Updated June 27, 2023. This article was thoroughly audited by multiple golf experts and coaches for its accuracy. You can read more about our rigorous testing protocol here.
Lob wedges have grown in reputation to be one of the best clubs to use around the green. Not only are they lofted to lift the golf ball with ease, but they create a ton of spin that helps stop the ball on the green.
From digging out of the deep rough to lifting the ball from dense sand, a lob wedge, when used correctly, can give the golfer tremendous advantages on the course.
These ten lob wedges we’ve settled upon for our list of the best lob wedges and our top 10 picks to purchase in 2023 will all deliver incredible spin and fantastic control.
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Last updated on 2023-09-27. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.
Table of Contents
How to Choose the Best Lob Wedge
Spin
The reason why it is so important to evaluate spin on a lob wedge is that it controls all aspects of the shot. From its ability to stop a golf ball on a green to the height of the shot, spin greatly affects the final outcome.
For lob wedges, spin is even more vital to gauge as the club hits the ball higher than other wedges due to its elevated loft.
Spin is created by the lob wedge via contact of the face of the club and golf ball’s cover. The grooves on the face create friction at contact that elevates the spin rate. One of the big reasons why pro golfers want a fresh wedge at each tournament is because sharp grooves equal more spin.
Shot Height
Lob wedges are designed to provide loft to short shots around the green, especially in rough and sand. But on longer shots, the lob wedge can be useful because it lifts the ball high into the air and allows for a soft landing with little movement. Most experienced golfers can hit a full lob wedge around 70-80 yards.
The loft on lob wedges is around 60-64 degrees, making it harder to use for shorter pitch shots that need to run to the hole. Instead, the lob wedge is great when the golfer needs to clear a bunker or perhaps a hill to get to the green.
Response
The response of a lob wedge is very important because as a golfer becomes more comfortable with the club, they gain confidence around the greens. The short game is where experienced golfers can make the most difference in their final score and the mastering of the lob wedge is a huge part of getting to that level.
For low handicappers, the lob wedge they use has a more concentrated sweet spot that demands accuracy to get the control and spin they want from the club. Having confidence in a club requires time on the range before the golfer truly understands what a good shot feels like from the response of the wedge. For beginners, the response is judged at that moment after impact.
Feel
The feel of a lob wedge is different than the response, in that the golfer judges the feel throughout the swing. The first thing that golfers notice when we talk about the feel of a wedge, is their impression of the club when they hold it for the first time.
The golfer will notice the balance, the weight and the shape of the club as all of these components help gauge the feel of the lob wedge.
For lob wedges, the weight is important because you’ll find that most are heavier in the sole of the club as the manufacturer attempts to help the golfer keep the club low to the ground. The sole of a lob wedge is what helps the club make solid contact with the golf ball, as it cleanly goes through the turf, high grass, and sand.
Balance
The balance of a lob wedge is primarily referring to how the club feels and responds through the impact of the golf ball. A golfer might find, for example, that a badly balanced wedge has problems with the hosel or toe entering the turf first rather than seeing a clean divot that is uniform.
The reason that balance is so important to a lob wedge is that the golfer needs to make clean contact with the golf ball, especially from trouble areas on the course such as high grass and sand. The wide sole of the lob wedge cuts through those obstacles and delivers balanced strength to the golf ball.
Best Lob Wedges
Titleist Vokey SM9 Wedge
Best Overall Lob Wedge
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-62°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Swing Weight: D5
PROS
- Wide variety of loft, bounce, and sole grind options
- Incredibly versatile from sand and rough
- Provides quick launch with spin
CONS
- Better for experienced players with higher price
Titleist’s Vokey SM9 lob wedge offers total performance for golfers of any skill level. With three different loft configurations, the SM9 lob wedge also comes with five different grind options helping you craft the shots you need from any situation on the course.
When I use this lob wedge out of the sand, shots come out soft with spin. There’s a reason the Vokey wedges are considered the best, and once you play with this lob wedge, you’ll see why as it delivers an impressive array of sole and bounce options that help play any shot I’ll confront on the links.
The SM9 lob wedge also provides a low, deep CG that can help propel the ball high with fast spin that stops shots cold on the putting green.
If you are in the market for a lob wedge that does everything with precision, the Vokey SM9 wedge from Titleist certainly delivers the goods.
Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Wedge
Most Forgiving Lob Wedge for High Handicappers
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-60°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 34.875”
- Swing Weight: D5
PROS
- Great in wet weather with consistent contact
- Multiple sole grinds for short-game customization
- Wider sole delivers premium turf interaction
CONS
- Delivers too much spin for inexperienced golfers
Capable of generating high spin with forgiveness, the Cleveland RTX 6 Zipcore continues to perform as one of the best lob wedges on the market.
Featuring all of the standard bells and whistles you’d regularly find with the company’s wedges, the RTX 6 Zipcore ups the game with the new HydraZip face that produces jaw-dropping spin that helps you control your short game.
I really love playing with Cleveland wedges, and the new RTX 6 certainly delivers an upgrade over previous wedges from the company. The spin is tighter, the launch is higher and quicker, and I found I could get out of trouble much easier with these advanced wedges.
If you are interested in no-fuss, no-muss golf clubs for improving your short game, the RTX 6 Zipcore lob wedge can solve many problems for you on the links.
TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 Wedge
Best High Spin Lob Wedge for Mid Handicappers
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-60°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Swing Weight: D5
PROS
- Hi-toe design offers optimized spin and trajectory
- Centered CG improves overall feel with impressive responsiveness
- Raw micro ribs on the face deliver grip and better spin
CONS
- The funky design demands a learning curve for inexperienced players
TaylorMade’s Hi-Toe 3 lob wedge offers many worthwhile features, including multiple bounce options that provide sophisticated shotmaking from anywhere on the course.
When it comes to spin, the lob wedge carries full-face milling with raw micro ribs. The ribs do a great job of gripping into the outer layer of the golf ball to produce spin with a moderate flight to help you control your shots.
What I really enjoyed about this wedge is the quality of shots it produced on full swings. While most golfers don’t hit their lob wedge from more than 50-75 yards, the control provided by the Hi-Toe 3 should make you reconsider that yardage range due to its controllable and predictable flight.
Great for the mid handicapper looking to jump in their short game, the Hi-Toe 3 wedge offers outstanding performance with a funky design that helps your shots from around the green.
Read the Full TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 Wedge Review
Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge
Most Forgiving Lob Wedge for Low Handicappers
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-60°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Swing Weight: D4
PROS
- Great for beginners who need help getting the ball into the air with spin
- The cavity-backed design keeps the club moving through turf for exceptional contact
- Around the greens, the wedge produces spin that helps the golfer with control
CONS
- Golfers who want a sleeker and slimmer wedge will find the CBX 2 oversized
The Cleveland CBX 2 is one of the most accessible lob wedges produced by the company, great for golfers of all skill levels, but the club will help beginning golfers the most. With a cavity-backed design, the wedge can be played either with an open or closed stance.
We love that the CBX 2 lob wedge is best suited for beginning golfers because it has the look and performance of a game-improvement iron that is constructed to help the individual get the ball high and with lots of spin.
The club is wide and bulky and while we would normally frown a bit at this design, especially for a lob wedge, Cleveland has defied the odds to make a highly engaging club that is a blast to hit, regardless of your handicap.
The wedge’s response and feel are tremendous and certainly was noted by our golfers during testing. Each swing of the club during our time with the wedge produced dependable shot height and spin.
A club that should be considered by golfers hoping to get to a single-digit handicap by the beginning of next year, the Cleveland CBX 2 lob wedge is one impressive club.
Read the Full Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge Review
Wilson Staff Model Wedge
Best Luxury Lob Wedge for Low Handicappers
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-60°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35.25”
- Swing Weight: D5
PROS
- Tour-level design with sleek curves
- Softer feel with enhanced responsiveness
- Generates high spin from any lie on the course
CONS
- Too sophisticated for inexperienced golfers
Easily one of the best-looking lob wedges on the market, the Wilson Staff Model lob wedge is an absolute delight on the golf course. This lob wedge can produce spin and launch from any lie with delicate control.
What I enjoyed the most about this Staff Model wedge is how soft it plays from the sand and rough. If you’re facing a short side bunker with only a few yards of green to work with, the Staff Model can provide the shot you need with consistency, something very few lob wedges can produce on the course.
Wilson’s designers’ precision-milled face and scorelines boost the Staff Model’s overall spin on full swings. I regularly found this Wilson wedge from the fairway delivered accurate shots that spun back to the target.
A great lob wedge for any golfer, the Wilson Staff Model should be atop any low handicappers’ list for improving their short game.
TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 Wedge
Most Forgiving Wedge for Mid Handicappers
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-60°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Swing Weight: D5
PROS
- RAW Face Micro-Ribs deliver more spin from longer distances
- Impressive turf interaction, especially with closed face
- Consistent across the board including distance and shot height
CONS
- Too much wedge for high handicappers and beginners
TaylorMade’s exceptional Milled Grind 3 lob wedge offers a sophisticated array of features that help give you more accuracy, forgiveness, and distance on full swings. Around the green, the lob wedge utilizes the company’s new Micro-Ribs raised between the grooves to provide more grip to the outer layer of the golf ball to create more spin and improve overall performance.
The company has also given the MG3 a thick-thin design to help lower CG along the sole while maintaining a hot thin face that generates ball speed from short and long distances.
From the sand and rough, I felt the MG3 performed the best. When faced with trouble, I found the MG3 delivers a smooth swing that covered the golf ball, producing crisp contact that lifted the ball easily from the thick grass and dense, soft sand.
For mid and low handicappers, the MG3 lob wedge offers total performance with refined features that dramatically improve performance.
Ping Glide 4.0
Most Accurate Lob Wedge for Low Handicappers
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-60°
- Lie: 64.5°
- Shaft Length: 35
- Swing Weight: D4
PROS
- Compact shape improves contact quality
- Milled grooves offers high spin and control
- Four grind options provide versatility
CONS
- Smaller size lessens forgiveness for inexperienced golfers
Ping’s delightful Glide 4.0 lob wedge represents a game-changer for the longtime clubmaker. The wedge features a compact blade that offers smooth turf interaction and clean, crisp ball-first contact, producing mind-blowing spin.
The lob wedge also gets Ping’s patented milled grooves and a new Emery face blast that adds more texture to the surface. The textured face produces the spin you need to stop shots cold on the putting surface from any lie or situation.
For inexperienced golfers, the compact face may present a challenge when it comes to producing consistent short-game shots. Therefore, I recommend this Ping wedge only to experienced golfers with a mid-to-low handicap.
But if you find yourself in that latter category, I wouldn’t fear Ping Glide 4.0. It remains one of the best lob wedges for advanced players who want total control over their short game.
Callaway Jaws Full Toe Wedge
Best High Spin Lob Wedge for High Handicappers
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-60°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35.25”
- Swing Weight: D4
PROS
- Full-face milling generates spin with forgiveness
- Built for spin with impressive stopping power
- Great with open face from trouble
CONS
- Not all golfers like the raw face over time
Callaway’s innovative JAWS RAW Full Toe lob wedge is one dazzling short-game weapon. Made to produce the most spin possible for mid-to-high handicappers, the JAWS RAW Full Toe offers exceptional feel and responsiveness from inside 80 yards.
The lob wedge generates high, soaring flight with one-hop and stop control on full swings. Balls launched from the face of this Callaway wedge are guaranteed to stop quickly to help you control your short-game shots.
I recommend this wedge to high handicappers, especially because of the face milling. That feature helps significantly on shots that leak toward the toe. Since inexperienced players struggle with consistency, having clubs like the JAWS RAW Full Toe lob wedge can help improve that deficiency.
Overall, I had an absolute blast playing with this wedge because the full-face milling provides so much opportunity for playing creatively around the green. With several grind sole options from Callaway, you can customize your lob wedge to fit your style of play.
Callaway Mack Daddy 5 JAWS Wedge
Best High Spin Lob Wedge for Low Handicappers
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SPECS
- Loft: 58°-60°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Swing Weight: D1
PROS
- Elegant lob wedge that has impressive features and options
- Different sole grinds allow the golfer to create the shot they need at any time on the course
- Ideal for low handicappers that need more dependability around the greens
CONS
- Not inexpensive, it is well suited to golfers who don’t mind paying for their equipment
The Callaway Mack Daddy 5 is another magnificently designed wedge by the company, that will provide the golfer with a host of options that can help them tailor the short game that is best for their time on the course.
The Mack Daddy 5’s head is made from lightweight carbon steel that is pleasing to the eye but also provides splendid feel and response on shot after shot. The club comes available with several different sole grinds and bounce options to create the club that works best for how you like to play the golf ball in close quarters next to the green.
The club’s Groove-in-Groove technology is another proprietary innovation from Callaway that gets the ball spinning at the moment of impact. The wedge’s ability to produce high spin helps the golfer in all sorts of problem areas such as high grass and soft, dense sand.
If you are a low handicapper in the market for a high spin lob wedge that will provide you with a skilled club that can work wonders around the green, then the Callaway Mack Daddy 5 is well worth the additional money.
Read the Full Callaway JAWS MD5 Wedge Review
Questions & Answers
What is a lob wedge?
A lob wedge is a club that has a loft beyond a sand wedge that measures anywhere from 60-64 degrees. Whereas amateur golfers usually hit their lob wedge around 60-80 yards, professional golfers can hit a lob wedge between 90-110 yards in distance.
The lob wedge is usually played with an open stance that allows the golfer to open the clubface and slide the clubhead underneath the ball. This tactic is useful when the golfer is either trying to get the golf ball out of trouble, such as tall, deep grass or sand or needs to clear an impediment such as a hill or water hazard.
The lob wedge used in conjunction with the open stance allows the golfer to get the ball high into the air and land softly around the target.
Can a lob wedge help a beginning golfer?
A beginning golfer might struggle with a lob wedge because it is a club that needs a specific level of skill to utilize and benefit from on the course. With the club being anywhere from 60-64 degrees in a loft, the lob wedge can frustrate inexperienced golfers who don’t understand that the club needs more swing speed than your typical wedge.
At best, slow swing speed will push the distance of a lob wedge shot to roughly 40-50 yards. Now, this doesn’t mean that the lob wedge can’t have a purpose for the beginning golfer or high handicapper. But for these golfers, the lob wedge will have to be used differently and with less viable options.
For beginning golfers, a club like the C3i lob wedge is better suited for their skill level because it doesn’t need an open stance to hit but rather a square stance.
What is the difference between a lob wedge and a sand wedge?
A lob wedge is the highest lofted wedge that a golfer can place in their bag. Lob wedges are clubs that have between 60-64 degrees of loft on the clubface. In comparison, the sand wedge has 56 degrees, a gap wedge runs between 50-52 degrees, and a pitching wedge is anywhere from 44-48 degrees in loft.
A lob wedge is different from a sand wedge because the loft makes it ideal for getting the golf ball out of deep rough and thick sand. The lob wedge is perfectly suited for this task because, in an open stance, the club takes on even more loft, allowing it to easily slide underneath the golf ball.
In an open stance, a sand wedge will go further than a shot with the lob wedge due to its reduced loft setting, so golfers, especially beginning golfers have to be careful with what wedge they use around the green.
Are sharp grooves with lob wedges important?
Grooves are incredibly important on all wedges because they create spin by increasing friction against the softer cover of the ball to boost the rotations and launch angle of the shot off the club face.
If you follow professional golf closely, you’ll hear golfers, such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, talk about how they want fresh grooves at the beginning of every tournament to maximize spin and control. Having wedges in their bag that aren’t well worn is an advantage that most pro golfers take advantage of every week.
Since an amateur golfer can’t utilize a relationship with a club sponsor to get new wedges every week, they must maintain the face of the club throughout its life to receive the maximum performance of the wedge. This maintenance includes cleaning the grooves of the wedge throughout a round and sharpening them either through a tool or via a professional.
Can I sharpen the grooves of my lob wedge?
Yes, you can sharpen the grooves of your lob wedge with an inexpensive tool that will restore the condition of the face. Now, while this won’t be as good as if you had the grooves re-sharpened by a professional or just bought a new wedge, the tool is an easy way to maintain the health of the club.
If you play more than 50 times a year and can afford the additional cost, then new wedges every year with routine maintenance is the ideal way to get the best equipment for your game. For periodic golfers, think 10-15 times per year, then just taking the steps of getting a sharpening tool, will suffice for your maintenance needs.