The golf lob shot is a seldom used shot because it requires regular practice in order to be comfortable using it, but it can be a great precision shot for you. The shot will come into play when you are near the green (from about 50 yards in), and when the shot demands that you get the ball up quickly and land with little roll. Although sand wedges may be used for this shot, there are excellent lob wedges on the market they are specifically designed to be used on turf.

Before we get into some tips to improve the golf lob shot, here are three common circumstances where the lob shot can come in handy:

1. Say there is a greenside bunker that is between you and the hole and you'll want to play the shot over the bunker, but little green to work with.

2. The pin is very near to the fringe and you are unsure how the ball will roll before it hits the green. However, you might be too far from the green to putt the ball.

3. The putting green is situated above you, demanding a high pitch shot with very little roll.

Now I will share a few tips to improve the golf lob shot:

1.When setting up for the golf lob shot, open up your stance so your facing left of the target line and open the face of the club. Keep most of your weight (about two-thirds) forward throughout the entire swing. So you will get higher trajectory, position the golf ball forward in your stance.

2. As stated earlier, a sand wedge can be used, but I prefer a 60 degree lob wedge.

3. To accomplish the shot, hinge the wrist at the outset of the takeaway. By all means do not “sweep" the ball. Take the club head only to about the 9 o’clock position, maintaining balance throughout. Keep the clubface open at impact. I personally use a strong grip for this shot, as I want to be sure the clubface does not remain too open so I would “fluff” the shot.

4. The follow-through should conclude at the three o’clock position. It is vital that you do not "quit" on the ball, but accelerate down and through the ball at impact. This shot can turn into a disaster if the face of the club does not make first contact with the golf ball.

This is a true finesse shot, and is a lot of fun to execute. But it requires practice not only to learn how to execute it, but has to be practice as part of your off-course routine to maintain your “feel” for the shot. In little time, using these tips to improve the lob shot. as your confidence improves you will find it quite easy to execute and become a important part of your arsenal to help lower your scores.