Attention, Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotsmen, and Welshmen......

[jim8flog]

I understand.
However, the lob wedge isn't a recent innovation.
I bought my first one in 1980.

Nor is it a rare instrument.
Many players bag them.
Either one of us would like a Dollar, Pound, or Euro for every one in circulation.

One of the the things I remember about lob wedges was watching Tom Kite at the 14th on Wentworth . He had come up about 20 yards short and below the green whereas every European player at the time would have hit a running shot Tom Kite went with the lob wedge, it took him 3 attempts to the ball on to the green and for it to stay there.

I will admit to having tried them from time to time but they do not stay in the bag for long.

The first one I tried was a Wilson forged and I wore the grooves out on it I used to practice so much in those days.

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

One of the the things I remember about lob wedges was watching Tom Kite at the 14th on Wentworth . He had come up about 20 yards short and below the green whereas every European player at the time would have hit a running shot Tom Kite went with the lob wedge, it took him 3 attempts to the ball on to the green and for it to stay there.

I will admit to having tried them from time to time but they do not stay in the bag for long.

The first one I tried was a Wilson forged and I wore the grooves out on it I used to practice so much in those days.

If I'm not mistaken, Wentworth's West Course is somewhat similar to a high level American style wooded course,
and it might entice one to play American style golf on it.

 

[Orikoru]

I'm amazed by how many people configure their sets entirely for distance gapping
without consideration for anticipated specialty shots being required.

My lob wedge isn't great for either full shots OR greenside bunkers
but it's still a necessity for chips and lobs after short side misses.
I feel that it's worth having in the bag for that alone.

I've very conservative from the tee box and don't hit driver unless I see wide open spaces.
Thus, I have to be bold into greens, and short side misses are definitely going to happen.
The very high loft wedge seems an essential tool for those.

Well, you do both. Clubs can do more the one job. For example, my hybrid is my 175-ish club, but it's also the club I hit out of medium length rough, and it's effectively my chipper as I use it to chip out of thick grass near the green. From what you've told us, you would have a 5 iron for the yardage, a hybrid for the rough and a chipper as well so that's 3 clubs instead of 1.

I still don't understand why you would need one lob wedge for sand and a different lob wedge for grass. Most people just get different bounces on their 56 & 60 so they can cover the different jobs. You open up the 60 when more loft is required, and so on.

 

[rulie]

Some of the decisions on bag setup are based on the course being played - its length, its "hazards", its condition(s). Courses are not all the same!