Tip #46: The Lob

The lob is the weapon to use when you have to get the ball up in the air quickly -- to clear a tree, a bunker, whatever -- and make it settle quickly near the pin. It's most easily played with a 60-degree wedge, but may also be played with a pitching wedge or sand wedge.

Grip the club loosely and make a smooth, lazy swing for a soft landing lob.

Ball position is the main key. Since you want to get the ball up fast, you should position it off your left toe. Your stance should be wider than on any other short shot, but still not quite as wide as for a full iron swing.

Most important, you should stand well open, aligned about 30 degrees left of your target, with your weight distributed equally between your feet. To get a feeling of being behind and under the ball, kick in your right knee just a hair.

Finally, you should open the face of the club several degrees and lay it back a bit. This will increase the effective loft of the club. The higher you have to hit the ball, the more open and laid back the club should be. Just be careful when you use a sand wedge that you don't build too much "bounce" into the shot, especially if you're playing the ball off firm turf.

This is the only short swing that shouldn't be crisp and aggressive. In fact, the best swing for the lob is long and lazy. Assuming you aren't on hardpan or a very tight lie (which would prohibit this shot) you want to slide the face of the wedge under the ball the same way you would on a bunker shot.

Gripping the club a bit more loosely than normal will help put some smoothness into your swing. Take your hands back to at least belt-height and at most shoulder-height, depending on how far you want to hit the ball. To ensure the proper pace of swing, try to make your downswing the same speed as your backswing.

You won't be able to do that, but if you come close, while maintaining acceleration through the ball, you'll have this swing mastered.

The lob shot will land softly and dribble to a stop. From tighter lies it will tend to kick to the right after its first bounce, so allow for that by aiming a bit to the left.

- Greg Norman