Equipment
Is the lob wedge overrated? – GolfWRXers have their say
In our forums, our members have been discussing the lob wedge after WRXer ‘dalehead’ suggested that the club might not be necessary. ‘Dalehead’ says:
“Most recreational players are not very good with their wedges to begin with. Adding a lob wedge just gives them another option to use to skull or chili dip a shot. Tour pros could hit the same shots with a 56-degree sand wedge as they do with a lob wedge. The one exception is the short side pitch over a bunker, and even there the sand wedge would work, especially with the hours of practice those guys put in on their short games.”
Our members have been having their say on the subject, with plenty of interesting takes being offered up.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- Fuscinator: “If you practice enough with a lob wedge, it’s worth carrying. You can go for more pins if you’re less worried about missing it on the short side. They CAN be addicting, though.”
- Z1ggy16: “Depends. Idk about other players but I prefer a bit more bounce on my 54* because I play it mostly square. I would not want to open up a mid to higher bounced sand wedge on a tightly packed/firm bunker… let alone one with a larger lip. That’s where my lob wedge comes in. It also gives me the option to hit high soft pitches to front pins in that 20-30 yard range… tough for me to do with 54*. I tend to agree that for not very good players… the less loft you have around the greens the better, but a lot of us also don’t play on PGA Tour set ups, with fine white sand as fluffy and soft as pillows. Many of us just get dirt.”
- Drivingrangehero: “Waste of a spot in my bag, so I removed it. I found that I could do the same with my 56* and preferred to use the 56* over the lob anyways. I dropped the 3 wood and the Lob wedge as well. In their place, I was able to carry a strong 2 hybrid and a 2 iron. Lob wedges were not a staple in professional golfers bags till the 80-90’s, and it seems like they are more of a rescue club from tough lies around the greens. You don’t see many full swings from 85 yards on tour like you do in public golf.”
- Pingistheanser: “Amen. That’s why I don’t carry a lob wedge anymore. There isn’t a shot that I need to hit that I cant hit with a 56 and the shots that you can hit with a 60 but can’t hit with a 56, I probably shouldn’t be trying anyways. Taking the lob wedge out of the bag, and taking the flop shot out of their game is one of the smartest things a high handicapper can do to lower their scores.”
- Powderedtoastman: “Those who believe the LW is overrated haven’t had the chance to use it fully to its potential. Pros would rather use 260cc drivers than give up the LW.”
- Scottbox: “They’re fantastic for golfers 15 handicap and lower. Otherwise, it’s best that you learn to use your SW and all the different shots you can execute with it.”
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Mario Blanco
May 6, 2020 at 10:03 am
I carry 52-56-60 (low bounce), no way I am leaving the 60 degrees out. In the holiday bag I got 52-58-62 (medium bounce), if it’s not too dry, I might leave the 62 out. Both
On hard pan, you cannot open a 56 to make it 65 degrees without having the front edge way off the ground, you’re just asking for trouble. It depends on your level of confidence, I trust my flop shots 100% so I should carry a lob wedge, if that’s not your case, leave it in the garage.
Richard Douglas
May 4, 2020 at 9:49 pm
Almost any tool can hurt you if you don’t know how to use it.
I can’t imagine working around the green without one. Yes, flop shots are a part of it, but so are most shots from the fairway >50yds. I also use it for a lot of my shorter bunker shots, especially from hard sand. (I don’t have to open the face as much and expose the flange to the hard sand, reducing the risk of bouncing the wedge into the ball.)
The lob wedge is no different than any other club in the back, except for (a) more loft and (b) less bounce than the SW.
For me personally, I need it because my SW is the same length as the rest of my set. This makes it less utile around the greens, especially if you need to open the face.
Finally, what would I replace it with? I probably hit 10 shots per round with it, easily. What do I need on the other end that would get anywhere near that amount of use? Another wood? another hybrid? No. I hit a lot of approach shots on par-4 and par-5 holes with it, use it to stop short pitches and chips, and use it at least three-quarters of the time from bunkers. Other than the putter, it is the most valuable club in my bag. And when I hit that lob straight up in the air, I’d like to see you do that with a 56-degree wedge with all that bounce. Better not miss!
Joeoe
May 4, 2020 at 8:44 pm
A sand wedge is more than enough loft for any shot.