Driver vs. 60* Lob Wedge

[Pa Jayhawk]

Why do you need a 60* from deep rough from the tee?

???? I'm lost
The only comments I saw about even using it from the rough were Rock's Joke about hitting one 450 yards and your initial comments???

Didn't know who this was directed towards. I personally usually opt for a 7i or GW for the most part, depending on what the circumstances allow for punching out of mess, as they are the clubs I am most comfortable with on regulating distance and roll.

[dave.]

I think he meant it,he is saying the 60* may be required to get out of deep rough.I disagree.If he is joking,then fair enough.I would used a sand iron,the lob wegde can't get the ball out of anything a si can't

[Rockford35]

???? I'm lost
The only comments I saw about even using it from the rough were Rock's Joke about hitting one 450 yards....

Joke? You obviously haven't seen me blade a lob wedge!

R35

[Pa Jayhawk]

Joke? You obviously haven't seen me blade a lob wedge!

R35

I knew you were joking, when I first starting using my LW it definately seconded as a 1i on occasion. Unfortunately I was usually only 20 yards from the green. I did have the experience of hitting a LW over the green, over the next tee box with a foresome teeing off and about 100 yards in the next fairway. I picked it up on the next hole, I think it may have been better than my shot off the next tee. Just planning ahead I guess. One of my learning experiences that taught me to try to stay away from is to using my LW for many flop shots.

[Slingblade61]

I agree with dave.

I fell for the 60* hype for 1/2 a season. I learned rather quickly that it wasn't worth a shit in my hands so I divorced it a little over a year ago and picked up a 5 wood instead.....we are very happy together, thank you.

[Rockford35]

I learned rather quickly that it wasn't worth a shit in my hands so I divorced it a little over a year ago...

It's not the arrow....

Which leads me back to the original point here. Higher handicappers need to instill better course management skills into their repetoire. Ergo, dropping clubs like a 3 iron, lob wedge and the driver if need be. There's no sense smashing your head against a wall when you're more apt to work on fundamentals to get your game in gear.

You can shoot par with a 7 iron and a putter. But it's tough. You might as well learn to use a few more clubs to make this game easier, not tougher on yourself.

I've been at both ends of the spectrum. I've shot 110 in the past, and 69 once too. And I bet I could shoot both without my lob wedge.

R35

[Pa Jayhawk]

Let me throw this into the mix to match my original point. Outside of trying to justify a LW for those who are willing to commit the necessary time and practice.

Should a mid to high handicap consider a High lofted big faced driver like say 13* and a 5 wood to backup their game, as opposed to carrying a low lofted (10* in my case) slicing their driver into infinity to help their game.

I honestly feel that a LW and Driver hold the same characteristics, they are both high risk~reward. They are both clubs that if practiced and hit well can improve the game.

It is all a matter of perspective on what cost you strokes, and may potentially save strokes in the end.

Or is it all a matter of "balls" and perspective on supporting an image.

[Rockford35]

Jayhawk,

I understand your position here completely. However, I think you've really combined two groups of golfers that are entirely different - those who practice "a lot" and those who are high handicappers. More often, these two aren't the same breed. One breeds the other. No practice, swing errors and no lessons usually equals high handicap, while the guy that hits 400 balls a week at the range, putts for 6 hours and is known at the pro shop as "Ty" usually isn't a high handicapper.

If you have a good perception of your game, you strengths and weaknesses, you hit the driver well and probably have a better idea of how and why your lob wedge game suffers. I think it's just the opposite, that higher handicappers try to master the clubs they don't have to, and ignore the ones they should. Would you give up your driver for a season if it meant no three putts? Of course you would, and your game would improve accordingly.

I bet I hit my lob wedge 15 times last season, tops. Most of the time, I wonder why I carry it. And I bet half of those were you're aforementioned "balls" shots. But 99% of the time, I can get away with hitting a 56* or a 54* wedge, short of being in deep rough and needing to stop it dead over a bunker. And I think this is my point, that you have to be creative and imaginative to carry a small number on your handicap. Tiger doesn't get out of the woods with his driver, he uses his gap wedge.

Some guys can master the lob. All the power to them. I just don't think that promoting the 60* wedge as an "essential" to a bag is the right direction.

R35

[dave.]

2 very good posts.Yes the lobby needs a lot of practice,but imo,so does hitting a lob with a 56,but the 56 will still be the more consistent shot for 99% of handicap players.NOT using a lob also means you can drop in a hybrid for a 3 iron,AND carry a 4 wood.Like Rocks 15 last year,I haven't hit a lob with my 56 for so long I can't remember.In summer I will need a few,but the 56 with low bounce will do the job.

The pros can lift the ball so it almost hits their noses,and stop it dead even under 10 yards.Its an impressive shot but they need it on tour with the lighting greens,difficult pins and awful rough around the flag

[Pa Jayhawk]

Jayhawk,

I understand your position here completely. However, I think you've really combined two groups of golfers that are entirely different - those who practice "a lot" and those who are high handicappers. More often, these two aren't the same breed. One breeds the other. No practice, swing errors and no lessons usually equals high handicap, while the guy that hits 400 balls a week at the range, putts for 6 hours and is known at the pro shop as "Ty" usually isn't a high handicapper.

This actually makes a very interesting point, and as obvious as it may seem, it is really one that I did not give a great deal of thought too. Or at least not as much as I should. Thinking about it, I've actually always divided the practice into groups. Whether it be ball striking, Putting, shortgame, or even Mental for that matter.

I guess if I had to venture in classifying my own status based on past performance and where my game is currently headed, I am more of a Mid Handicap. In relation to your comment, I probably fit that catagory in large part because I do not dedicate a ton of time practicing, so I direct that time at what I see would best improve my game. That being the short game. On the flip side to that, I feel that most people that try to develop between High to mid more concentrate their time on ball striking and particularly their driver. So I guess I understand the difference between the two, and I guess a big part of my reasoning is I see far too many people that hit balls for 2 hours and skip the greens, and with exception to their driver they hit pretty well. Although they will usually spend the most amount of time on their driver.

And I guess in large part my point is that if you spend the necessary time to be good at either the LW or Driver then in all actuality you may no longer fit into the catagory we are discussing, but would infact be a low handicap. I would venture to say based on your reasoning that I would possibly feel that higher handicaps possibly should not find room in their bag for a LW, simply because the time necessary to affectively use one may be better spent on the green for chips and putts. That said, I played today and my driver once again cost me far more stokes than my LW, and I infact probably used my LW more than my driver. I paid specific attention to this today and out of the round I hit my driver 6 times and it cost me probably 3 strokes. It was an unusually high day for my LW, which I used probably 9~10 times as opposed to the 4-5 that I usually rely on it, and it only cost me 1 where I would venture to say it may have saved me 3-4 strokes. Although it saved me probably 4 over another alternative in the long run I only had 26 putts so being a little further from the hole may not have mattered with that said.

Maybe it is time to spend more time with my driver and less with my LW. My original point is that I do believe that Short game is the big key, and my LW is now a big part of that, but maybe it is time that I better utilize my practice and work on my driver.

I think at this point we would all agree that neither the Driver or LW will serve you well if you do not spend the necessary time to practice regardless of your handicap.

[dave.]

Agreed.But remember,when pros talk about practicing the lob wedge,they have ALL DAY to practice,7 days a week if they want to.How much practice time do we have to dedicate a significant proportion of it to a difficult club to master,when in fact you may hardly ever need it and even then another club will do.?

[Silver]

I think that we're getting away from the point here - no one doubts that a lob is hard to hit, but is it harder to hit a decent 60* than a decent driver? Which one causes more trouble if mishit? Which one saves more strokes if hit properly?

[Rockford35]

I think the difference is in the club design. A driver is built for forgiveness, distance and maximum swingspeed. I doubt anyone buys a 60* wedge for forgiveness or to maximize distance. It's made for precision and utility. And, if you can't get your hand eye to hit the bloody 7 iron onto the green in the first place, what's to think you can weild a weapon of accuracy like a 60* lob wedge and expect to execute?

When you hit a banana and it goes outta bounds, you're pissed off. But when you fluff a 60* wedge, the first thing you say is "I shoulda played my 8 iron there...". You don't say "I should hit the 2 iron instead of the driver on this hole."

R35

[Davebud]

I think the difference is in the club design. A driver is built for forgiveness, distance and maximum swingspeed. I doubt anyone buys a 60* wedge for forgiveness or to maximize distance. It's made for precision and utility. And, if you can't get your hand eye to hit the bloody 7 iron onto the green in the first place, what's to think you can weild a weapon of accuracy like a 60* lob wedge and expect to execute?

When you hit a banana and it goes outta bounds, you're pissed off. But when you fluff a 60* wedge, the first thing you say is "I shoulda played my 8 iron there...". You don't say "I should hit the 2 iron instead of the driver on this hole."

R35

Nope but when I muff the drive and it rolls off the front of the tee box, I do say "Sh!t I could have done better than that with my 60*"

[Silver]

When you hit a banana and it goes outta bounds, you're pissed off. But when you fluff a 60* wedge, the first thing you say is "I shoulda played my 8 iron there...". You don't say "I should hit the 2 iron instead of the driver on this hole."

R35

Actually, I often say "I should have hit my 3 wood" or "I should have hit my 3H"

But that's me F'in bananas...