If you are looking for lob wedges, you may have stumbled across the 58 degree and 60 degree wedges. While similar, these clubs do have different things to offer. There are pros and cons of each, and one may suit your game better than the other.
In this article I go over what the general differences between these two clubs are and when you should use them.
What are the differences between the 58 and 60 degree wedges? The main difference between these two wedges is that a 58 degree wedge will get a bit more distance than a 60 degree wedge, around 5-10 yards more. The 60 degree wedge will get more height than the 58 degree wedge.
| Loft | 58 | 60 |
| Type | Lob | Lob |
| Distance | 55-65 yards | 45-55 yards |
| When To Use | Short chips that need a little bit more roll | Very short chips, or to get over an object |
| Legal | Yes | Yes |
Loft: 58 Degree vs 60 Degree Wedge
The most apparent difference between these two wedges is their loft. There is a difference of 2 degrees of loft, which means you will likely see a bit more height from the 60 degree compared to the 58 degree.
In other words, The apex of a 60° wedge is going to be higher than the Apex of a 58° wedge.
Which One Is Harder To Hit?
Traditionally, higher lofted wedges are more difficult to hit. As the loft increases, the club face becomes more horizontal. So, there is less clubface to make contact with when using a higher lofted wedge.
By using this logic, the 60° wedge is slightly more difficult to use than the 58° wedge. However, the difference is likely negligible.
Distance: 58 Degree vs 60 Degree Wedge
There are only 2 degrees difference when comparing this club which means that there shouldn’t be that much of a difference in distance between each of these clubs. However those 2 degrees do make a slight difference in the distance.
| Loft | 58 | 60 |
| Distance | 55-65 yards | 45-55 yards |
With the 58 degree wedge, depending on your swing, you will likely get anywhere from 55-65 yards, and the 60 degree wedge will get you 45-55 yards. Depending on your swing speed, you may get different results, but you will likely see about 5-10 yards of difference between these two clubs.
When To Use Each Club: 58 Degree vs 60 Degree Wedge
With different lofts and distances, there are certain instances where it is better to use a 58 degree wedge and there are certain instances where it is better to use a 60 degree wedge.
When To Use A 58 Degree Wedge
If you are on the fairway or in the rough, about 15-20 yards outside of the green, then the 58 degree wedge will be perfect to use. It will give you enough distance to get to the green and roll to the hole.
This club will also be useful to get over any small or medium sized objects in the way of your shot.
When To Use A 60 Degree Wedge
Similarly, if you are in the rough or the fairway about 10-15 yards outside of the green, then that would be a great time to use this club. If you are any more than this distance away from the hole, then you may risk coming up short.
The 60 degree wedge is also a great club to use to get over any medium sized objects in your way.
Type: 58 Degree vs 60 Degree Wedge
Depending on the amount of loft that a club has, it is categorized into a certain type of wedge. Any wedge that is between 58 degrees and 62 degrees of loft is considered a lob wedge.
So, both the 58° and 60° wedges are considered lob wedges. Out of all available wedges, lob wedges are considered the ones with the most loft.
Lob wedges are mainly used for very short distance shots, or shots where the player needs to get a lot of height. They are not designed to get the most distance, rather the most height.
USGA Legal: 58 Degree vs 60 Degree Wedge
It is important to know whether or not the 58 degree and the 60 degree wedges are considered legal. So, I checked with the USGA and R&A to make sure that both of these degrees are considered legal.
After checking the USGA club database, and the R&A database, it is clear that both the 58 degree and 60 degree wedges are totally legal to use. Because the USGA and R&A are considered governing bodies of the golfing world, it means that both of these clubs are legal to use in any casual, amateur, high-level amateur, or professional golf outings.
So, if anyone questions the legality of either of your lob wedges, then you can point them to either one of those databases to show them that they are in fact legal.