Want to hit beautiful lob shots? Do these 10 things, says top teacher
Hitting a lob shot can be an effective tool to add to your short game, so here's how to hit one perfectly!
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Hitting a perfectly executed lob shot is a sight to behold, with the ball launching super high into the air before landing without much roll-out whatsoever.
While the lob shot is a fun one to hit, they sure can be difficult — especially if you’re an amateur golfer, as so many things can go wrong when trying to pull off this short game shot.
But with good technique and a bit of practice, you can hit amazing lob shots — and I show you how below.
1. Only use when needed
Hitting a lob shot is scary for a number of reasons, so only use it when you really need to.
Since the ball travels really high and only a short distance, you must use a larger swing size — which adds plenty of risk. Should you use this large swing and don’t hit the ground properly (or make bad contact), there’s a chance you flight it and see a poor shot result.
2. Grab your most-lofted club
You certainly want to use your most-lofted club when hitting a lob shot, so, yes, now’s the time to use a lob wedge (typically between 58-60 degrees of loft). By using one of these clubs, the increased loft may be enough to execute the shot you want to without adding too much risk.
3. Swing size controls distance
Your swing size will largely control the distance of a lob shot. Larger swings are naturally faster and will produce more distance, while smaller swings will lead to a shorter result.
As mentioned above, for a lob shot, you’re typically taking a larger swing to produce a bit more speed — which also helps with spin and lift.
4. You must hit the ground
It’s imperative that you hit the ground when executing a lob shot, which ensures that the ball gets into the air. If you don’t do this, you risk skulling it, watching the ball fly low and far instead of high and soft.
To make contact with the ground, make sure to use good golf posture and extend your arms downward on the downswing.
5. Utilize the bounce
For those unaware, the rounded bottom of your lofted wedges is called the bounce, which allows you to hit the ground so that the club glides rather than digging.
In order to use the bounce properly, set your club flat on its bottom so that the bounce rests on the ground. This will help it glide and minimize the risk of chunking or skulling the shot.
I personally like to see that the markings on the grip of my club are centered and never twisted or closed towards the target. Also, having the right wedge grind and bounce degree are important — which is why I like to get fitted by TrueSpec to confirm I’ve got the right clubs in my bag.
6. Lean the handle back
At address, always avoid leaning the club shaft forward when hitting a lob shot, as this will decrease the loft of the club in your hand. Remember, you want the most-lofted club, so I recommend leaning it back (or opening it) even more if you need to.
So make sure that the end of the club points toward the center of your body. The backwards lean will help increase loft and bounce, and may simply be the only adjustment you need to hit a higher lob shot that quickly sits down.
7. Open the face
A more advanced golfer may choose to open the face just a tad by rotating the grip away from the target, which helps increase the loft and bounce. When you open up the clubface, the ball will automatically go higher and shorter — but this also requires a larger swing for a comparable distance, so keep that in mind.
If you do decide to open the face, it tends to aim away from your target, so be mindful of this and realign the face towards the target when setting up to the ball.
8. Under-release
A popular method to use in order to produce a beautiful lob shot is under-releasing — where you allow the clubhead to pass the handle on the forward swing so that the club shaft is leaning away from the target at impact.
This should feel like you’re almost flipping the trail hand right before impact and really releasing the clubhead, which helps increase both loft and bounce.
9. Take practice swings
Since a lob shot often requires using a larger swing from a shorter distance, I highly recommend taking a practice swing or two. This will help you feel the bottom of your club hitting the ground, as well as getting a sense for the swing size and rhythm.
10. It’s better to be long than to be short
For most amateur golfers, it can be tough to convince yourself to take a big enough swing when hitting a lob shot. But remember that you’ve got more loft on the club, so you’ll need to increase your backswing to avoid coming up short.
I always remind myself that it’s better to be long than to be short on a lob shot, which helps me avoid any long grass or sand that I’m trying to cover in front of me. It’s also a good way to convince myself to make a big enough swing.
Nick Dimengo
Golf.com Editor
