Soon after I started playing golf, I defaulted to using a pitching wedge anytime I got around the green. It seemed comfortable, and, rather than risk mishitting a lob wedge, I figured it was my best opportunity to land on the green — even if it did often result in a ball that rolled eight, 10 or 15 feet past the hole.
But after a quick lesson with Parker McLachlin, aka @ShortGameChef, my mindset completely changed.
So if you’re someone who just always grabs pitching wedge, 8-iron or something else near the green, take a look at the video above to see why you could be costing yourself shots — and why the lob wedge can help you hit crispier chips with pro-style backspin.
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You can read the full article on GOLF.com, and get more short game tips from McLachlin’s website.
16 Comments
Great lesson
Good stuff. Would love to see a similar video from thick rough……and some downhill chips. I'm working on this aspect and there's a lot of "guesswork" I would love to remove.
I was terrified of my 60-degree wedge until I stopped using it. 😂
Can you stop talking as i want to listen to the music
bump and run with 7 iron?
I have and use 3 wedges above my P wedge. I was scared of my 64* wedge but I went out and practiced with it a few sessions and now I love it.
Awesome technique
What a great lesson. He said use your 60 degree instead and that was basically it.
Very flippy
Good video – a direct and simple lesson you can use. I know that it is standard practice, but why do you put the feet together. What does this accomplish?
My 60 degree wedge run off with my wife, I really miss that wedge…
Cant believe he didn't tell you to slow down. Really jerky
How about a video using 60 degree wedge from fairway, like 50-60 yards out. You wanna see something scary…
Approach Wedge anyone?
With the quality of that turf I would rather haul out my putter.
For an uphill green like that with a decent amount of distance to work with, I'd be using my 56* sand wedge for this kind of shot, almost every time.
For an amateur player, there's usually too much margin for error using a 60*, as a longer swing would be required to get the ball to go further, so it could end up way past the pin or way short of the pin.
With a 56* you'll get a better combination of height, spin, and roll, using a shorter more controlled back-swing, with a commitment to the follow-through.
Even if it's not a perfect strike, odds are better that your miss will still be better.
However, if the pin is in tight to the green or it's a downhill slope at the front, I'd be using my 64* flop wedge almost every time.