How to Get the Most from Your Lob Wedge (Video) - by Pete Styles
How to Get the Most from Your Lob Wedge (Video) - by Pete Styles

Always I am never a massive fan of advocating people overly using a lob wedge. The right time and places, when I actually use my lob wedge, when a lot of people would expect me to use maybe a lower lofted club. And the purpose of using a lob wedge is not always to generate maximum height, but it can also be used in generating maximum spin, the ability to stop the ball on the green, is quite an important facet in any good player’s game. So normally a lob wedge, if we played it full power, full speed, middle of the stance, full grip, we would be hitting this thing nice and high up in the air, still in the air, still in the air, still in the air, landing now. And that’s gone about 70 yards, but a long time in the air.

Now if I decided I wanted to hit the ball slightly short a distance, slightly lower flight, but still to get the ball to spin, my option might be, if I go down to a pitching wedge, it would go low, it might go shorter, if I knock it down. But it would also come down with less spin and if I want this ball to stop quite aggressively, quite quickly, I am going to play my lob wedge, I am going to play it back in my stance, I am going to play it very sharp, very cutting stroke. So I will drop it back into the back third of my stance, play it with my hands, nicely ahead, play a lot of bodyweight into my left side and a little grip down. So a grip down, that takes a bit of power away, but gives me more control. I can now play the shot with quite a steep descending angle of attack and the ball will shoot out quite low, but it would have plenty of backspin. So I will make sure, I have got myself a nice, a nice soft golf ball spin, spin golf ball rather than a distance ball, a nice clean grooves, quite fresh grooves as well if I have got a relatively new wedge, that would always help, play the ball back in my stance and knock it down. This ball comes out lower and lands a lot quicker landing now, it’s gone about 60 yards, it’s gone lower, but still maintain quite a lot of spin, certainly a lot more spin than if I was to play that shot with a pitching wedge out to the center of my stance. So don’t overuse your lob wedge, when you don’t need it, but understand it’s a versatile club, it doesn’t just need to play the high lob wedge shot all the time, you can play the little knockdown shots from around the side of the green, lower flights, plenty of spin. Learn to make friends with your lob wedge, it’s a valuable club in your bag. 2013-09-17

Always I am never a massive fan of advocating people overly using a lob wedge. The right time and places, when I actually use my lob wedge, when a lot of people would expect me to use maybe a lower lofted club. And the purpose of using a lob wedge is not always to generate maximum height, but it can also be used in generating maximum spin, the ability to stop the ball on the green, is quite an important facet in any good player’s game. So normally a lob wedge, if we played it full power, full speed, middle of the stance, full grip, we would be hitting this thing nice and high up in the air, still in the air, still in the air, still in the air, landing now. And that’s gone about 70 yards, but a long time in the air.

Now if I decided I wanted to hit the ball slightly short a distance, slightly lower flight, but still to get the ball to spin, my option might be, if I go down to a pitching wedge, it would go low, it might go shorter, if I knock it down. But it would also come down with less spin and if I want this ball to stop quite aggressively, quite quickly, I am going to play my lob wedge, I am going to play it back in my stance, I am going to play it very sharp, very cutting stroke. So I will drop it back into the back third of my stance, play it with my hands, nicely ahead, play a lot of bodyweight into my left side and a little grip down. So a grip down, that takes a bit of power away, but gives me more control.

I can now play the shot with quite a steep descending angle of attack and the ball will shoot out quite low, but it would have plenty of backspin. So I will make sure, I have got myself a nice, a nice soft golf ball spin, spin golf ball rather than a distance ball, a nice clean grooves, quite fresh grooves as well if I have got a relatively new wedge, that would always help, play the ball back in my stance and knock it down.

This ball comes out lower and lands a lot quicker landing now, it’s gone about 60 yards, it’s gone lower, but still maintain quite a lot of spin, certainly a lot more spin than if I was to play that shot with a pitching wedge out to the center of my stance. So don’t overuse your lob wedge, when you don’t need it, but understand it’s a versatile club, it doesn’t just need to play the high lob wedge shot all the time, you can play the little knockdown shots from around the side of the green, lower flights, plenty of spin. Learn to make friends with your lob wedge, it’s a valuable club in your bag.