Golf Hybrids Buying Guide
Also known as utility clubs, hybrid clubs are a cross between irons and woods and usually replace a fairway wood or long iron in a set of clubs. A relatively new addition to the golfer's arsenal, hybrids have become extremely popular in recent years. Combining the advantages of both types of club, offering the control of an iron together with the forgiveness of a lofted wood, more and more golfers are choosing hybrids as a standard part of their kit. Popular on tour with golf professional, these blended clubs are very good from the rough for difficult shots with a bad lie, since their larger heads help prevent twisting and give greater control.
As the name implies, hybrids are versatile clubs that can be used in many situations to give the golfer more options from challenging positions on the course. Because they can help players attain increased height on the ball due to their lower centre of gravity, a hybrid club is often used for long shots from difficult parts of the rough or for golfers who have trouble keeping the ball in the air.
Most hybrid clubs replace long irons, the 2-, 3- or 4-iron, which are the hardest clubs in the bag to hit with.
Hybrid Head
The head of a hybrid club is slightly smaller than a wood, making it easier to hit from the rough, or to get the ball out of a bad lie. In a hybrid club, the centre of gravity is moved back and to the bottom of the club in order to help launch the ball into the air. Unlike woods, hybrids have a flat face which imparts increased spin on the ball allowing it to stop faster and with greater accuracy upon pitching. Some hybrid heads have shallow faces that are fairly long from front to back, while others look more like irons with longer faces and shorter heads. Hybrids are either more like irons, or more like woods in their construction. Generally speaking, the hybrids made with more of the iron characteristics are for the more advanced players, while the wood-like hybrids are more popular with the causal golfer.
Hybrid Shaft
The shaft of a hybrid club is somewhere between the length of a wood and an iron. This means that less distance can be attained with a hybrid club than with a fairway wood, but the slightly shorter shaft will give the shot greater control.
Like woods and irons, hybrid shafts are available in either steel or graphite, with graphite having become the more popular option in recent years. Steel shafts are heavier, providing consistency and control, while graphite is lighter which helps to generate more swing speed. Graphite shafts can also be designed with varying levels of flex in order to provide even more alternatives to suit your level of play. At least eighty percent of hybrid clubs are sold with graphite shafts these days, which maximizes hybrid performance, taking advantage of the club's versatility.
Most professional golfers have at least one hybrid club as part of their set. Hybrid sets are also available, where the long irons (typically the 3 and 4 irons) are replaced with hybrid clubs.
Hybrid Shaft Flex
The "flex" of a club refers to how much the golf shaft will bend during the swing. Hybrids are designed to have different degrees of flex. The main ones are stiff, firm, regular, senior, and lady's. The stiffer the shaft, the more speed is needed when hitting the ball, but the club will be more accurate and controllable. Scratch golfers and people who are at the beginner end of the scale normally prefer a more flexible club, which allows them to hit the ball further. However, you may want to change to a stiffer head as you get better and find you lack control. Having a mismatched flex can result in the club face being aligned wrongly at impact and the ball going in unpredictable direction.