Quote Originally Posted by manotick View Post
I was using gap, sand and lob but after talking to some pros they said for a relatively new player (entering 3rd year) I would be better off leaving the lob wedge at home and learning to use the sand for as much play as I can, complimented by the gap for longer chipping distances. So I started doing that last fall and was quite happy with the results. Allowed me to add an extra longer club to my bag. So I will continue that this spring to see how it goes.
I will counter the pros advice.

For a new player, you are likely to be very inconsistent with longer clubs compared to shorter ones. As an example, if I had you hit 20 4-irons and 20 3-irons for most beginners the shot dispersion/distance would likely be close to identical.

An extra wedge allows you to make a consistent swing with three (or 4) different clubs that results in different distances for each. This is much easier than trying to change your swing to get a desired distance.

I will say that beginners trying a flop shot with a lob wedge is usually a recipe for disaster. The pros on TV make it look easy, but in reality it's a very hard shot. I'm a single digit and will very rarely use a flop shot. I'm just not consistent enough with it.