All golf clubs in our bag play an important role. The 60-degree wedge is one of the key tools for golfers to use when hitting shots around the green. If you are wondering how far a 60-degree wedge go or whether or not it makes sense to put one of these in your bag, we have all the answers you need. Playing with a 60-degree wedge will be well worth it; you just need to be smart about when and where it is used.
What Is A 60 Degree Wedge?
A 60 degree wedge is often referred to as a lob wedge. This is the club in your golf bag that has the most loft. Higher lofted golf clubs do not go as far, but they help players to get more accuracy and control.
The 60 degree wedge is one of four wedges that most players will have in their bag. The pitching wedge, gap wedge, and sand wedge are the other three wedges.
Many beginners and high handicappers have concerns about using a 60 degree wedge. However, there is no need to have this concern. If used the right way, the 60 degree wedge is one of the most valuable tools in the golf bag.
When Should You Use a 60 Degree Wedge?
The great news about the 60 degree wedge is that it can be used from various locations on the course. IN fact, the more you learn how to use this club and the locations that make sense to hit it from, the better your short game will get. It makes sense to learn as many shots as you can so you can use them on the course.
Greenside Bunker Shots
When you are in a greenside bunker with a very high lip, it makes sense to use a 60 degree wedge. Although the 56 degree wedge is often referred to as the sand wedge, the 60 degrees should be used out of the bunkers as well.
The 60 degree wedge has a ton of loft and can easily be hit over the lip of the bunker. For those that struggle to get the proper ball flight out of the sand, the 60 degree is a great choice.
In addition, we love that this club allows golfers to take a larger and more powerful swing but still get a very short shot. The results end up being considerably better.
Approach Shots
Some golfers will use their 60 degree wedge as their approach shot into a green. Approach shots are less common because the full swing 60 degree wedge shot is not always the most brilliant play. Many golfers will use this from around 75 yards, but sometimes it makes sense to take a shorter pitching wedge or sand wedge swing.
Approach shots need to manage the trouble around the greens, and the 60 degree full swing shot takes some time to perfect. Although this is not a shot to avoid, make sure to use it in the right spot.
Out of Thick Rough
The shape and wider sole of the 60 degree wedge allow golfers to get the ball out of the thick rough with ease. The rough is known to grab the club and have it get a bit stuck. Luckily with the 60 degree wedge, you can ensure that the ball will at least get out.
Some golfers playing very difficult courses with high fairway rough will use the club to get back into play. The blade style wedges are best known for their ability to get the ball out of the rough and back into play.
When High Spin is Needed
Spin can sometimes be your friend. Although it is not great to have a high spinning shot from a tee box when around the greens, spin is excellent. The 60 degree wedge will likely be the amateur golfer’s best chance at spin.
When you combine a great 60 degree wedge with a mid spin ball, you may be able to stop the ball or even back it up on a green. This is a tremendous benefit for the golfer that is trying to be more accurate with their game.
High spin golf shots are impressive when you can pull them off, and the best place to learn is with your 60 degree.
Short Chips With Little Green To Work With
If you are playing a short chip and there is not much room for the ball to run out, the 60 degree wedge is a smart choice. With the 60 degree, you will be able to get the ball up and down very quickly, making sure that it stops on the green.
Overall these short shots are probably the most common use for a 60 degree wedge. If you have a hard time with your 56 traveling past the target, give the 60 degree a try, and you will likely be pleasantly surprised.
Lob Shots Over a Hazard
Last but not least, sometimes golfers will want to use a 60 degree wedge to hit a lob type shot that goes over the hazard. If you have a bunker in front of you or even a tree branch or bush that you need to go over, the 60 degree could be a great choice.
Obviously, these shots come with a bit more risk, but the reward can be well worth it. Golfers that have a certain comfort level with their 60 degree wedge will really enjoy the benefits that this club can offer.
Tips For Using a 60 Degree Wedge Effectively
To take the 60 degree wedge out of the bag and have the experience be a positive one, you will need to ensure that you have some basic tips down. The 60 degree wedge is neither the most difficult nor the easiest club in the bag.
Always Accelerate
One of the most prominent issues golfers have is they start to accelerate as they get close to making contact with the ball. If you are slowing your hands down and decelerating, there is a chance that the ball will not get very high in the air, and it will potentially wind up as a chunk or a skull shot.
Let The Club Face Sit Naturally
The 60 degree has plenty of loft. When using this for a shot, be sure to let the clubface sit square. When the clubface is square, golfers are able to hit the 60 degree wedge with much more consistency.
When you start to close or open the 60 degree, it may get more difficult to pull off the shots that you need.
Pay Attention To Setup and Stance
When hitting shorter shots around the green, it makes sense to open your stance a little and have your body turned slightly left of the target.
The opening of the stance encourages more acceleration through the ball and a higher overall ball flight. This is also going to make it easier for golfers to control their golf shots a bit more.
If your setup and stance are not good, it’s not even worth taking the club back.
Don’t Overuse The Club
As great as the 60 degree wedge can be, it should not be overused. Essentially you will have to pick and choose the times that it makes sense to use this club during your golf round.
This 60 degree wedge should not become your new go-to club for approach shots. In addition, it is not always smart to use the 60 degree wedge when you have a chip from the short grass.
Many times you can keep the ball a little lower with a pitching wedge and let the ball roll up towards the hole as opposed to having it stop quickly with spin.
Should All Golfers Carry a 60 Degree Wedge In Their Bag?
Now that you can see all of these great benefits that the 60 degree wedge has to offer, you may be wondering if your golf bag should have one. Many players have the 56 degree wedge as the highest lofted wedge in the bag. In our opinion, this is a mistake. There are enough instances during the course of a round that the 60 degree wedge can help. All players should know a few things about the 60 degree and what it offers.
Low Handicappers
Low handicap golfers are capable of hitting a lot of short shots around the green, and they are known for having an impressive feel. Lower handicappers tend to have an idea as to how big of a swing they need to hit a 30, 40, or 50-yard shot.
The 60 degree wedge is a must for low handicappers and will be found in the bag of every professional. If golfers don’t have an exact 60 degree, they will likely have a 58 or a 62 to replace it.
Mid Handicappers
Mid handicappers are those with a handicap between about 10 and 22. These golfers often have the 60 degree wedge in place, but they don’t always use it as much as they should.
Many mid handicappers worry that the 60 degree wedge brings more risk than reward. However, this is not the case. If you can use your 56 degree wedge well, you can easily learn to use the 60 degree.
The 60 degree wedge is easiest to start using for some short bunker shots. You can play the bunker shot the same way you usually do, but you just have a different club in your hand.
High Handicappers
Many high handicappers do not have a 60 degree wedge in the bag. There is fear that this club is too challenging to hit and requires too much effort for the higher handicappers to learn.
Luckily, this is not the case, and high handicap golfers should absolutely be using the 60 degree wedge when they have the chance. The 60 degree wedge best for a high handicapper will be forgiving and have more of a cavity back style.
For high handicappers, it is important to take some time on the putting green, learning how these wedges work, before heading right to the golf course. Having confidence in your ability to hit these golf shots helps lower the dispersion rate.
How Far Should a 60 Degree Wedge Go?
A 60 degree wedge will travel about 70 yards. This is all going to depend on a few critical factors that will impact total distances. For the most part, golfers should not be concerned with hitting a 60 degree wedge far. The distance is for clubs like irons, fairway woods, and hybrids; wedges are accurate.
Here are a few of the factors that will impact the total distance that you can get with a 60 degree wedge.
Club Head Speed
Club head speed is the number one factor that impacts total distance. The faster your club head speed, the easy it is to get the distance. With a higher club head speed, you may be able to hit the 60 degree wedge 90 yards or more.
Lower swing speed players may only see about 50 yards of distance with the 60 degree wedge. Again, as long as you know what your distances are, you should not be worrying about total distance with a 60 degree.
Accuracy of Strike
Hitting a 60 degree wedge on the center of the clubface will result in a shot that goes considerably further. If you hit the ball well, expect more distance. Hits that miss the center of the clubface will not be nearly as long.
The accuracy of a strike is difficult to practice. However, the more you play, the more consistent your game will get, ensuring better results on the course.
Type of 60 Degree Wedge
The 60 degree wedge is either a blade or a cavity back style. The cavity back style wedges are more forgiving and sometimes easier to get longer distances with.
The blade style wedges are more about feel and precision, and this may impact the total distances that you can get. A golfer is more worried about accuracy than distance.
60 Vs. 56 Degree Wedge
For many golfers, the differences between the 56 and 60 degree seem rather subtle. This can make it hard to choose one over the other. If you are wondering the differences between the 60 and 56, we have you covered.
Distance
The 56 degree wedge can fly considerably further than the 60. Most golfers that hit the 60 around 70 yards will hit the 56 closer to 100 yards. This is why it makes sense to have both of these clubs in the bag.
Feel
The 60 and the 56 degree wedge will have a great feel. The key is to learn to use them both well and benefit from the technology that they offer golfers.
Launch
The 60 degree has a higher loft, and therefore the launch angle will be a bit steeper. The higher launch angle will make it easier for golfers to get over a lip of a bunker. This is why we recommend trying the 60 degrees from a bunker.
The Best 60 Degree Wedges
Most of the time, the 60 degree is an addition to your golf set and not something that comes with the irons. Here are a few of the best 60 degree wedges on the market.
Cleveland Golf CBX 2
When it comes to forgiveness in a 60 degree wedge, the Cleveland Golf CBX 2 is the club that you will want. The CBX 2 has a large sweet spot and makes it easier for golfers of all levels to have a 60-degree wedge in their golf bag. If you are worried about hitting the ball thin or fat, the CBX 2 is a perfect choice to consider.
Wilson Harmonized Wedge:
The Wilson Harmonized Wedge is a great option for a player on a budget. We love the Wilson Harmonized for the golfer that is unsure about adding a 60 degree to their bag and wants to see the type of performance it could bring.
Callaway Mack Daddy 5:
The Callaway Mack Daddy 5 is the best option for the golfer looking to improve feel around the greens. The Mack Daddy 5 gives golfers better precision and ensures that you can control the 60 degrees the way that you want to. Callaway has some of the best groove technology in the industry.
Conclusion
At this point, you should no longer be wondering, how far does a 60 degree wedge go? Golfers that learn how to use a 60 degree wedge properly can benefit significantly from this technology. Taking your game to the next level and learning to score around the greens is a big accomplishment. However, in order to do so, you must be set up with the correct tools. The 60 degree wedge plays an important role in the game and should be in the bag of all golfers.
