Hybrid Golf Clubs

Let’s talk about hybrid golf clubs for just a minute. So may think that hybrid clubs are something new, but the fact is that clubs similar to hybrids have been around a long time.  They were originally known as baffler, utility woods or rescue clubs. So, how did these hybrid clubs come about and why are they now so popular?

Everyone knows Gary McCord, what they don’t know is that he is responsible for this trend. He noticed a number of people that he played with struggled with their long irons and thought that there was something that could be done to help out this common struggle.  He approached his sponsor, TaylorMade and suggested that they come up with something new.  The result was the TaylorMade Rescue club.

The clubs are now called “hybrids” due to the combination of a wood and an iron.  Basically, a hybrid is an iron shaft with a new kind of head on it.  That head would have the features of a wood that included a wide sole, low-back center of gravity, and more mass.

The big difference in the hybrid is the shaft.  The loft of a 2-iron and a 5 wood may be about the same… but the shafts are very different.  The shaft length on a 2-iron for an average player is about 39 inches.  The length on a 5 wood is about 42 inches.  Hybrids naturally as the name suggests, are somewhere in between.

The longer club will always go further because a longer club will produce more clubhead speed.  That extra speed will also tend to make the ball go higher.  The problem with that extra speed is it can make the club harder to control.  So, to combat the control issue the iron shafts were used since they are easier to control.

A hybrid club compared to a lofted wood is more accurate, but not as long due to the iron shaft being used. A hybrid club compared to a long iron is easier to hit because the head has more mass with a lower center of gravity, the ball go higher while carrying further and landing softer, plus they are better out of the sand and bad lies.

There are many different hybrid clubs on the market today – give them a try to see which one is right for you!