Lob Shot
A lob shot is a high, soft-landing golf shot played from close to the green, designed to fly almost straight up, clear an obstacle, and stop quickly with almost no roll. It is most often played with a lob wedge.
What is a lob shot?
The lob shot is one of the highest-flying shots in golf, and it travels one of the shortest distances. A golfer plays it when there is something to carry, usually a bunker, mound, or patch of rough, and a little green between the landing spot and the pin. The ball goes up steeply, lands softly, and barely rolls after touching down.
It exists in the short game for a specific reason. A standard chip rolls out too much when the green is short, and a regular pitch still releases several yards forward after landing. When the pin is tucked just behind a bunker or perched on the front edge of a sloped green, neither of those will hold. The lob shot fills that gap by trading distance for height.
The club most often used is a lob wedge. According to Golf Digest, lob wedges typically carry between 58 and 60 degrees of loft, with some manufacturers offering up to 64 degrees. The lob wedge itself is a relatively recent addition to the golfer’s bag. Dave Pelz, a former NASA physicist and short-game coach, is credited with designing the modern lob wedge in the 1980s in response to the increasingly complex greens being built at the time, as documented on Wikipedia.
A well-struck lob carries roughly twice as far as it rolls. Golflink notes that a sand wedge typically produces a carry-to-roll ratio of about 1:1, while a lob wedge usually flies about twice as far as it rolls out after landing.
How a lob shot works
The high flight comes from loft, not from any attempt to lift the ball. The golfer opens the clubface so it points more toward the sky than at the target, then opens the stance to compensate for the new aim. The swing itself is long and unhurried, and the club slides under the ball rather than hitting down on it sharply.
That combination produces a steep launch angle and a soft, almost vertical descent. The ball lands close to where it was aimed and stops within a few feet of touching down.
Lob shot vs flop, pitch, and chip shots
This is where most of the confusion around the lob shot lives. The terms get used loosely, even by experienced golfers, so a quick comparison helps.
| Shot | Typical distance | Trajectory | Carry vs roll | Common club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chip | Inside 10 yards | Low | Mostly roll | 8-iron to sand wedge |
| Pitch | 20 to 50 yards | Medium | Roughly equal | Pitching or sand wedge |
| Lob shot | Inside 40 yards | High | Mostly carry | Lob wedge (58 to 60 degrees) |
| Flop shot | Inside 25 yards | Extremely high | Almost all carry | Lob wedge, face wide open |
The lob shot and flop shot are often used interchangeably, and Golf Distillery treats them as synonyms in its short-game glossary. Some teachers do draw a line between the two. The Sporting Blog defines the flop shot as a shorter, higher variant of the lob, played from inside 25 yards with the clubface opened more aggressively. The two shots share a swing and a club. The difference, when one is drawn, is mainly how extreme the trajectory becomes.
The chip and pitch are different animals. A chip stays low and runs out. A pitch climbs higher, sits in the air about half its journey, then releases the rest of the way. The lob is the shot a golfer reaches for when neither option will hold the green.
When golfers play a lob shot
The classic situation is being short-sided. A player misses the green on the same side as the pin and has only a few paces of putting surface to work with. A chip would scoot past the hole; a pitch would land and run off the back. The lob is the only shot that lands soft enough to stop in time.
It also gets used to carry trouble close to the green, such as a deep bunker, a creek, or a steep bank up to an elevated green. Anywhere the ball must fly high and stop fast, the lob is in play.
T.J. Tomasi, Senior Faculty at Keiser University College of Golf, frames the decision as a sequence: putt first if possible, then chip, then pitch, and only reach for the lob when none of the easier options will work. That guidance reflects how most teaching pros view the shot, since the easier shot is almost always the smarter one.
Why the lob shot has a reputation for being risky
A lob shot demands a long, full-feeling swing for a short distance. That mismatch makes it psychologically difficult, and a half-committed swing usually produces a thinned shot that flies the green or a chunked one that goes nowhere.
The lie matters too. Tight, bare lies offer almost no margin, because the leading edge of an open wedge catches the ball thin. Deep, buried rough creates the opposite problem: the club gets caught in the grass before reaching the ball. A good lob shot wants a clean lie. Most teaching pros, including Maria Palozola of My Golf Instructor, recommend the shot only when the ball is sitting up nicely. Phil Mickelson, whose lob and flop shots became part of his trademark short game over a long PGA Tour career, is often cited as the example of what hours of practice can produce with this shot.
For most recreational golfers, the lob is a specialty tool rather than an everyday option. Knowing what it is and recognizing when it is the right shot is more important than being able to pull it off on command.
Related Golf Terms
- Links — A type of coastal golf course built on sandy terrain, originating in Scotland.
- Lip — The edge of the hole or the edge of a bunker.
- Links course — A coastal course built on sandy, windswept terrain with few trees.
- Lip out — When the ball hits the edge of the cup but does not drop in.
- Line — The intended path of a putt or shot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What club is used for a lob shot?
A lob wedge is the standard choice, with a loft between 58 and 64 degrees. A sand wedge with the face opened up can also work, though it produces slightly less height.
Is a lob shot the same as a flop shot?
Often yes. Many golfers and sites treat the two as the same shot. Where a distinction is drawn, the flop shot is a more extreme version of the lob played from closer in with a more open clubface.
How far does a lob shot travel?
Most lob shots cover less than 40 yards, and many are played from inside 20 yards. Height matters more than distance with this shot.
Why is the lob shot considered hard?
It needs a long, accelerating swing to send the ball a short distance, which fights a golfer’s instinct. The high loft also leaves little margin on tight lies or in deep rough.
Should beginners try a lob shot?
Most coaches suggest beginners learn to chip and pitch first. The lob shot is best added once a player has reliable distance control with the sand wedge and lob wedge.
Sources
- Wikipedia. “Lob wedge.” Accessed May 2026.
- Golf Digest. “Pitching, Gap, Lob & Sand Wedge Lofts: Everything you need to know.” Accessed May 2026.
- Keiser University College of Golf. “How to Hit a Lob Shot.” Accessed May 2026.
- Caddiehq. “What Is a Lob Shot in Golf?” Accessed May 2026.
- Golflink. “The Lob Wedge Explained: 8 Answers You’re Looking For.” Accessed May 2026.
- The Sporting Blog. “Different Types of Golf Shot.” Accessed May 2026.
- Golf Distillery. “Golf Short Game: Illustrated Definitions.” Accessed May 2026.
- My Golf Instructor. “The Flop Shot.” Accessed May 2026.
