The high, floating lob shot that stops on a dime is one of the most exciting shots in golf, and it's absolutely one you can learn to pull off. It's a shot that can turn a seemingly impossible up-and-down into a tap-in par save. This guide will walk you through exactly what you need to do, from choosing the right club to making a confident swing, so you can add this game-changer to your arsenal.
Think of the lob shot as your 'get out of jail free' card around the greens. It’s a high-arcing, soft-landing shot designed to fly over trouble and stop very quickly with minimal roll. It's wildly different from a chip shot, which flies low and runs out, or a standard pitch shot, which has a more moderate trajectory and roll. The lob is pure finesse.
You’ll want to reach for the lob shot in specific situations. Here are the most common scenarios:
The key takeaway is that the lob shot is a specialty shot. It's not your go-to for every greenside opportunity, but when the situation calls for height and a quick stop, it's the perfect play.
To hit a sky-high lob, you need a club built for the task. This means grabbing the most lofted wedge in your bag. For most golfers, this will be a lob wedge, typically carrying between 58 and 62 degrees of loft. Some players even carry a 64-degree wedge for maximum height.
Loft is the star of the show. More loft means a higher natural trajectory, making your job of sending the ball skyward much easier.
But there’s another important factor on your wedge: bounce. Bounce is the angle on the sole of the club (the bottom part) that prevents it from digging into the ground. When you hit a lob shot, you're not trying to hit down on the ball, you're sliding the club's sole under the ball.
For the average golfer playing on typical course conditions, a lob wedge with around 10 to 12 degrees of bounce is a versatile and excellent choice for playing this shot.
The secret to a great lob shot is baked into the setup. Get this right, and you're 90% of the way there. If your setup is off, you'll be fighting an uphill battle. Here’s how to do it, step-by-step.
This is the most important step, and the one that golfers most often get wrong. Before you even take your grip, you must open the clubface. Lay the wedge on the ground and rotate the face so it’s pointing way up to the sky. For a right-handed golfer, the leading edge will be aimed significantly to the right of your target. Don't be shy here, you want it wide open. This exposes the bounce and maximizes the effective loft of the club.
After the face is open, take your normal grip. Your hands will now be in a 'weaker' position relative to the open face, but in a neutral position relative to your body. If you take your grip first and then try to open the face by twisting your hands, you'll naturally return the club to square at impact, ruining the shot.
Since the clubface is pointing well right of the target (for a righty), you need to adjust your body alignment. Aim your feet, hips, and shoulders well to the left of the target. This open stance pre-sets a swing path that allows the club to cut across the ball, further helping it pop up high and soft.
Play the ball forward in your stance, opposite the heel of your lead foot. This position encourages you to swing up on the ball, letting the loft do its job. Your stance should be fairly narrow - about shoulder-width or slightly less - and your weight should be centered, or perhaps 60% on your lead foot. It's a feel-based shot, so stay relaxed.
Finally, get a little lower to the ground than you would for a standard pitch. A bit more knee flex helps you stay down through the shot and ensures you can swing the club underneath the ball instead of rising up and blading it.
With the setup dialed in, the swing itself feels less complex. It’s more of a smooth, gliding motion than an aggressive hit.
Think "U-shape," not "V-shape." A choppy, V-shaped swing will make the club dig. For the lob, we want a shallow, U-shaped arc. The backswing will feel longer than you'd expect for such a short shot. Use the length of your swing to control the distance, not the speed. From the start, let your wrists hinge the club up. This creates the angle you need to slide the face under the ball. It’s a quiet lower body and a very wristy, handsy feeling on the way back.
This is where confidence comes in. You must accelerate through the ball. Fear of hitting it too far causes golfers to decelerate, which is the number one cause of skulls and chunks. Trust your setup. The open face and added loft have taken distance *off* the shot, so you need to swing with enough speed to get the ball to the hole.
Your goal is to swing the sole of the club - not the leading edge - right under the ball. Feel like you are splashing it off the turf. The body should rotate through towards the target, pulling the club with it. Don’t try to lift the ball with your hands, simply let the club slide underneath it while you turn.
A great way to check your technique is to look at your follow-through. Keep turning your body and finish with your hands high and the clubface still pointing up to the sky. A full, committed follow-through is a clear sign that you accelerated through impact. Hold that finish and watch your ball float down next to the pin.
Even with perfect instruction, the lob takes practice. Here are the common hurdles and how to clear them.
Take these drills to the practice green, and you’ll start to build real trust in your lob shot.
Lay a towel on the ground about two or three feet in front of you. Place your golf balls just on the other side. Your goal is simple: pop the golf balls up over the towel. This immediately forces you to create height and takes away the temptation to hit low, running shots. It builds the feeling of a high-arcing swing.
Set two range buckets (or anything similar) a few feet in front of you, creating a "gate" about two feet wide. Practice lobbing the ball through this gate. This sharpens your directional control and gets you comfortable with the open stance aiming left while the ball starts on a line towards the target.
Without a ball, take your lob shot setup and simply make swings. Your only goal is to hear a long, accelerating "swoosh" sound that peaks *past* the point of impact. Do this ten times, then step up and hit a ball trying to replicate that exact same sound and feeling of speed through the shot.
The lob shot is the ultimate "feel" shot, and developing that feel just takes a little bit of dedicated practice.
Executing the perfect lob demands a specific setup and a confident swing. Remember the core principles: use your most lofted wedge, open the face wide *before* you grip the club, and accelerate through the shot while letting the bounce of the club glide under the ball. It’s a shot of commitiment, not hesitation.
Mastering shots like the lob takes practice, but knowing when to play it can be just as difficult. When you’re faced with a tough greenside shot over a bunker and aren't sure if the lob is the best choice, we've developed Caddie AI to deliver that on-demand strategic advice. We built our app to act as your 24/7 golf coach, you can even snap a photo of a tricky lie, and we’ll help you analyze the situation and suggest a smart way to play it, giving you the clarity and confidence to pull off your best shot.
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