Yonex EZONE Hybrid - Forum Testing Review

I'd like to see what type of results you get from heavy wet rough after it rains. Yo uare dealing with a bent grass or blue grass in the midwest, correct. I'd like to know how it responds...

As for my next mini-review on Specialty Shots, there is going to be some heavy rains in the next couple days. I intend on hitting the "in the heavy rain from the rain soaked fairway" shots. If anyone would like me to test out some other specialty shots, on top of my general reviews, please let me know and I will see what i can do.
 
I don't seem to have a problem hitting it out of any rough. Wether its's nestled, sitting on top or just in the middle. Seems to work fine for me in those situations. Remember I have the 25* so I don't know if that has something to do with it. The TM Rescue 4 comes out of the rough just great. No hestiation or anything. If I would compare the two, I would say the the Yonex definitely gets the ball up fast out of the rough. For me it has sort of an iron flight where the TM rescue has more of a fairway wood flight to it. But maybe it's my swing. I can't hit that many variety of shots for example: Draws or Fades on purpose. I am more of a sweeper of the ball also. I find that if I just adjust where I have the ball in my stance a bit, I can hit the shot I need. I guess putting the ball back further in tight lies does put a steeper down swing. But for me I never hit this club low unless I am trying bumps and punches. Not that I try to hit it high, sort of always just goes up like an iron. If I could get it to go lower, i'm sure it would run further for me.

When I played with MarcW and Brock over the weekend, I had a really nice shot with it. My drive landed just off of the fairway in the rough past the first cut. I was about 185 out with a huge tree in front of me. The ball was sitting pretty tight in the rough. Took a hard swing the ball flew right over the tree to the green to the right of the flag. Hit and rolled out about 6-8 ft. If i remember right I was pin high. No matter what the lie for me, total confidence in the Yonex! And you all know how I feel about the Nanopreme shaft.

I hope I answered your question interlooper. You are doing an amazing job on your review. Are you a writer or journalist or something?

Awesome, bullfrog; thanks for the great response and for the feedback. I am not a writer/journalist... but I think that would be a fun and interesting job. Keep it up man!

I will go out of my way to make sure that I take a few shots like this. I've never really thought about consistently doing a hybrid bump/run since in my eyes, it looks very awkward. I'll give it a go tonight and update with my findings.

Yeah; I would love to hear your findings on this as well. Thanks.

I'd like to see what type of results you get from heavy wet rough after it rains. Yo uare dealing with a bent grass or blue grass in the midwest, correct. I'd like to know how it responds...

No problem. Looks like the weather (rain) will cooperate with me on Saturday. I will do both the wet fairway and the heavy wet rough. It will be bent grass.
 
No problem. Looks like the weather (rain) will cooperate with me on Saturday. I will do both the wet fairway and the heavy wet rough. It will be bent grass.

Man does it take a while to bend all the grass the same??? Just kidding. I can't tell the different varieties of grass by looking at it. Man your a horticulturist too???
 
Ok, its been a while since a full review so lets get to it.

Last night was league night and we were only allowed to use 3 clubs. I brought the Yonex, a 7I and a 50* wedge. Because of this, I got a lot of experience in playing with specialty shots, half shots, bumps/runs and even putting with the hybrid! Lets take a look at some of the aspects of this club...

Aesthetics
The club has held up even better than I could have imagined. It is still in wonderful shape and looks almost brand new. I still like the little flange that goes over the top of the face and acts like an "idiot mark deterrent". The bright red on the shaft coupled with the subtle red accents on the grip create a great look from grip to head that inspires confidence when you pick it up.

Shaft feel
This is an aspect of the club that I was worried about. I have a fairly fast swing speed (112 with a driver) and was worried about the shaft not being firm enough. Well, my concerns were put to rest after taking a few swings with this shaft. Last night I had to take a few shots that were out of my normal play style and this shaft held up admirably. For instance, on the 450 yard par 5, the only club I could tee off with that has considerable distance is my Yonex. I didn't want to have to take a big second shot so I decided to really go after my tee shot. I swung the club much faster than I normally do and the ball just rocketed off the face. Perfectly straight and nearly 250 yards. The shaft flexed perfectly in my hands and not once did I feel it bend to the point where I couldn't control the face at impact.

After using the Miyazaki shaft in the Mashie, I thought there was no shaft even close to the quality. The Nanopreme is holding its own in the battle of epic shafts.

Sound
The sound of the Yonex was something that initially, I did not like quite as much as the Mashie. It was a little bit harsher and more metallic sounding. Since then, I think I have grown accustomed to it. I recognize the sound when I hit it correctly, and hear the difference in sound when I mishit it.

Performance off the tee/fairway
I used the Yonex on 2 occasions off the tee. The first time was on the first hole. We teed off from about 300 yards and had a slight dogleg left. I took a nice smooth swing with the hybrid, made solid connection, and was sitting 75 yards out from the green in the middle of the fairway. The ball flight was mid level and piercing with a lot of roll out. I've noticed that I don't get the height that I did with my Mashie. I'm not certain whether this is the club properties or the fact that the Mashie is simply a 22* and the Yonex is 18*.

The second occasion was mentioned above on the par 5. I swung hard with the Yonex, made good contact, and was rewarded with big distance. Again the ball flight was mid level with a lot of roll out.

I also used the hybrid on one occasion from the fairway with a full swing. This was also on the par 5 for the second shot. I was about 210 out so I had to take a bit easier swing. The club interacted perfectly with the turf and rolled up to the front edge of the green. Off the grass, the ball seems to have an even lower ball flight but it works out perfectly. I don't think that I'll be using this on 200+ yard approaches to the green where I have to land the ball softly.

Specialty shots - Bump n' run
Here is something that I have neglected to comment about until now. Normally around the green, I am a big fan of the bump/run with a 50* wedge. Yesterday, I decided to use the hybrid for these shots. I can remember using the hybrid on 2 occasions for this type of shot. The first was on the 5th hole. I had landed beside the green in 2 and needed to run the ball a bit of distance. I pulled the hybrid, choked down a little bit and used a putter stroke. The ball popped up very nicely and started rolling on the green. I wasn't used to the distance that the hybrid would send the ball, so I sent it about 10 feet past the hole.

The second instance when I used the hybrid for a chip was on the 9th hole. I was about 5 yards short and had an uphill slope to get over. I mimicked what I did before and this time the results were a bit better. The ball popped up nicely again, and this time rolled to within 5 feet of the pin. This is a shot I could see myself using again if I need to run the ball a long way. Very useful and eliminates all the unpredictable spin that wedges create.

Specialty shots - Putting!
Since we were told to bring 3 clubs only, I decided to putt with the hybrid. I'll summarize it quickly.......I can't putt with a hybrid :D.

I tried my best but I had real problems with alignment and speed. The head doesn't have an alignment line on it, so it made it very difficult to know whether the face was square or closed. The longer/angled shaft also made it difficult to have a nice arcing putter stroke. I tried using a normal putter stroke, wristy putting stroke and even gripping it different. Unfortunately, when putting from 5 feet, I was guaranteed to miss 4/5. I ended up using my wedge to putt for the entire round since I was having better luck with it.


So, if anyone has any questions or wants to hear anything in more detail, let me know!

Until later!
 
I've had the Yonex aka... "THE DRAGON" in my possesion for 2 months now. I figured I post on how the club is wearing And post some pictures since it has had quite a bit use since I've received it.

Headcover: When I first got the Yonex. I really wasn't fond of the cover. It sort of looks like it has "BLING BLING" on it with the chrome trim. I thought it looked gaudy. As far as it going on the club, my first impression was that the neck of the cover stretched enough to slide over with ease. It is still that way. It hasn't stretched out that much from use. But the neck of it is starting to show wear and tear. The velcro number on it that signifies what # the club is has held on better than I anticipated at first. Someone said about glueing it on but I have just left it alone and it's fine.

Here's a picture of the cover. If you look a little above and a right of my thumb, you can see a little hole that has formed. Other than that it has held up cosmetic wise.

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNjguanBn.jpg


FACE: The face of the club has held up just great. The way it extends up and wraps over the top of the face is just magnificant! Not that I really get under the ball, but I can see how it has stopped "SKY MARKS". The grooves are holding up just fine. No issues at all with the way it's held up.

Here's a picture of the face to show you guys/gals what I mean.

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNjkuanBn.jpg


Other than the occasion scratch here and there, the face is still pretty new. Grooves not worn at all!


Crown: The crown of the club has held up just fine! Like I mentioned earlier, with the way the face extends over the crown. It has definitely stopped sky marks. There doesn't seem to be any chips in the paint at all. However, I always recover every club I use before returning it to the bag after every shot.

Here's a picture of the crown.

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNzEuanBn.jpg


BOTTOM: The bottom of the club is what always worries me about wear and tear. I don't mean that the I was just worried about the Yonex, but every club. Because the way it drags the ground on a swing. The Yonex has held up perfectly. The only marks on it are the occasion scratch. And I haven't tried to clean them off, so they may actually come off. I know the white mark ( just abover where "YONEX" is printed) is from me hitting off the tee last night. So, I know that will come off.

Here's the picture of the bottom.

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNzcuanBn.jpg


SHAFT: I can't say enough about this shaft! It is strong. Doesn't flex when cutting thru the rough stuff!

It reminds me of John Wayne toilet paper... Rough and Tough won't take :poop: from no one!!!

It is just a beast. But I've said that all along. It has held up great also. Doesn't scratch or anything. The only problem I have had with the Yonex's durability is the Ferrule did come loose. But with a quick stop at Golf Galaxy and a little epoxy it was good as new. Didn't have to replace it or anything. With the Ferrule matching the club shaft color, it just looks great! You can see in the pictures above that you can't notice at all that I had it repaired. So no harm no foul. This little mishap takes absolutely nothing away from my thoughts on this club and it's durability!

Here's a picture of the shaft full length so you guys can see how pretty "THE DRAGON" still is with it's "PROTOCERATOPS" for a shaft! Man this shaft is just awesome!!

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNzYuanBn.jpg


There's a little bit of how this club is "Wearing". It has held up nicely which I'm sure the rest of you will agree with me. The next update I will let you guys know what I think of the club now that the honeymoon is over.

TO BE CONTINUED...
 
Last edited:
I've had the Yonex aka... "THE DRAGON" in my possesion for 2 months now. I figured I post on how the club is wearing And also post some pictures of how the club is "WEARING" since it has had quite a bit use since I've received it.

Headcover: When I first got the Yonex. I really wasn't fond of the cover. It sort of looks like it has "BLING BLING" on it with the chrome trim. I thought it looked gaudy. As far as it going on the club, my first impression was that the neck of the cover stretched enough to slide over with ease. It is still that way. It hasn't stretched out that much from use. But the neck of it is starting to show wear and tear. The velcro number on it that signifies what # the club is has held on better than I anticipated at first. Someone said about glueing it on but I have just left it alone and it's fine.

Here's a picture of the cover. If you look a little above and a right of my thumb, you can see a little hole that has formed. Other than that it has held up cosmetic wise.

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNjguanBn.jpg


FACE: The face of the club has held up just great. The way it extends up and wraps over the top of the face is just magnificant! Not that I really get under the ball, but I can see how it has stopped "SKY MARKS". The grooves are holding up just fine. No issues at all with the way it's held up.

Here's a picture of the face to show you guys/gals what I mean.

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNjkuanBn.jpg


Other than the occasion scratch here and there, the face is still pretty new. Grooves not worn at all!


Crown: The crown of the club has held up just fine! Like I mentioned earlier, with the way the face extends over the crown. It has definitely stopped sky marks. There doesn't seem to be any chips in the paint at all. However, I always recover every club I use before returning it to the bag after every shot.

Here's a picture of the crown.

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNzEuanBn.jpg


BOTTOM: The bottom of the club is what always worries me about wear and tear. I don't mean that the I was just worried about the Yonex, but every club. Because the way it drags the ground on a swing. The Yonex has held up perfectly. The only marks on it are the occasion scratch. And I haven't tried to clean them off, so they may actually come off. I know the white mark ( just abover where "YONEX" is printed) is from me hitting off the tee last night. So, I know that will come off.

Here's the picture of the bottom.

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNzcuanBn.jpg


SHAFT: I can't say enough about this shaft! It is strong. Doesn't flex when cutting thru the rough stuff! It reminds me of John Wayne toilet paper... Rough and Tough won't take :poop: from no one!!! It is just a beast. But I've said that all along. It has held up great also. Doesn't scratch or anything. The only problem I have had with the Yonex's durability is the Ferrule did come loose. But with a quick stop at Golf Galaxy and a little epoxy it was good as new. Didn't have to replace it or anything. With the Ferrule matching the club shaft color, it just looks great! You can see in the pictures above that you can't notice at all that I had it repaired. So no harm no foul. This little mishap takes absolutely nothing away from my thoughts on this club and it's durability!

Here's a picture of the shaft full length so you guys can see how pretty "THE DRAGON" still is with it's "PROTOCERATOPS" for a shaft! Man this shaft is just awesome!!

utf-8BSU1BRzAwNzYuanBn.jpg


There's a little bit of how this club is "Wearing". It has held up nicely which I'm sure the rest of you will agree with me. The next update I will let you guys know what I think of the club now that the honeymoon is over.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Good stuff!! I really really wanna hit one!

MattyCaulk Approved!
 
Good stuff bullfrog, its mattycaulk approved so enough said haha
 
Good stuff!! I really really wanna hit one!

MattyCaulk Approved!

I'm glad it's Caulked approved... Had me worried there for a minute. Thought I wasn't doing my tester job. Thanks for validating. Your opinion is the only one that matters... :sarcastic: :laughing:
 
I'm glad it's Caulked approved... Had me worried there for a minute. Thought I wasn't doing my tester job. Thanks for validating. Your opinion is the only one that matters... :sarcastic:

That's may tapatalk Sig. Not saying I approve your post. But I am intrigued by these hybrids. But the $250 price tag is a turn off

MattyCaulk Aka Hawk hunter
 
That's may tapatalk Sig. Not saying I approve your post. But I am intrigued by these hybrids. But the $250 price tag is a turn off

MattyCaulk Aka Hawk hunter

Oh. Well thanks for nothing then... :banghead: :laughing:
 
I met a friend at the range today. He happens to be in the market for a new hybrid. So, of course, I let him hit the YONEX EZONE. He hits about 15 or so balls with the YONEX, 15 or so with an Adams and about 15 with a TM rescue. He didn't know much about YONEX, so I also had the chance to tell him a bit about YONEX.

His typical ball flight with his current hybrid is straight or a slight fade. And that is exactly what he was hitting with the other 2 clubs. With the YONEX, however, he was hitting it straight or a slight draw. He really liked the flight. He typically plays a regular shaft so my stronger shaft may have made an impact. Nonetheless, he really liked the club. And it seemed to be getting pretty good distance out of it. I think he is going to try out a few hybrids on the monitor, and this experience likely will encourage him to try the YONEX on the monitor as well.
 
I am in hybrid ponder mode. I loved this hybrid at the outing. I need to get with Jefrazie and hit this thing again. :worship:
 
The EZONE has become a permanent member of the family...
I pulled it again from 246 out on a par 5 down wind. I needed a high soft shot and my 4 iron wasnt going to stretch. I choked down three fingers and made a solid pass at the
ball. I landed just over the green side bunker and released to 20' right of the flag...

I don't know if the bolded term was descriptive purposes only, but I like that thought. I'll start paying close attention to how I choke down using this method!
 
I miss hitting this hybrid. A lot


^^^^^^ I Tapped That ^^^^^^
 
I will start this review with one word 'consistence' loosely defined as a repetitive behavior with the same outcome. That is the Yonex EZONE! The club never fails me in any situation.
I don't know if it's the combination of the length, shaft flex and head weight & shape. I don't know if it's the fact that I have full confidence in the club when ever it's taken from the bag. I do know that I have attempted every shot I usually encounter and some I don't and 'the dragon' never let's me down.
On Friday I played reunion resort, home of the Morgan Cup, and there isn't a flat lie on the Palmer course. Each fairway has bumps and slopes so you are going to get various stances and lies.
Example #9 is a 537 yard par 5 the rises from tee to green with more bumps in the fairway than a 13 old before his first school dance. My drive couldnt have been placed any better than it was but I was on a down slope and needed to advance the ball as close as possible to the green. I set up with an open stance and the ball right of center. My normal swing produced the slightest of mid/high fade ball flight.
The ball took off like a rocket. I could feel the flex of the shaft and the compression of the ball off the face. The 15 mph breeze never touched the ball.
#10 another par five that required a fairly straight shot over bunkers to a not so wide landing area. The golf gods blessed me with a down hill, side hill lie. If I miss right at all I will be in serious trouble. I aimed a little left knowing my shot my leak right. I stayed down and through and got this slight fade that just danced through the air and settled 87 from the green. I was surprised at how clean it came off. Usually this lie gives me fits but not with the EZONE.
#11 is a 376 par4 with a fairway bunker left and the fairway runs out at 300 yds with a 2nd shot uphill to a two tiered green the sloped back to front.
I needed a low to mid ball flight with a slight fade off the right edge if the bunkers on the left. Yep...you guessed it that is what I got. Much to my surprise I had the same yardage into the whole as I did on ten. I know I got some run on the tee ball based on my ball flight but this was a treat.
I've been playing a draw with this club almost exclusively so to get three tight fades in command was just grand.
The club, in my opinion, is a no brainer. I would pay top dollar for it and can't wait to get my hands on the next loft down. I never thought of removing my 4 iron until recently but if the EZONE 4 performs like the 3, I want it!
This is by far the best hybrid I have had the pleasure of playing.


Brought to by iPhone 4 powered by Tapatalk
 
That is a heck of a testament Tadashi!! I can feel your confidence in this club through your review. Just wished this was findable locally. Great job buddy!!


Tappin' from my iPad!
 
That is a heck of a testament Tadashi!! I can feel your confidence in this club through your review. Just wished this was findable locally. Great job buddy!!


Tappin' from my iPad!

Thank you sir! I've only felt this way about a few clubs in my life time. The only reason I am not still gaming them is due to advancements in golf, technology!


Brought to by iPhone 4 powered by Tapatalk
 
Today I hit some balls in much cooler weather: low 50s and strong wind. It has typically been about 30 degrees warmer when hitting balls with this club. The feel of the club was still just as solid as it is in warmer weather, and the loss in instance in cooler weather was as expected and very manageable.

Over the weekend I did play numerous shots in very very wet conditions. I want to do a bit more testing in these conditions before I relay my findings.
 
Okay I actually made a video of me hitting the Dragon at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort over the weekend. It was a 180 yd par 3. Which the tee box was below the green. You can't really tell that from the video because there was a hill directly behind the tee box. But I hope you guys get the idea. I hit it pretty good. Just a little left. The ball hit the far left of the green and I had about a 20ft putt for birdie. Missed but made par. I really like this club! My next post on the Yonex will be the 2 month review that I have been mentioning. With the holiday weekend. I haven't had much time to post it yet. But I'm slowly getting it done. Then I will post it. But for now, here is my video. Please give any feedback that you like about my swing, the club, or the hole. It was a really nice par 3!



If I can figure out how to put the video right into the thread without making you guys click a link to see it, I will.
 
Okay I actually made a video of me hitting the Dragon at Sawmill Creek Golf Resort over the weekend. It was a 180 yd par 3. Which the tee box was below the green. You can't really tell that from the video because there was a hill directly behind the tee box. But I hope you guys get the idea. I hit it pretty good. Just a little left. The ball hit the far left of the green and I had about a 20ft putt for birdie. Missed but made par. I really like this club! My next post on the Yonex will be the 2 month review that I have been mentioning. With the holiday weekend. I haven't had much time to post it yet. But I'm slowly getting it done. Then I will post it. But for now, here is my video. Please give any feedback that you like about my swing, the club, or the hole. It was a really nice par 3!



If I can figure out how to put the video right into the thread without making you guys click a link to see it, I will.

Just watched the video. That was a good idea. Looks like a fun par-3. I have about another week before my 2-month review is coming up. I hope to test a couple more specialty shots and play a few more rounds with the YONEX before posting my 2-month review. Maybe I will try to get a video up as well.
 
I look forward to seeing it! I can't express how thankful I am for getting chosen to test this club! The shaft is amazing!
 
Good reviews so far everyone! This is another off the radar brand to me, so it is interesting to read the reviews.
 
Good reviews so far everyone! This is another off the radar brand to me, so it is interesting to read the reviews.

It was the same for me prior to testing. I had limited exposure to YONEX a couple months ago. From those that had hit Yonex clubs before, however, had pretty good things to say. I wanted to confirm what those folks were saying. So far I have been pretty happy with the results. While the club has its limitations (like every other club out there) it definitely has performed pretty well. For me, it performs best on the tee and from the fairway, where I have found it to be incredibly consistent.
 
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