Yonex EZONE Hybrid - Forum Testing Review

You guys are doing a great job in here. I absolutely loved this club when I hit it at the outing. Might have to steal Jefrazies when we play again!
 
Nice Tadashi,
Friday day wasnt a bad day but not as good as I have been hitting it.I have been trying different ways to hit the hybrid to learn different shots. But I will continue to try to work that bad boy . I use mine alot of times during my round. Still love it's overall use.Looking for more from it.
 
Went to the range last night and started off terrible. I started with my sand wedge as usual to warm up. I was hitting it fat, thin, and sideways. I had no idea what was going on. The rest of my irons were the same. I just couldn't get into a rythm. After about half my bucket was gone, I decided it was time for the Yonex. I knew that I would have to find the right tempo and swing for this club to go straight and hoped it would help get me out of my funk. The first few shots were awful, but I found the perfect swing/tempo after about 4 balls. I began to hit shots straight and they were coming off the clubface like bullets. I decided to pick up my driver to see if the swing would stay, and it sure did. I moved to my 7 iron and started hitting crisp shots that I was very happy with. The Yonex has not only become my go-to club on the course, but on the range as well. I know that I can't try to overpower this club, I just have to let it do the work.
 
Lots of interesting write ups on this hybrid. I may have to research this one further as I am having issues with my current hybrid.
 
I went and played 9 before work and only hit the yonex twice. The first time was on hole 6 tee shot went array and was on the side of a mogul. I was about 187 to pin (swing by swing gps on my phone). I said to my self it's the DRAGON! I almost get excited when I know it's time to hit it... Took a good swing on it. Had a med height flight, I think it was lower than normal cuz the ball was below my feet. Hit the ball pretty hard, ball flew straight and hit the hill right in front of the green. Ball popped about 15 ft in the air on the bounce and then landed in the middle of the green with almost no roll out. But that was due to the hill it hit first IMO. If that hill wouldn't have been there, that would have went way too far... Then I missed the birdie putt :angry:LOL

The second time was on hole 9. Hit a nice tee shot and then pulled my 7 iron to the left of the green under trees. I took another putter swing with the DRAGON. Did exactly what I wanted it to do. Pop up and then run. Problem is I hit it too hard and ran it thru the green onto the fringe. But was still able to putt and miss it!:angry:

I still have to say that I really like this shaft! It doesn't whip and just takes a beating. The harder I swing it, the straighter it goes. I guess I would call the shaft a Protoceratops. Cuz they use their tail as a club for defense. And boy does this PROTOCERATOPS give a beating to the ball!
 
I went to play yesterday and we played 36 holes at courses I have never played. I met 2 THPer's there. And we had a blast. MarcW, Brock, Danny P and I all played the first 18 together. I hit the yonex 3 seperate times out on the course during the first round. The first time was hole 3 which was a par 3 about 190 out. I sort of miss hit it a little and ended up in the ruff just off the green on a little hill. I was about 10 yrds short but it was cuz I miss hit it. Miss hits with this don't really punish you much unless you do what I did during the second round... LOL. I also used it to punch out from under a tree and got too far under it. so it went into the tree but came out to where I still had a shot. The third time I hit it, topped it and wormed burned it up. I was having a tough time with the Dragon yesterday. But it was my swing not the club, i had a tough time with all my clubs during the first round...

Second round I hit the yonex 2 times again. Once as a punch out that went where I wanted it too. I really like this club for that! Then I was trying to lay up before a creek. So I say to MarcW and Brock, I'm gonna hit this as hard as I can. Well it didn't work out. I went right over the ball just barely knicked, and it popped up in the air about a foot and then rolled back behind me about a foot. We all busted up laughing. It was pretty funny.

I did let MarcW and Brock swing the DRAGON. And I will let them post what they thought about the way it felt. If they choose to. I still really like this club and have confidence in it! Thanks again THP and Yonex for giving me the opportunity to test this club out and post my findings. I still haven't had a chance to go to the range and try a whole bucket of working the ball with it like interlooper was mentioning. My daughter goes back to NC next weekend, so I will definitely be able to get this done after that. Thanks for being patient with me THPer's.

TO BE CONTINUED...
 
If you guys have any questions about "THE DRAGON" for me. Feel free to ask. I will answer them as best as I can.
 
League play tonight. I am going to warm up with a small bucket of balls and only the EZONE. I'm hoping this will translate into a low round since I seem to be able to find a great swing with the Yonex. More to come after the round.
 
Didn't get a chance to warm up with the Yonex, or any other club for that matter, last night. It rained hard right up to our tee time, so we had to go out cold. The first shot with the Yonex was into a par 5 from about 230 yards. I hooked it pretty bad, probably because I tried to swing too easy. The next shot was off the tee and I ripped it right down the middle with a slight fade. I also used it once around the green for a little bump and run type shot. I was about 5 yards short of the green with a back pin. I took a putting grip and stroke with the Yonex and the ball ended up 3 feet from the hole for par. I really love the amount of different shots you can hit with this club. Also, the face and sole are holding up quite well with very little signs of wear.
 
It basically been raining onm y side of town for two days. but I had a pocket of rainless clouds and I took advantage of it. I grabbed my sticks and moved rapidly to the course. When I arrived at the range it looked like a water main break, there was standing water ever where. I new the groud would be soaked. These were not ideal conditions to be hitting balls but I pushed on through, I only had a a limited amount of time.
I found a dry spot and began to warm up. as I was warming up a couple of folks took up camp on either side of me. Didn't mind because I was on the one dryish area and I was a guest of a member. We all warmed up together and started chatting about this weeks PGA. We speculated on who would win, place and show. They were heavy on the euro, GMAC and Poults. Anyway we keep hitting.
I pulled the Yonex and started hitting these water plan shots. What I mean by 'water plan" is the thin layer of standing water acted like a hydro plan just prior to impact and the bal flight was low and penetrating. The ball seemed to be knuckling off the club face. This caught the attention of the two gentlemen hitting next to me. We chatted about how I came about having the club in my company. I may have drop the Term THP about a dozen times in our conversation. Hopefull y they will check it out. anyway I asked them if they wanted to hit it. Both said, 'if you don't mind' So I handed the club to Lou and he started making some air swings to get a feel for the club. He commented on the length and weight of the club. He felt it was a bit heavy and shorter than his 2007 Burner. But he said he was getting used to the weight as he swung in back and forth. Lou pulled a ball over from his pile and launched a beautiful mid-flight fade in the gray sky. His eye grew wide as he pulled another and was rewarded with a carbon copy of his first. I told him the third time is a charm. Three in row make the rooster crow! Sure enough Lou belted another fade that landed with 10 yards of his first...only longer. He proclaimed that he has never his three shots in a row like that. He handed me the club and pulled his Burner...he hit what seems a mile behind it. He adjusted and hit a fade that fell short of the first he hit with the EZONE. He hit another that went dead left, and another that went about 20 yard less than the divot he took. His white shirt and glasses were covered with mud.
The other guy John wanted in on the action, I handed him the club and he took made some air swings and got right into it without a word. Top, top, top...one after another he topped every ball he tried to hit. I made a small adjustemnt to his posture, a few comments and away he went. he hit 4 push fades in a row. But they weren't that bad. He had good height and the ball held it's line pretty well. We just had to get him to sqaure the club. He pulled his driver to accomplish this and away he went...5 in row right down the middle of the range. He grabbed The Dragon and hit 3 of the same with the it. He proclaimed that he was pleased with the results and liked the feel of the club but it was too short and heavy for him. Lou quickly chimed in that he swung easier becasue of the weight it would perform better. John grabbed the club again and swung nice and smooth. He hit a beautiful penetrating slice that went sides ways he hit it so bad. We all laughed and Lou took the club, as to say let me show you how it's done.
We watched Lou hit balls with it for about 10 mintues and he hit some good,some bad but the good ones were oh so sweet. Another fan of the Yonex EZONE aka Dragon. We chatted for another 15 minutes about golf and clubs. Lou invited me back to play around with him in the near future. I will take him up on his offer. John patted me on my back and handed me a nice cigar and his card. The offer was extended by him as well. We exchanged goodbyes and they headed back in to the clubhouse.
I had nothing left so I packed it in. I learned that a 70+ year old man can get a gitty as like kid when he pures one, two or three in a row. I also learned that some will not like the club or be able to hit the Yonex. It's not for everyone, but it's for me. I love the club and the people I have met since I have had the club.
 
Very nice Tadashi. I'm exploring with my Yonex. I have even tried using to Putt out the rough.It worked nicely.I need to work on the feel still but it worked rather nicely. working hard with it but it truely is a great club for me. With all the rain the rough has been alot tougher,but im learning.Lets see what sat has in store for me.
 
I didn't get a chance to work with the Yonex during league play last night. I will be able to get some range time with it soon. So I will update more then. I have to agree with T. Everyone I show this club to, comments on it's looks and feel! Still can't get over how much I'm in love with the club shaft!
 
Played league last night and only got to hit the Yonex once. I tee'd off on the first hole and crushed it right down the pipe about 235. Left me with a great 165 yard shot into the green over water. I proceeded to dunk it but that's beside the fact.
 
You guys are doing a great job in here. I absolutely loved this club when I hit it at the outing. Might have to steal Jefrazies when we play again!

Ditto... Who knows maybe if I swing one of his clubs I'll gain some length via osmosis.
 
Tried some new shots with the Yonex yesterday at Eagle Creek in Orlando. I played alone so I was able to hit various shots.
Because of the shape of the face I feel that knock down shots are an added benefit of this hybrid. So I was 140 out will a back right pine but the green was completely open in the front. After hitting my iron into the green I dropped a few more balls to see if I could pull it off.
The club performed just like an iron only softer off the club face. I choked down halfway down the grip, open my stance with feet closer together and took a half swing, a little above the right hip. Making a downward pass the ball came out low with a slight draw. It hit short and ran onto the left side of the green and off the back. I tried again, shorter swing better result. Dropped another and got the same result. I practiced this morn after the round. It will be a shot I put in the bag.
It's nice to know that this club is so versatile and can be used is so many scenarios.



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Nice stuff there Tad, enjoying your comments on the Yonex.
 
Lots of great information on here guys! You all have really caught my attention for this hybrid.
 
Tried some new shots with the Yonex yesterday at Eagle Creek in Orlando. I played alone so I was able to hit various shots.
Because of the shape of the face I feel that knock down shots are an added benefit of this hybrid. So I was 140 out will a back right pine but the green was completely open in the front. After hitting my iron into the green I dropped a few more balls to see if I could pull it off.
The club performed just like an iron only softer off the club face. I choked down halfway down the grip, open my stance with feet closer together and took a half swing, a little above the right hip. Making a downward pass the ball came out low with a slight draw. It hit short and ran onto the left side of the green and off the back. I tried again, shorter swing better result. Dropped another and got the same result. I practiced this morn after the round. It will be a shot I put in the bag.
It's nice to know that this club is so versatile and can be used is so many scenarios.



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I love that shot with the hybrid. Perhaps minus the little draw, but only because I don't think I have that one in the bag yet. But I do love the little punch-bump-n-run.
 
I got to hit the Yonex a few times over the weekend. I tried to hit a low knock down shot and it seemed to work out pretty good. I use this to punch out a lot and when I'm 190 out. Like I mentioned before the harder I swing this club the straighter it seems to fly for me. The shaft is just amazing! It fits me pretty well. Bump and runs with this club work out pretty well. I hit a few of them from about 50 yds out with about 15yds of flight with the rest roll. It works out really well for that. It also seems to help the ball cut thru the wind! I was about 180 out with about 15 mph wind in my face. I was using "Ball X" Took a nice hard swing to get thru the wind and sure enough I blew it past the hole about 15 yards! I couldn't believe that it just went like that and that far. It was a nice sight to see but a tuff chip shot coming back.

This club can be used for more shots than I can think of. It's very forgiving! IMO even the highest handicapper could hit this club. Miss hits don't punish you too bad unless you really hook it or slice it or something. Which hasn't really happened to me. When I miss hit it, most of the time its cuz I topped it and made a worm burner. But even on the worm burner the ball still seems to run pretty far! This is a great UTILITY club to have as well as a great 4 iron replacement (for me).

I think I will be able to get out at lunch to focus on trying more shots with this today! I will let you guys know what I tried and how it worked out.

TO BE CONTINUED...
 
FULL UPDATE # 3

OK folks. Although I have done several mini-reviews on specific shots and circumstances, I thought it was time to do my third full review since I have now been playing with the club for a little more than a month.

Since the last full update, I have played an additional 5 rounds with the hybrid in the bag and approximately 12 range sessions. This update will include any revisions in my previous "club grading," as well as the previous grade so you can see any progression/alterations. Generally speaking, I believe I am much more accustomed and comfortable with the club... including knowing where the club performs best and its limitations.

Looks: A- (Previous Grade: A-) I still enjoy the looks of this club. It has held up quite well to the usage thus far. The crown still looks perfect and the shaft is still vibrant. The neck of the cover still annoys me slightly.

Feel in Hand/at Address: B+ (Previous grade: A-) The club still feels fairly light in hand, but, as mentioned earlier, the shaft feels quite stable at setup. If a hole requires a hybrid off the tee, I ALWAYS feel utmost confidence pulling this out of the bag and standing at address on the tee box.

I downgraded the score here slightly because I do not have "utmost" confidence with this club in the rough. As noted in previous findings, I have had mixed results with this club when it is sitting down in the rough, or sitting up on top of the rough. In these situations, I have found that the club is not quite as predictable with distance. It still performs well enough here, but it has led to a slight "downgrade" in the feel department at address.

Sound: A+ (Previous grade: A+). The sound is awesome. Not much else to say.

Feel at Impact: A (Previous grade: A). I really enjoy the feel at the moment of impact. When you strike the ball well, you know it because of the feel.

Performance on Tee: A+ (Previous grade: A+). I love its performance on the tee. I am getting great distance with this hybrid, and the ball flight is nice and high off the tee (just the way I like it). The shots are fairly predictable and the misses seem to be fairly minor. Off the tee, this is the perfect club for me when the 3-wood is just too long or where the fairway is tight and it is imperative to hit it. This thing often performs exactly as I envision off the tee. Hard to complain with that!

Performance on Fairway: A- (Previous grade: A) I am getting great performance with this club from the fairway. And I am getting great distance. I slightly downgraded this aspect of the club, however, because I wish the ball flight was just slightly higher from the fairway. 3 of my last 5 rounds with this club have been at "prairie links" style courses where the greens and fairways are fairly hard and greens difficult to hold. In these situations, I want a hybrid that can hit it high enough that gives me a higher probability of holding the green when I am playing in these conditions. In comparing it to another hybrid that I have routinely played with, I found that from the exact same spots, the YONEX was getting about 10 or so yards more distance, but a lower trajectory, while the other hybrid was going 10 yards less but was flying higher and landing softer. The additional distance is great, but I would also like to be able to land it a bit softer when needed.

Performance in Rough: B- (Previous grade: B-) I spent considerable time hitting this thing from the rough at the range. The grass was thick and long. Again, I am seeing pretty good results when the ball is laying towards the middle of the grass (i.e. not sitting up and not buried). When it is laying low, however, I am getting varying results. I can do a "hack-n-run" type of shot and get it to roll out considerably, but that is difficult to gauge.

Specialty shots: B+ (Previous grade: B+). Please see all my mini-reviews for all the up-to-date info on the specialty shots. Thus far I have tested the club in the following circumstances: (i) the "hybrid-chip" up a short grass embankment to the green; (ii) a long fairway bunker; (iii) the-bend-around-a-tree-shot (both super fade and super draw) and (iv) the into the strong wind shot.

As noted in the mini reviews, the club performed excellent with the "hybrid chip" and the "around the tree shot"; performed good in the "fairway bunker shot" and OK in the "in the wind shot".

Third party interest: A (Previous grade: A-). People still continually ask me about this club. I love that. A lot of it has to do with the headcover and the fact that many people just don't know much about YONEX. I love telling them about it.

More to come...
 
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great reviews, wish i could demo one somewhere.. keep em coming, as i follow this and every testing thread!
 
Update:

Played this past weekend at Oak Island Country club and brought the Yonex along with me.

I used it 4 times this past weekend and hit it well 3/4 times. I don't have my scorecard with me so I'll do my best from memory.

Hole 2
Shorter par 4, dogleg left. I know I already have slight problems with the Yonex hooking so I thought this would be the perfect hole to use the club on. I rip it off the tee with a hard draw to the middle of the fairway. Hit it roughly 230 yards.

Hole 5 (?)
Another dogleg left. This was the bad hitting hole. I hit it off the heel of the face and it caught a tree on the left edge of the fairway. Luckily it took a decent bounce but I still had 250 left to the hole after my tee shot of roughly 120 yards.

Hole 13
Dogleg right. I took a nice easy swing and put the ball in the fairway about 220 yards out. Great tee shot.

Hole 14
Long dogleg right par 5. Tee off again with the Yonex and put it right down the middle, about 230 yards.
 
Great follow ups guys. It has been very rough conditions with all the rain here courses letting the rough grow. I have used My Yonex in many different situations on the course for me to find my best uses of it. I dont uses it as much off tee now. I'm prefer to use off the fairways in rough ,sand traps , & fairways. I tend to hit it better off the deck than Teed up. It is great from rough. I played 2 balls when I played this weekend . I used my Yonex, & my other Hybrid. I also alternated which I used first. I did hit the Yonex better & it did come out the rough smother with less face turn. So over all It performs well I want to play out of Fairway bunkers more to see it perform.Lucky I dont hit them do much but I will go to range & drop some in there for a test.
 
Okay got to play last night after work and used the Yonex twice. First time I was about 230 out with a huge oak tree in front of me about 75 yards away. Hit a nice high shot right over the tree and into the middle of the fairway laying about 50 yds out. I would have normally hit my 3 wood but going over the tree wasn't going to happen with it. So I used the Yonex. And it worked out great. The second time I had another tree in front of me and had to get it up and hit it long. Hit it pretty nice over the tree, but then it faded a little on me and hit a tree about another 100 yrds up and dropped straight down. Still had a shot into the green but still. It was a nice shot that I just caught out on the toe a bit and was off line about 10 yds. I still love this club! I have to say I like the shaft better than any other's I have played. However I haven't played that many different shafts but this one is GREAT!
 
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