Hybrids Replacing Long-Irons

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Hybrids have taken over the golf world by storm with almost a third of amateur golfers using them. What started out as a club made for recreational golfers has turned out to be a huge hit. Even professional golfers have taken notice of hybrids and are adding them to their bags. Well over half of all professional golfers carry at least one hybrid. Also known as utility clubs, hybrids get their name from their makeup – a cross between an iron and a wood. Hybrids achieve all the playability of an iron with the feel of a wood.

Hybrids blend the best elements of irons and woods into one club. The new club is better suited to getting the ball air-born and provides more solid contact on mis-hits. Hybrids often take the place of long irons like the 2, 3 and 4-irons. They are more forgiving and will often go further because of the added club-head weight and increased forgiveness.  Here is a basic chart outlining typical hybrid specifications.

Hybrid	1	2	3	4	5	6
Loft	15°	18°	21°	24°	27°	30°
Lie	60.5°	61°	61.5°	62°	62.5°	63°
Bounce	0-1°	0-1°	0-2°	0-3°	0-4°	0-5°
Length	38.75“	38.75“	38.75“	38.25“	37.75“	37.25“

Manufacturers have taken notice in the popularity of utility clubs. Many have incorporated the designs into low number irons, creating entire hybrid sets.  These sets usually include two or three hybrids, eliminating the need for golfers to purchases hybrids individually. This also allows the hybrid to perfectly match the set for uniform feel. They have also created “transition” hybrid sets. These sets utilize the hybrid design in the long irons and gradually phase back into traditional iron design as more loft is added. So the 2-iron will look like a hybrid while the pitching wedge will look like an iron. With each higher lofted club in the set, the hybrid shape is phased out more and more.

Small club faces, lower trajectories and longer shafts make playing long irons difficult. Hybrids solve these problems in both design and technology. The club face of a hybrid is larger increasing the sweet spot of the club. Hybrids also have a lower center of gravity allowing golfers to get the ball airborne easier. Shafts on these utility clubs fall in between the lengths of irons and woods, also making them easier to hit. Finally, the faces on these clubs are flat and have higher launch angles. This gives the ball more spin, making it easier to stop the ball on the green.

Major Benefits

• Added Forgiveness
• Better Trajectory
• Increased Spin
• Increased Distance

The first hybrids were brought to market with Adam’s Tight Lies model and soon after everyone started copying. The first hybrids developed weren’t very popular though, until the design was remodeled into the current forgiving design. Hybrid clubs are easy to spot at your look golf retail store. These clubs look much like a traditional wood, but lack the huge round backside shape. Instead they have a slightly curved backside, about 3/4 as much as a wood. Utility clubs are also slightly shorter in length than woods.

If you haven’t tried hybrid clubs you are certainly missing out.  These utility clubs are actually a golf innovation worth investing in. The forgiveness and enhanced feel of these utility clubs will certainly help you out on the course. Plus you can get rid of 2 and 3-iron in your bag collecting dust. Drop by your local golf shop and test the clubs out. Better yet bring in some of your long irons and feel the difference. Every golfer should have at least one utility hybrid golf club in their bag.

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