Lob Shot
The lob shot is a very high, short approach shot that climbs steeply and lands softly on the green.
The lob shot lives from the maximum loft of your highest wedge, usually a lob wedge with around 60 degrees. You play it when an obstacle lies between you and the flag and there is hardly any room behind it: bunkers, bushes or a slope. The ball climbs almost vertically, flies only a few metres and stops immediately after landing because hardly any forward roll remains. That makes it the opposite of the chip, which flies low and runs a long way.
In practice it looks like this: your ball lies five metres short of a green, a deep bunker stands between you and the flag, and the flag is three metres behind the lip of the bunker. A chip would land in the bunker or roll across the green. You open the clubface slightly, make a longer, smooth swing and let the loft do the work. The ball climbs over the bunker, lands softly and stays where it is. The key is acceleration through the ball, not a braked, fearful swing.
A typical mistake is the panic combination of a short backswing and an abrupt stop. That produces either a thin shot over the green or a heavy strike that leaves the ball in the bunker. Second misconception: the lob shot is not an everyday shot. From a poor lie or deep rough it is barely controllable because grass slips between clubface and ball. Smart players first check whether a safe chip to the wide side of the green would not bring the better result.
FAQ
When is the lob shot the right choice — and when not?
It only pays off in one situation: an obstacle between you and the flag with hardly any room on the green behind it. If the flag is well back or the path is clear, the simple chip is almost always the safer and better decision. The lob shot is a special tool, not an everyday shot.
Why does my lob shot always land in the bunker instead of going over the green?
The typical mistake is the panic combination of a short backswing and an abrupt stop. The contact then gets heavy and the ball stays stuck, or it is struck thin and shoots over the green. The key is a long, smooth swing with real acceleration through the ball — the loft of the wedge does the rest.
Can I play the lob shot from the rough too?
Barely, because from a poor lie grass slips between clubface and ball and the shot becomes uncontrollable. The ball does climb high, but without spin and without reliable distance. From the rough a simpler shot to the wide side of the green is usually the smarter choice.