Conquer your lob wedge disasters by following this simple lesson

If you’re an amateur golfer, you probably fear the lob wedge just a little bit. That’s not meant as a dig, but the facts are clear: The lob wedge’s extreme loft makes its one of the more difficult clubs to hit.

Hell, even the great Lee Trevino once said that most amateurs have no idea how to “use the damn thing” when referring to the lob wedge.

Short Game

But understanding when to use the lob wedge is almost as important as knowing how. So if you lack confidence or straight up fear using the damn thing, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jason Birnbaum’s here to help.

gThe video below explains his tips, so give it a look!

Master the lob wedge with these tips

“I want to talk to you about when to use the lob wedge, the most-lofted club in your bag,” Birnbaum says. “The only time I want you to use this is when you’re close to the green and you’ve got to hit the ball and get it to land softly without any roll-out.”

Birnbaum then says that following simple fundamentals while setting up is most important to hit a proper lob wedge shot.

“Setup is key, with a really wide stance and the ball forward,” he tells me. “I’m then going to open the clubface a bit and make this a little bit more of a wristy shot, using the back bottom part of the club [aka the bounce] to go into the turf a little bit.”

Bunker Shots

After describing how the setup should look with the lob wedge, Birnbaum busts out a visual for me to better understand the angle of the clubface, sticking a plastic arrow on it to show me where it should be pointing at address.

“A lot of times, golfers hit this shot and the arrow’s pointing low or to the left. Those are the ones that’ll come out screaming and not stop rolling,” he adds. “I want to feel like I’m using so much wrist that when I come through, the arrow’s pointing straight to the sky.”

The image below shows how the clubface should appear at address when using a lob wedge.

As Birnbaum demonstrates a shot, he reminds me to get the “back bottom of the club into the turf,” which is going to help elevate the ball and help it land softly onto the putting surface.

“It’s a weird shot because you’re almost stabbing at it a little bit, but with the high-lofted club and the face being open, that’s a good thing.”

Titleist Vokey SM10 Raw Custom Wedge

For every shot, every lie, every course, there’s a grind fit for your swing. Finding the right grind to match your swing and playing conditions will give you the best turf interaction, contact and shot performance. Master Craftsman Bob Vokey has spent decades crafting, developing and improving his tour proven grinds to fit players of all levels. Anyone can manufacture a wedge, but it takes a master to turn a piece of high-performance technology into an instrument of creative control. Bob’s six tour-proven grinds are designed to offer maximum creativity, versatility and consistency, all meticulously developed through years of working with the best players in the world. PROGRESSIVE CENTER OF GRAVITY SM9 features a progressive center of gravity (CG) throughout the lofts, which optimizes ball flight, accuracy and forgiveness. Using tapered top lines and varied hosel lengths, the Vokey R&D team has raised the height of the CG in the higher lofts, which promotes a lower, more controlled flight. The CG is also forward of the face, resulting in increased MOI, exceptional feel and a club face that simply wants to square up at impact. SPIN MILLED GROOVES SM9’s patented Spin Milled grooves are meticulously engineered through a new cutting process to maximize spin and durability. The process starts by cutting the face perfectly flat with a high-speed saw. Then every groove is individually cut based on loft and finish; low lofts (46°-54°) are designed with narrower, deeper grooves, while higher lofts (56°-62°) have wider, shallower grooves. Micro-grooves are individually cut in between grooves, which maximize spin on partial shots. A proprietary heat treatment is applied to the impact area which doubles the durability of the groove without impacting feel, making it the most durable groove in golf. The process is only complete when every Vokey wedge is 100% inspected for utmost quality and performance.

$225 from Fairway Jockey

View Product