Hybrid question

[j0hnnyRingo]

Im in the market to replace my long irons and am looking into getting a few hybrid clubs. But, I have a few questions concerning them and didnt know where else to find out.

First, I can hit my short irons very well, and my long irons decent. I struggle with my driver (either an incredible shot or terrible shot, nothing in between). Have alot of people had success with using a hybrid on par 4's to keep it down the middle for a decent shot instead of trying to kill it with a driver?

Second, From what I have heard/seen Hybrids can be used off the tee, fairway, rough, etc. Should I think about ditching my woods (3 and 5) and long irons (2,3 &4) in replace for these hybrids?

Third, I know i need to get out and get a feel for them, but are they easy to handle and control? I guess I am asking are they pretty easy to pick up and grip and rip like an iron, or are they harder to hit like a driver?

Last, anyone have a suggestion on what brand, loft, number, etc on a good, reasonable priced set of hybrids?

Thanks for an help, Johnny.

[Eracer]

There are a ton of posts regarding this subject. I've put some detailed posts of my own regarding teeing off with hybrids, testing hybrids, blah, blah, blah..

Do a forum search for "hybrid" and you will have a bunch of reading material.

[dave.]

Most players like hybrids at higher handicaps,the lower the handicap the less they get used.I don't know what that means,but it might say something.I hate them,they are high spinning right flying nasty sticks.But thats just me.

[CybrSlicr]

J0hnnyRingo,

1) If you find you hit them consistently, using them off the tee on par-4's makes a great deal of sense. It's not always about distance, especially if the driver puts you in a bad way for your second shot. I find I will play 375-400yd holes with a 3R and then a 5R to the green. I will play many par-5's this way as well (3R-3R-approach club). For my game (as I have just gotten int ot he 80's for the first time this year), needs to be about control and location, not distance.

2) I still have a 3W and a 5W in my bag, because they fill those distances for me:

3W: 250 (wood)
5W: 225 (wood)
3R: 200 (hybrid)
4R: 190 (hybrid)
5R: 175 (hybrid)

3) Very easy to hit. They feel like a wood, but you can control them like an iron.

4) I have the TaylorMade Rescue Mids (19*, 22* and 25*) to replace my 3I, 4I and 5I. These are solid, easy to swing and can be purchased inexpensively now (as they have been replaced by the Rescue Duals).

Overall, the three hybrids I bought were the best things I have done for my golf game...

Hope that helps.

[j0hnnyRingo]

thank you very much for the input...Im gonna shop around for a while, hit a few, get a feel, see what I like. I have heard great things about the TM Rescues.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by j0hnnyRingo

I have heard great things about the TM Rescues.

If you hit a predominant draw, the Mid is a Hook machine, and you would likely want to opt for the TP model. The Dual is also set up for a draw bias off the shelf, and may get expensive to change the weights if you hit a draw and it is too much. I have one baffler and 2 halos that I bought later, and both are good. The Cobra is better if you can find the shaft you like.

[vincel]

Jonnyringo,
you stated you can hit your short irons well and your long irons good, maybe its your driver? what driver do you use?

[Genghis_Mickelson]

Watch your miss tendancy - if you pull, avoid the draw biased clubs, as Jayhawk has pointed out. I like the Hogans, Mizunos, and the Nickents - all pretty neutral set-up - especially the Hogans, and they can be had for a great price...even better now that their ti model has come out.

[Bravo]

I agree that the TM will really hit it right to left...so this is a great club for a fader or slicer.

And the Hogans are a really good value too. Give them a long look...

[Man from the Ministry]

The Hogan hybrid is a damn fine club. The 4h was my particular favorite. A shaft of comfortable length and a heavy head that is wonderful for getting it out of the rough. My only problem was that they hit the ball a little too high for the windy conditions I play in (a consistent 10 to 15 mph wind on my course). I moved to the Sonartec MD. These are more demanding to hit and IMO not as good out of the rough). I did not like the IROD shaft and after thinking about it I re shafted them with the same shaft as my irons (TT DG Lite R300). I see these hybrids as iron replacements rather than "mutant fairway woods" and was looking a feel as close as possible to my irons. The steel shaft certainly help here although you will never get complete consistency if you play a hybrid and forged irons. I also own a Cleveland Halo hybrid in a 19 degree flex (equivalent of a 2 iron). I see this more as a power club for off the tee or par 5s. I fitted this with a Grafalloy comp NT hybrid shaft and it produces a boring trajectory and is very straight.

As the previous poster said, the Hogan Hybrids are excellent value for money. I would not bother with the new Hogan TIs. My personal experience with these was very disappointing compared to the original ones. They just dont have that solid feel (IMO) that their predecessors have.

The Sonartecs are excellent clubs as well but more demaning to hit. They hit the ball lower and longer than the Hogans. The Halo, with the original shaft launches quite high. The reshaft I did has helped lower the flight.

One final piece of advice, is that if you get a hybrid treat it exactly the same way as a long iron. Don't try and sweep it away like a fairway wood. If you swing a hybrid the same way you swing your 3 or 4 iron you will reap the benefits on ease of use.

Good luck in your search.

[robryche]

johnny, since i'm between drivers and a 3w right now, i was using my steel shafted 22* g5 hybrid both saturday and sunday from the tee, the fairway, and the rough for longer par 3's and then par 4's and 5's. for me, it performed admirably and i'm going to get a 16*, 19* and maybe even the 25*

i picked one with a steel shaft so it still feels like an iron to me. i'd say just demo a bunch of different brands with either steel or graphite to see which one works for YOUR swing.


hope this helps

rob

[eli_yates]

honestly the best hybrid i have ever hit would be the tommy armour silverscot hybrid 18* model. i have hit the adams a2 the wilson hb5 and most of the nickent line. and i liked the tommy armour so much it has a prolaunch blue shaft in it stiff of course. its amazing.

[drdrayton]

Cobra Baffler DWS 20 VS Proto HL S

The best out there!

[warbirdlover]

Cobra Baffler DWS 20 VS Proto HL S

The best out there!

drdrayton

I second this emotion!!

[cypressperch]

I have a Mizuno hybrid that replaces my three iron. I like having my Titleist 3 and 5 fairway metals. DO NOT GIVE UP ON THE DRIVER! The club is the source of too much enjoyment. Sure there are holes where being a little conservative is fine, but the driver is the best club if you can use it confidently for most tee shots.

Two things I have learned about drivers in the last couple of years of my 53 years of playing this great game.

1. Most amateurs have swing speeds that are too low to crush the ball to the point that greater speed comes primarily from the ball speed created. These golfers are better off going with higher lofts in their drivers, and the result is more spin that helps keep the ball aloft longer for their maximum carry. I have gone to a Ping G10 with 12.5 degree loft, and I have added distance while actually slowing down on my swing speed just a tad. With more carry and less roll, I am staying in the fairway which is always good.

2. A few months ago I read an article that had the best explanation I have ever heard about why the driver is so difficult for many golfers when compared to their other clubs. If you ask someone their 7 iron distance, they will usually give you a pretty precise answer, say 145 yards. Ask the person their driver yardage, and they give you a wide range rather than something specific, perhaps 240 to 280 depending on such and such. The reason for this, according to what I read, is that when we pick up a driver we do not have a certain yardage in mind because with the driver we are often trying to max out. Thus our driver swing has for more variation from one use to the next than with a 7 iron which we pull out when we need a specific distance. Conclusion: We need a yardage for our driver and a swing that repeatedly gives us that yardage. I get a little over 230 yards of carry with my driver, and I now swing with that particular distance in mind. I am not a machine by a long shot, but I am getting much better consistency and therefore confidence with my driver thinking this way. Before I would sometimes go for the crush, perhaps just try to smooth it out there, and at times just make a swing. Such variation makes consistent drives harder than they have to be. By far the greatest problem is that animal feeling that comes with the driver. I never have that same feeling with any other club.

CP