PW or 58? Which Club Do You Chip With?

Chipping is an essential part of the golf game as it can help you save par or prevent you from making a double bogey. Do you ever struggle knowing what club to use when you just miss the green and it requires a chip shot? I want to share the clubs that I use for certain chip shots and hopefully this will help make your club choice a lot easier.

The 58 Degree

A lob wedge or 58 degree is best used for very high lofted shots. This could be if you’re trying to hit a shot over a bunker and don’t have much green to work with, or if you’re playing out of the rough and don’t have much green to work with either. Too often, I see golfers pull out a high lofted club even when there is a lot of green before the pin and there aren’t any hazards or anything to hit over. It makes the shot a lot more difficult to execute when you use a high lofted club when you don’t have to because it generates more spin and can be more unpredictable when you don’t know how much it will “check”.

The Pitching Wedge

If there are no obstacles in the way and you have green to work with, it’s a lot easier to hit a pitching wedge and play a bump and run style shot. This shot is all about reducing risk and making the shot as repeatable as possible. It’s much easier so repeat a bump and run action which is similar to a putting stroke, compared to a larger swing that comes with the 58 degree flop shot. Even if you mis-hit a pitching wedge, it is more likely to end up closer to the hole than if you mis-hit a lob wedge due to the pitching wedge having a thicker sole and less prominent leading edge.

Practice Makes Perfect

You see a lot of the top professionals using a lob wedge around the green, but that has taken them a lot of practice to be skillful with that shot. Phil Mickelson is known for his unbelievable short game and flop shots, but we know that he spends more time practicing them than an amateur golfer.

I like to use a lower lofted club to try and get the ball running as quickly as possible and give myself less room for error. Check out my YouTube video below on my channel Barry Ehlert to see my tips and chipping demonstration!