Hybrid Golf Clubs Overview
The hybrid club is a relatively new member of the club family. They have become increasingly popular with golf professionals but the most benefit will be felt by the amateur player and especially those just starting out. They are primarily designed to replace those long irons that have proved so hard to hit well and consistently. They achieve this by having some of the characteristics of both irons and woods.
Hybrids launch the ball high and accurately!!! - So why do they work?
· The centre of gravity is further back in the head.
· There is a higher launch angle.
· A flatter face means the ball spin rate is higher than regular golf irons – this means the ball can travel further for lower swing speeds and the roll distance can decrease.
· These types of clubs are very good from the tee or the fairway but they are particularly good from rough and bad lies as the larger head is less prone to twisting than an iron.
(hey this is where we find ourselves a lot of the time!)
They can help us amateurs players hit shots further and closer to the target. If you are uncomfortable using long irons than hybrid golf clubs could be a fix for your game.
Choosing A Hybrid Club
Firstly, you need to consider how you are going to use a hybrid club. For instance, you may be struggling to hit 3, 4 or even 5 irons and would like to replace these. Otherwise, you may wish to extend your set and add a 1 or 2 iron replacement hybrid club to give you more options.
Another point to bear in mind is that you may hit a hybrid 3 further than a 3 iron so there may not be a like for like match in distance control. Very often a hybrid 3 will travel the same distance as a 2 iron as you get more height and a better trajectory.
Hybrid Head Construction
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. Broadly 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 us amateurs.
Hybrid Shafts
The shaft length will be in between that of a wood and an iron. This means that the ball will travel a shorter distance than with a wood but the slightly shorter shaft will give the shot greater control.
I don't know about you but I'll sacrifice a bit of distance for more control!!
The next variable is the type of shaft. Graphite shafts are more prevalent in hybrid club sales then steel shafts but unlike drivers there are plenty of players who use steel shafts. The benefits of steel shafts are; cost (they are cheaper) and they tend to be more consistent giving better control. The benefits of graphite shafts are; that they are lighter and allow players to increase their club head speed and distance the ball will travel. Most newcomers to golf will probably benefit having graphite shafts in their hybrid clubs, particularly those will slower swing speeds.
As with drivers, the next variable is shaft flex. Your shaft will be available in a number of flexes. The main ones are Lady, Regular, Stiff and Senior. In general for the average male, it's best to start of with a regular flex. If you are a lady or a senior then go for those flexes. The most flexible is lady, then senior, then regular, then stiff and so on.
The stiffer the shaft then the more accurate the club will be and you will be able to get more control of your shots. The big downside though is that stiffer shafts require a greater head speed to generate distance . When you start out in golf you don't generally have the club head speed so you need a more flexible shaft which will allow you to hit the ball further. As you improve your swing speed you may find changing to a stiffer shaft will give you greater control and with no loss in distance.
One other point when selecting any club is grip. The size of the grip can have an effect if you have either particularly small or large hands. If you have small hands a thinner grip can have benefits and if you have large hands a thicker grip can have benefits. Most grips are of a standard thickness and will be fine for the majority of golfers.