Perfect the lob shot
The lob shot, when properly executed, can be one of the more
satisfying shots in golf. Your ball lies in front of an elevated
green with a bunker in front of you. You swing, sending the ball
almost straight up and it lands like it has a parachute on it right
next to the pin. Even if you are alone you can hear the roar of the
crowd.
Perfect the lob shot
The lob shot, when properly executed, can be one of the more satisfying shots in golf. Your ball lies in front of an elevated green with a bunker in front of you. You swing, sending the ball almost straight up and it lands like it has a parachute on it right next to the pin. Even if you are alone you can hear the roar of the crowd.
However, just like any specialty shot in golf, we need to spend some time on the range learning a few specific motions other than our normal swing in order to make things work. So, no matter what your past experience is with this shot, don’t shy away from it.
Nowadays, with the sixty-degree wedge, creating loft is pretty easy. The problem that we have is maintaining the loft at impact. With most shots in golf, after impact, the toe of the club crosses over the heel. With the lob, the toe and heel should move towards the target simultaneously. The picture contains a good visual for this shot -if you keep the toe and heel moving at the target, you should be able to set a glass on the face of your club after impact.
Here are the basics of the lob. I should note that this set-up is for a fifty-six to sixty-degree wedge; anything with less loft requires a different set-up. Position the ball slightly forward of center in your stance and square your feet and the clubface to your target. Take your left foot (for a right-handed golfer) and back it up an inch or two off your target line. Don’t let the clubface change its position; keep it square to the target. This will create a slight ‘cutting across’ the ball.
Now modify your grip slightly; turn your hands to the left so that you can see the first two knuckles of your right hand. This will help to keep your hands from turning over and letting the toe of the club cross over the heel.
Now, before you execute this shot, visualize how you would throw a ball up and over the bunker we talked about earlier; your arm would rise up on the back swing and rise up on the forward swing. Also, your right thumb would not cross over your ‘pinkie’ finger. It would be a relaxed, rhythmic motion.
This is the picture you want when you address the ball. Remember, the mind must operate before the muscles, so ‘see it first’. Now, take the club up on your back swing and on the forward swing keep the heel moving towards the target. After your swing, could you set a glass on the clubface?
If not, go see a P.G.A. or L.P.G.A. teaching professional. We know when you are not having fun and we can help.
