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The Lovett Wedge - Bunker
Problems Solved?
by Kevin Kossman
So the round is going pretty decent and then one ugly
swing dumps your ball in the greenside bunker. Three
swings, 20 pounds of flying sand, and a few curse words
later, you finally jettison the ball 40 feet over the
green, chip on and 2 putt for your snowman. Welcome
to the world of the average golfer.
I don’t know what it is about bunkers that can make
the average golfer look like they have never touched a
club in their lives, but it happens hundreds of times
every week on nearly every course in the world.
The Lovett Golf Company claims to have a solution…
the Lovett Wedge.
The Lovett Wedge boasts a variety of
design features such as a large rounded sole, a curved leading
edge to reduce digging and a set-back hosel design to reduce
twisting. The Lovett Wedge comes in either 59* or 63* in
loft. Most of my testing was done with the 59*.
Feel
It
feels heavy, yet comfortable. The Lovett is a substantial feeling
stick and for me, the extra weight is confidence inspiring.
When you climb into a bunker with the Lovett in your mitts, you
are pretty sure that the ball is coming out, and it is probably
going to be on the green.
Looks
It’s not exactly what Gene Sarazen had in mind when he created
the sand wedge. The Lovett is as non-traditional looking as
you can get. The only wedge I have seen that looks similar
is the Alien Wedge that gained popularity amongst mid-high
handicappers a few years ago. Fortunately the Lovett is a
bit more attractive than the aforementioned Alien wedge, but still
wildly unconventional looking.
Playability
Since you don’t have to modify anything about your swing or
manipulate the clubface, this club is very intuitive to use. Put
your normal swing on it and let the club do the work (yeah, it’s
cliché, I know). There are a couple of minor setup
adjustments that are illustrated on the video that accompanies
each wedge, but once you take a few practice swings it feels
pretty natural.
 One
of my favorite parts about testing this wedge was the ease of use
from greenside rough. The heavy head, set-back hosel design,
and rounded sole easily cut through the thickest rough I could
stick it in and the club head never twisted on me. If you
regularly play a course with gnarly greenside rough, this stick
could be a par saving weapon.
Out of the bunkers the club shines. No questioning if
your clubface is too open or too closed, you just point the face
at the target and take your swing. The results were much
better out of soft thick sand than they were out of the hard
packed dirt residing in some bunkers. Even if you hit a bunker
shot a bit fat, the ball is still probably coming out because the
huge sole bottoms out and the club doesn’t twist.
The infomercials on The Golf Channel focus on the clubs
usability for the short game but I was surprised to find that it
performed pretty well on full swings too. During a recent round I
had a 105-yard shot from some slight rough and decided to give the
Lovett a shot. One swing and I was putting for birdie
(unfortunately it was an 8 footer that broke 2 feet, so yeah, I
missed it). This club is pretty effective anywhere inside
100 yards if you just put a halfway decent swing on it.
On the downside, it lacks the versatility to lay the face wide
open to hit certain types of shots but realistically most players
would be better off not attempting such shots anyway.
Who’s it for?
 Mid-high
handicappers that want instant short game improvement and are
looking for some serious help getting the ball out of the trap.
It’s ideal for the guy who plays a few times a year, rarely
practices, and just wants to score better with the game he has.
Value
At $99.98 for the steel shafted version, the Lovett is priced
accordingly with the major OEM players. If you can’t get
out of a bunker or greenside rough to save your life, then it is
worth twice what they are charging. For those with a decent
bunker and short game, it’s probably not for you. The
Lovett definitely isn’t for traditionalists regardless of the
state of your short game; the look will probably be too much for
you to overcome.
In Summary
This is a fantastic product for the right player. If you are
a once a month player that has limited time to practice your short
game and you want to score better with the tools you have… the
Lovett Wedge is worth a serious look. Make no mistake, you
are going to get some ribbing from your low handicap friends for
having it in the bag, but for the vast majority of golfers, this
club can save you a few strokes a round (which may make the
ribbing worth it).
More information about the
Lovett Wedge can be
found at:
http://www.lovettgolf.com/
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