It is very typical for a game like golf to have different types of clubs that you can use. A wedge is one of the most common ones in the game. If you closely look at the bottom of the club, you see some numbers.
Those numbers represent the loft degree of the club. The higher it is, the higher the ball will go upon impact. A 60-degree wedge is often considered to be a really important asset.
There are always questions like how far should you hit a 60-degree wedge? So, in this guide, we will answer this question and also provide you with some tips on how you can improve your wedge shots.
Table of Contents
What is a 60-Degree Wedge?
First of all, it is important to know what exactly is a 60-degree wedge. It is also called a lob wedge and has a loft angle of 60-degrees. You always use the loft of a club in order to determine the distance that you can achieve. If you are using a club with a high loft angle then it will cause the ball to go higher in the air and softly land. This is useful when you don’t need to cover a lot of distance and when trying to get out of tricky situations.
On the other hand, a low loft will allow you to stay close to the ground but travel a much greater distance. You can easily check the loft angle of your club as it is present on the bottom side. If you are using a 60-degree wedge, then it will take the ball into the air and then land it softly with a slight roll. As the ball lands softly, so a 60-degree wedge is used when you need to stop the ball on the putting surface.
How Far Should You Hit A 60-Degree Wedge?
There are a lot of factors that will determine the distance that you can achieve with a 60-degree wedge. The clubhead and the ball position can make a lot of difference in the amount of distance covered. But the average distance that you can cover using a 60-degree wedge is about 50 to 75 yards. While professional golfers can easily hit a distance of about 100 yards using a 60-degree wedge. This is an average of about 30 yards which is due to their vast experience of the sport.
These are the average distances that you can achieve depending upon how good you are at the game. But there are also several tips and tricks which you can use in order to further improve your distance using a 60-degree wedge.
When To Use A 60-Degree Wedge?
A 60-degree wedge is a great tool that you can use for a lot of things. It comes in handy for playing a variety of different shots. You can use a wedge for getting around the green. There are some people that use a 60-degree wedge when taking full swings. So, if you are a beginners/casual golfer, you should know when to use a 60-degree wedge. It is a bit tricky when using a 60-degree wedge because it is hard to determine when you should use it.
Most of the beginners try the 60-degree wedge due to its intimidating large sole and that leads to a lot of inconsistent shots. Hitting shots consistently with a wedge is a bit difficult. So, you should use a 60-degree only in the below-mentioned situations:
Rough/Off The Green:
If the golf ball is just off the green and in the rough then it is the perfect situation to use a 60-degree wedge. This is because the higher loft will help in getting the ball into the air by sliding under it. If you try to use any other golf club like a pitching wedge then it might get stuck in the grass. A 60-degree wedge will go underneath the ball and get it up in the air. In this way, you can get out of the rough.
Obstacles:
A 60-degree wedge is one of the best clubs for clearing over obstacles. If there is an obstacle in your way, then you can use the lob wedge to get the ball into the air and over the obstacle. If there is a hill/tree in front of you then you can cover that by using a lob wedge. It will get the ball into the air and on the other side of that obstacle with a soft landing.
Quick Stop:
There are a lot of golf courses in which the ball tends to roll more on the green. In order to avoid this situation, you can make do with a 60-degree wedge. Due to the higher loft, you will get more height and the ball will land softly on the ground which will cause a decrease in the roll. So, if you need the ball to stop quickly on the green, using a lob wedge is a great choice.
Spin:
There are a lot of professional players that specifically use a 60-degree wedge so that they can add more spin to their shots. If there is more spin in their shots, then those shots are more likely to land closer to the hole. You can also try to do this but it will take quite a lot of practice.
Full Swing:
Another thing you can do with a 60-degree wedge is to experiment with it on the driving range. See how much of a distance you can get. There are some 60-degree wedges that contain varying levels of grind and bounce which makes them more suitable for long-range shots. However, you should be a lot careful when driving a lob wedge because these don’t have high forgiveness. Even if you are a little bit off, you will end up in the rough.
Chipping:
Let’s just say that you were taking an approach shot but have missed the green. This is a situation where you might need to chip and a 60-degree wedge will prove quite useful here. It is due to the higher loft and spin of a lob wedge. When you miss the green slightly, you need to hit a shot in which the ball goes up and down with a quick stop. This is where a 60-degree wedge shines. As you can easily get a good amount of spin on the ball with a lob wedge, it can easily take the ball into the fairway again.
Flop Shots:
These are the shots that don’t travel a lot of distance but are really lofted. So, whenever you need to hit a flop shot, you can use a lob wedge. However, you should keep in mind that hitting a flop shot is not simple at all. You need a full swing and need to get the club to slide under the ball. These shots became more popular because Phil Mickelson loves to use them. This is a type of shot that isn’t suitable for every situation. So, you should never be just hitting flop shots in the green.
But there is a certain situation when there is no other choice than to hit a flop shot, a 60-degree wedge will prove quite useful. It is superb in certain conditions.
Sand Shots:
There are a lot of players that gravitate towards a sand wedge when taking sand shots. This looks like the most obvious choice but this is not always the case. When in a bunker, it is best to have a club that you are more comfortable with. If you use a club that you’re not comfortable with then you will probably completely miss the shot. A lob wedge contains 4 more degrees of loft than a sand wedge and this helps drastically to get the ball out of the bottom of the bunker.
As there is more loft, you can easily get the ball out of the bunker without any problems. If the bunker is very deep and you are unable to see what lies ahead then the most obvious choice is also the one with the most loft. This is another situation in which a lob wedge shines.
Getting Out of Tricky Situations:
There are sometimes when you are playing at a golf course where the rough is too thick. This causes the ball to get stuck inside the rough. This is another excellent use case for a 60-degree wedge. A lob wedge excels at clearing out a thick rough. So, the extra loft and weight of a 60-degree wedge will help you in getting the ball out of the rough. You can use a lob wedge to hit small shots that can get you back into the game.
Tips for Using a 60-Degree Wedge:
If you are looking to incorporate using a 60-degree wedge in your game then you should certainly follow these tips:
Practice on the Range:
A 60-degree wedge is a bit different in how it plays when compared with other clubs. So, it is necessary that you spend a little bit of time on the range and get a feel for the club. You need definitely need to hit through the ball if you want to get high spin and control.
Checking the Bounce:
There are quite a few different bounce options in which a 60-degree wedge comes in. Most of the lob wedges come with a higher bounce as default. If there is a low bounce then it means that there is about 4 to 8-degrees of bounce, mid bounce is 8 to 10, and high is 12 and above. So, the higher bounce on the wedge allows it to cut through more. There is a significant spin still present. The only drawback of a high bounce is that it makes the full swing shots pretty useless.
The Stance:
An abbreviated swing is the most often used when taking a shot with a 60-degree wedge. This means that you need to be in the correct stance and set up so that you match the shot. If you are standing in your regular stance then it won’t be of much use. An amazing position for a 60-degree wedge is to narrow the stance a bit and place the ball in the middle back of the stance. You just need to remember that you need to hit down and through with a lob wedge.
Faster Swings:
One of the most common mistakes made by golfers is that they drastically lower the swing speed when nearing impact. A lot of people do this because they are afraid of hitting a bad shot. But it is so ironic that this is the thing that results in a bad shot. When using a 60-degree wedge, you shouldn’t be afraid at all to swing at full speed. It is okay to get a bit of dirt on your clothes. So, if you are swinging at a full speed without any fear only then you will be able to appreciate a 60-degree wedge.
Distance:
If you want to get more distance with your 60-degree wedge, then you should strengthen your grip on the golf club. The strengthening should be in a way so that you are able to see the three knuckles of your hand. If you are using a stronger grip, then the face of the club will be in a more neutral position upon impact. On the other hand, if the grip is loose, then the face will become open upon impact. This will cause the ball to fly higher into the air and lose a lot of distance.
Conclusion:
A 60-degree wedge is an amazing club that has a lot of different use cases. You should try to practice with it before trying in a real match. But if you’re comfortable with a lob wedge, then you can easily get yourself out of tricky situations. How far should you hit a 60-degree wedge mainly depends upon the distance that you need to attain. You can shoot as far as 75 yards with a lob wedge. But in the end, if you practice with a 60-degree wedge, you will definitely get better at achieving a bit more distance.
