There’s no denying the hybrid’s popularity. More and more golfers are carrying them in their bags, and more and more manufacturers are making them. Hybrids are even growing in popularity among PGA pros. Designed to replace the longer irons in your set, hybrids are easier to hit the 2-, 3-, or 4-iron. They’re also more versatile. In fact, hybrids are among the game’s most versatile clubs. Once you learn to hit them, they can help you chop strokes off your golf handicap right away.
But choosing the right hybrid is a delicate task. First, assess your game. Then, review the hybrids available. And finally, decide on what you want from a hybrid. Do you want a hybrid that corrects for off-center hits or one that offers more workability? Having done this, you’re ready to choose your hybrid. Knowing something about a hybrid’s design makes choosing easier. Three design elements to key on are bulge, gear effect, and center of gravity.
Advantages of the Hybrids
The hybrid is cross between an iron and a wood. It’s intended to replace you’re the longer irons. Because it’s shorter than a long iron, it’s easier to hit. Generally, hybrids have a loft of from 16 degrees to 25 degrees. They also have a low center-of-gravity, a smaller head, and a lower profile than a wood. Hybrids are practically “universal” clubs. You can use them on the tee, from all lies in the fairway and the rough, in fairway bunkers, and near the green, for pitch-and-run shots. Hybrids can also be used for short chips from 50 feet and in.
Hybrids take some getting used to. But you don’t need golf lessons to master them. Reading golf tips in magazines also helps. Once you’re mastered them, they’re a powerful weapon in your arsenal. Tests prove that hybrids improve performance. Golfers using hybrids tend to hit longer balls than players hitting long irons by about 15 percent. That’s because hybrids let players cock and uncock their wrists more easily. This in turn lets them maintain a longer cocking action and a steeper angle of attack, generating more power
Battle Of the Bulge
Bulge is the measured radius of an imaginary circle whose edge lines up with the clubface. A shorter bulge means radius means more curvature of the clubface. In simpler terms, irons are flat. But woods are rounded from heel to toe. That roundness is bulge. Bulge mitigates gear effect—the tendency of toed shots to hook and heeled shots to slice. With bulge, off-center hits start in the opposite direction of the ball’s spin. So the shot finishes at the target.
Bulge tells you if a hybrid plays as more of an iron or a wood. Generally, the farther back the center of gravity the stronger the gear effect. The stronger the gear effect, the more manufacturers round the clubface to counter act it. If a hybrid has a flatter face, its center of gravity is probably positioned more forward like in an iron. The hybrid with a larger bulge radius is more workable. Most manufacturers know how much bulge is appropriate for their hybrids. You can measure bulge by taking a credit card and seeing how much it rocks against the hybrid’s clubface. The more it rocks the more the clubface’s bulge.
Also keep in mind that flat faces rebound slightly less than rounded ones. Hybrids with flatter faces are a better choice for players looking for distance control instead of total distance. If you tend to hit in the center of the clubface, you might be less concerned about off-center performance. Put another way, better players like hybrids with less bulge because they’re more workable. Lesser players like hybrids with more bulge because they improve performance more.
Hybrids are a great addition to your bag. They’re ideal for numerous situations once you learn to hit. Once mastered, they’re as close to a universal club as there is. But if you want one that will help shave strokes off your golf handicap, you need a hybrid that’s right for your game.
