Golf Glossary
Lob Wedge
In short
The lob wedge is the club with the most loft in a golf bag, usually between 58 and 64 degrees. It sends the ball high and short onto the green, where it lands softly and hardly rolls. You use it for shots over obstacles, from awkward lies and for the flop shot.
What is a lob wedge?
The lob wedge, LW for short, is the wedge with the steepest clubface angle. In English a lob is a high, soft ball, as in tennis. A wedge is named after the wedge-like shape of the clubhead. A lob wedge is therefore a wedge for high, soft shots.
In the bag it sits at the end of the wedge family: pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge and finally the lob wedge. It does not come with a normal iron set and is almost always bought separately. Many beginners play for a long time without one and manage well with a pitching wedge and a sand wedge.
With a lob wedge the ball starts very steeply, stays in the air for a long time and drops at a steep angle. After landing it rolls only a few metres. The lob wedge is a specialist tool for the short game, not an everyday club.
Lob wedge loft and design
Loft is the angle of the clubface. On a lob wedge it is typically between 58 and 64 degrees. The most common values are 58, 60 and 62 degrees. The more loft, the higher and shorter the ball flies. For many players a 60-degree wedge is a good middle ground.
Besides loft, bounce matters. This is the angle on the sole that stops the leading edge digging into the ground. Lob wedges often have low to mid bounce, frequently between about 4 and 10 degrees. That suits firm lies and shots where the face is opened wide. On soft ground or in fluffy sand, low bounce digs in more easily.
The shaft length is similar to a sand wedge, usually around 35 inches, or about 89 centimetres. The short shaft helps with control and feel. Many makers offer several sole shapes, known as grinds. A sole with the heel and toe ground away makes it easier to open the face. Which combination of loft, bounce and grind suits you depends on your swing and the courses you play.
Lob wedge distance: a rough guide
A lob wedge travels a short way and the distance depends strongly on your swing. As a rough guide for a full shot:
- Many male club golfers: about 55 to 80 metres of carry.
- Many women club golfers: about 35 to 60 metres of carry.
- Beginners: often less, while contact is still inconsistent.
Carry is the distance the ball travels in the air. With a lob wedge the ball then, as a rule of thumb, rolls only one to three metres.
In practice most golfers rarely hit the lob wedge with full power. A full swing with so much loft is hard to control, and small contact errors change the distance a lot. Three-quarter, half and quarter swings are more usual. Each of these lengths gives a fixed distance, for example 20, 35 and 50 metres.
Measure these numbers yourself. On a range with a launch monitor, hit ten balls with the same swing and note the average carry. Comparing yourself with others helps little, because your own swing is what counts.
When should you use the lob wedge?
The lob wedge makes sense when the ball needs to fly high and stop quickly. Typical situations:
- A bunker or a strip of water lies between you and the flag, and the flag is close behind it.
- There is little green to work with, for example a flag close to the edge.
- The ball sits behind a mound or a bank and has to go steeply upwards.
- The green is firm or fast, and a low shot would run a long way.
For the flop shot you open the clubface, set up a little open and swing the club low under the ball. The ball then climbs almost vertically. The shot is risky: if you slide under the ball it hardly goes anywhere. If you catch it thin, the leading edge strikes the ball and sends it far across the green.
If you have plenty of room between ball and flag, a chip with a pitching wedge or sand wedge is usually safer. The lob wedge is only the best choice when you really need the height.
Practical example: a shot over a bunker
You are playing a par 4 of 340 metres. Your drive finishes on the fairway after 190 metres, and your second shot with a 7-iron ends up to the left of the green. A greenside bunker lies between your ball and the flag. It is 12 metres to the edge of the bunker, and the flag is 6 metres beyond the edge, so 18 metres from your ball.
With a pitching wedge the ball would travel too low and roll a long way after landing. With the lob wedge you play a half swing. The ball clears the bunker, lands on the green after about 15 metres and rolls another two to three metres. It stops one and a half metres from the hole.
You hole the putt. The result: four strokes, a par. If you had attacked the flag too boldly and left the ball short, it would sit in the bunker, and a bogey would be likely. In this situation the lob wedge gave you the option of going for the flag. Whether the risk is worth it is a decision for each shot.
Lob wedge, sand wedge, gap wedge and pitching wedge compared
Wedges differ mainly in loft. The values below are typical ranges and vary by manufacturer:
- Pitching wedge (PW): about 43 to 48 degrees, for full shots and long pitches.
- Gap wedge (GW): about 48 to 52 degrees, fills the gap between PW and SW.
- Sand wedge (SW): about 54 to 58 degrees, with plenty of bounce for bunkers.
- Lob wedge (LW): about 58 to 64 degrees, for high, short shots.
There should be roughly four to six degrees of loft between two wedges. This gives even gaps in distance. If you play a 56-degree sand wedge, you often choose a 60-degree lob wedge. A 58-degree lob wedge would be only two degrees from the sand wedge and adds little.
The Rules of Golf allow a maximum of 14 clubs in the bag (Rule 4.1b). Every additional wedge means another club stays at home. For beginners the lob wedge is worth adding only once the pitching wedge and sand wedge feel secure.
Common mistakes and tips
Some mistakes are particularly common with the lob wedge:
- Scooping: many players try to lift the ball into the air with their wrists. The result is a thinned or topped shot. Trust the loft of the club, it lifts the ball for you.
- Too much speed: a lob wedge needs a swing, not a heave. A short, even swing that accelerates through the ball gives better contact.
- Too little acceleration: if you slow down before impact you usually hit the ground behind the ball. The ball climbs a little and stops short of the target.
- A poor lie: on hard, bare ground a flop shot with an open face is very difficult. A low chip is often the better choice.
One practice tip: lay a towel three metres in front of you and try to fly the ball over it and land it behind. You quickly learn how much swing produces which distance. Also practise pitches and chips with several clubs. Then you will recognise when the lob wedge is the right tool.
Try it at Golf Lounge
Do you know your lob wedge distances? You can find out on the TrackMan range at Golf Lounge Resort Hamburg. The covered range has 32 bays on two levels, and TrackMan measures the ball flight at every bay. After each shot you see carry, total distance, launch angle, height and ball speed. This lets you work out your distances for quarter, half and three-quarter swings and note them down as a small chart. The TrackMan Range app also shows the data on your smartphone. The range is heated and open all year round.
Frequently asked questions
What is a lob wedge in golf?
A lob wedge is the wedge with the most loft, usually 58 to 64 degrees. The ball flies very high, lands softly and hardly rolls. You use it for short approaches over obstacles, for the flop shot and for shots from awkward lies. It is not an essential club, and many beginners play without one at first.
How much loft does a lob wedge have?
A lob wedge typically has between 58 and 64 degrees of loft. The most common are 58, 60 and 62 degrees. The exact number is often printed on the sole or the hosel. Aim for a gap of about four to six degrees to your sand wedge so that the distances are spaced evenly.
How far do you hit a lob wedge?
With a full swing many male club golfers carry the ball about 55 to 80 metres, many women about 35 to 60 metres. The ball then rolls only one to three metres. Most players use the lob wedge with three-quarter or half swings for distances between 15 and 50 metres.
When should you use a lob wedge?
Use it when the ball must fly high and stop quickly: over a bunker to a close flag, when there is little green to work with, or from a lie behind a mound. If there is plenty of room to the flag, a low chip with a pitching or sand wedge is usually safer.
Does a beginner need a lob wedge?
Not straight away. A pitching wedge and a sand wedge solve most situations around the green. A lob wedge becomes worthwhile once those two clubs feel secure and you want to hit high shots over obstacles on purpose. Ask for advice on loft and bounce before you buy.
As of: October 2026