Most golfers carry 14 clubs. There is a specific reason for this that I discussed in an earlier post. However, the number of clubs is not really the issue of this post, but whether you are carrying the right 14 clubs.
About 10 years ago, I traded my 5 wood or 3 iron for an extra wedge. I felt it was very important to have more scoring than bashing clubs. It was a great choice for my game and I continue to refine my club selection. Continue reading
Using a 60 degree lob wedge with success is sometimes very difficult. Many amateurs like the idea of using this club, but find it difficult execute these delicate shots. It does not help watching players like Phil Mickelson use their lob wedge like scalpels on the golf course as if it was a natural extension of his body. But, I would suggest that his skill was rooted in hours of repetitive practice.
Recently, I came across a learning opportunity (I call them teaching moments so I remember them for future use) for successfully using your 60 degree wedge. The lob wedge (see infographics on wedges) is used near the green to quickly elevate your ball over difficult terrain to stop the ball quickly near the hole. This is easy to say, however there is a bit more to it.
Lowering our golf score is the primary goal of most golfers. Everyone likes to talk about how they conquered the course on a particular day, but for some of us those days are rare. For example, over the past two golf seasons, I recorded 117 rounds of golf at Golf Canada. Although I did not record all my rounds for various reasons, this number is a good sample for our discussion. Of those rounds, 53% or 63 rounds were in the 70s. Of those, 1 was under par, 1 was par, and 4 were 1 over par. So the number of spectacular rounds worth discussing, in my view, is very small.
These numbers may seem impressive but in reality, the consistency of my game is due to two factors, using the correct wedge around the green and consistent putting. I can say that my improved putting is a direct result of playing the ball closer to the pin after an errant approach shot. Choosing the correct wedge around the green is the focus of this article.
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The Grateful Golfer 