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To Hybrid or not the Hybrid? Benefits?

SuperStroke
RadRob said:
Thanks Tuna. I was all excited about the TEE CB4 you mentioned, but sometimes I dislike being a lefty golfer due to lack of availability. I may check out the A12 Pro as I like Adams hybrids. I'm using a Ping G10 now and I find if I use a completely neutral hand position, that I have fairly decent results keeping it straight.
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I'm a lefty and have used a Cleveland Halo in the past which I loved and had some success with, and I now have two Taylormade Rescue 11's that I love, and I have really hit them well on the course. I would look into the Taylormade's, they offer a little bit of adjustability with the FCT system, and they came stock with really nice Aldila RIP shafts.
 
I'm in the minority on this thread but I find that I have tighter shot dispersion with an iron versus a hybrid. Maybe it's just the deep cavity back style of irons that I play with, but I've seen that across several sets of irons and hybrids.

What I also see though is that there is a line above which I really can't hit the iron. It's a little different depending on the loft and shaft length of the iron. With the lofts of the Diablo Edges that I'm currently playing, that line is the 5 iron. About 1/2 my 4 iron shots are just weak little duck hooks that don't get much elevation, so I play the 4H. The 5 iron flies high and straight with ease. Head to head testing with the 5 iron vs a 5 hybrid produces more accurate results with the 5 iron.
 
JB said:
More mass behind the ball. More forgiveness laterally. Higher ball flight in many cases. Faster ball speed and swing speed in many cases ( due to lighter weight). There are a lot of reasons that many have had success with them.
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I agree with what JB has posted. For me, hybrids are a much better option in all longer club slots in my bag. The higher ball flight offers me a softer landing and that in itself is important with the long approach shots. I hold the green much better with this ball flight. I'm also getting older and the hybrids offer me a little more distance over the irons they replace and I'm a lot less likely to have a mis-hit shot with the hybirds. They are simply easier for me to hit. May not be the thing for everyone, but I just added a forth hybrid to my setup this past week and could not be happier with the results.
 
I'm oficially an hybrid freak lol... I have the Adams a12os..., i have a RBZ 3H, and Adams 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, 8i, 9i, PW and GW. I'm so happy..., I'm a high handicap player so i do tend to lay up a lot... so my 7 iron is basically the club i use the most.. I hit my 7 iron 150 yards. just recently replaced it with the hybrid version of it and I'm now more confortable.

I'm gonna say this... if you cant hit a 4 ir a 5 iron, is probably because you cant control the longer shaft.. , making the hybrid swap doesnt guarantee you'll be able to hit the 4H and 5H.
 
Getting a solid hybrid in my hands has done wonders for my game. So easy to hit and is a huge confidence booster.
 
love my 3 hybrid. So much so that im looking for a 4 to replace my 4 iron that I struggle with. There are so many different choices out their as to fill your bag up with irons, hybrids or woods. Heck some of the hybrids look like fairway woods (rbz's) I defienetly think having a hybrid is a must. It really is a game changer for me. But I am a hybrid guy. I prefer them over fairway woods. If you like fairway woods more go with those or the large hybrids (RBZ). I like my skinny hybrids because they're more like an iron and that gives me more confidence. To each his own. There really is just too many options.
 
Hybrids are great for getting the ball up in the air and are fairly forgiving. A player can really benefit if they have trouble controlling the long irons.

I'm still on the fence about getting a hybrid. While I can control them fine and really like the feel, I consistently lose 15-20 yds compared to the equivalent irons. With that much of a difference, I'd rather just hit the irons that give better accuracy. Maybe I'll look into a 2I at some point.
 
You loose yardage? Most people gain yardage after swithching to hybrids?
 
Yeah, I'm still scratching my head about that one. It seems like I just can't generate the same ball speed as consistently as with irons.
 
I'm on the fence at the moment having just bagged an X24 4i and 21* Adams A12 hybrid. I definitely feel more consistent with the 4i off the tee and hitting knockdowns and punch shots but the 3h really gets out there from the fairway and rough. I've compromised by carrying them both for now.
 
There are tons of reasons to choose hybrids over long irons:

*typically more mass behind the ball
*easier to hit out of the rough
*easier to hit high and land soft
*larger sweetspot
*increase clubhead speed
*more forgiveness

Those are just a few. Nobody said you have to carry 3 or 4 hybrid clubs, but I think just about every amatuer should have a least 1 in their bag!
 
For me not being a high ball hitter it allows me to hold greens where if I carried a 3 iron it would roll of the back everytime. Also I feel that the sole is much more forgiving, if you find one that fits your swing well. A good hybrid is a lot tougher to hit fat than a long iron imo.
 
I finally bought in to the hybrid thing this year, picked up a callaway razr x when it was on sale for $108. Tried it out at my local golf town and was hitting it 240 yards on their monitor thingy. No way can I ever get that kind of distance and loft out of a 3 iron! Now I just need to find a club to fit between the 5 iron I hit 200 yards and the 3 hybrid. I don't even carry a 5 wood anymore. gives me space for another wedge which i find more useful.
 
I only use my hybrid as a rescue club to recover from a wayward drive or a fairway bunker, or off the tee to work it around short doglegs on certain courses. I consider it a specialty club and never use it in the fairway or to get on the green.

I was seduced by all the hype that made me feel like I was giving strokes away by not having a hybrid, and that they're so much easier to hit than long irons. I guess I had to get one to see if there was any truth to it as it pertains to my game. In my case the club doesn't have enough benefits over my long irons which I love to hit. I just bought a cavity back 3 iron for windy days and the game improvement-like cavity and sole add so much forgiveness and make it so easy to launch that it's pushing the hybrid out of the bag. I have much more height and direction control with the 3 iron over the hybrid, and I can bomb it off the tee. I'll put the hybrid on the shelf for now and may resurect it in the years to come.
 
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I carry a 3H and a 4H. I would say the biggest benefit over 3 and 4 irons is performance out of the rough. In my opinion, hybrids get the ball out of the rough much easier. I also find them more forgiving from any lie.
 
I have a 3h and 4h. For me, they are easier to hit, more versatile (I even use them for chipping/putting from just off the green), easier to get in the air, more consistent, etc. I think having at least one hybrid would add some versatility to your bag, but that's just me.
 
I have the 18 and 22 degree hybrid. They are my top choice on long par 3's 180-200 yrds. I also prefer them on a short par 4 and have to put the ball on fairway.
 
I love my hybrids. I have 3 in the bag atm but I am considering putting my 5 hybrid back in the bag to replace my 5 iron
 
When I bought my new G20 set this year, I went with the 3&4 Hybrid instead of the irons and I am glad I did!!! I hit them WAY more consistently and accurately than I did my old 3&4 irons. I get about the same if not more yardage with them too!! I don't know why I waited so long to try them out!
 
I've carried a 3h for several years, and it never ceases to amaze me how many times per round I use it on my home course. I use it off the tee on short or dogleg par 4's to leave a short iron into the green (normally 3X per round at my course). I use it as my second shot on long par 4's or par 5's (it's a reliable 190 - 205 yard club). I also use it hacking my way out of the rough. The place that I can't believe how well I've been able to do with it is low punches under tree branches from the junk at about 100 yards. I am sure the shaft on my Cobra Baffler TWS snapped because I use it up to 10 times per round, depending on what I get into. More than any other club save the putter. My new Mashie + M3 has taken the place of the old one, and I now have bought an M2 and an M4 to add to the bag. The M2 to fill the gap between 3W and 3H (3W is a 235 yard club, 3H is about 200). The M4 replaces a 4i that I'm really struggling with at present, because I always seem to run into 175 yard Par 3's.
 
The RBZ hybrids are awesome in my book. In fact I don't carry a fairway wood in my bag as the hybrids are much easier to hit IMO. I do love my 4i in the RBZ set.
 
BKloss said:
This past weekend I went to the local golf store and got fitted and hit 4 different companies and 6 different sets of irons. The irons I hit the best (feel, consistently, distance, accuracy) are the Taylormade RBZ. It was a close race between the RBZ and the Cobra AMP although I am now thinking about what do i do as far as going with the Hyrbid option or stay with the 3-PW or go 3H/4H-PW. Are there any benefits of a Hybrid? Negatives? The distance between the 3H and 3i was 3-4 yards on average (Something I could live with). Any help or insight would be great! Thanks!
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I have been playing with at least one hybrid at all time (20*) and using a (23*) at other times depending on the course. the 23 is absolutely perfect for carrrying 220 and landing nice and soft, also sooo much easier to pick out of the rough.
 
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