: “Those who believe the LW is overrated haven’t had the chance to use it fully to its potential. Pros would rather use 260cc drivers than give up the LW.”
Scottbox: “They’re fantastic for golfers 15 handicap and lower. Otherwise, it’s best that you learn to use your SW and all the different shots you can execute with it.”

Entire Thread: “Is the lob wedge overrated?”

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected]

3 Comments

Mario Blanco

May 6, 2020 at 10:03 am

I carry 52-56-60 (low bounce), no way I am leaving the 60 degrees out. In the holiday bag I got 52-58-62 (medium bounce), if it’s not too dry, I might leave the 62 out. Both

On hard pan, you cannot open a 56 to make it 65 degrees without having the front edge way off the ground, you’re just asking for trouble. It depends on your level of confidence, I trust my flop shots 100% so I should carry a lob wedge, if that’s not your case, leave it in the garage.

Reply Report comment
Richard Douglas

May 4, 2020 at 9:49 pm

Almost any tool can hurt you if you don’t know how to use it.

I can’t imagine working around the green without one. Yes, flop shots are a part of it, but so are most shots from the fairway >50yds. I also use it for a lot of my shorter bunker shots, especially from hard sand. (I don’t have to open the face as much and expose the flange to the hard sand, reducing the risk of bouncing the wedge into the ball.)

The lob wedge is no different than any other club in the back, except for (a) more loft and (b) less bounce than the SW.

For me personally, I need it because my SW is the same length as the rest of my set. This makes it less utile around the greens, especially if you need to open the face.

Finally, what would I replace it with? I probably hit 10 shots per round with it, easily. What do I need on the other end that would get anywhere near that amount of use? Another wood? another hybrid? No. I hit a lot of approach shots on par-4 and par-5 holes with it, use it to stop short pitches and chips, and use it at least three-quarters of the time from bunkers. Other than the putter, it is the most valuable club in my bag. And when I hit that lob straight up in the air, I’d like to see you do that with a 56-degree wedge with all that bounce. Better not miss!

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Joeoe

May 4, 2020 at 8:44 pm

A sand wedge is more than enough loft for any shot.

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Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

58 mins ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.

Whats in the Bag

Ryan Palmer WITB 2026 (June)

Published

60 mins ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (9 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 60 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 70 6.5

5-wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max (18 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80 TX

Irons: Srixon ZXiU (23 degrees), Srixon Z785 MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 100 6.5 (4), KBS Tour 130 X

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (50-08F, 54-10S, 58-04T @59)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X

Putter: Odyssey Dual Force Rossie II

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Check out more in-hand photos of Ryan Palmer’s clubs here.

Equipment

Slab city on the Korn Ferry Tour — Lead Tape Report

Published

22 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.

Joel Thelen

Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.

First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.

Mitchell Meissner

Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.