Why you need hybrid golf clubs

A recent marketing trend in golf is selling a set of irons without the 3 and 4 irons. Golfers can still buy them but they are optional. The reason for this marketing approach is that golf companies have finally realized that few people can hit them. The general rule is to leave the long irons in the garage after reaching 55 years of age and put a 7-wood or hybrid into your bag. My 3 and 4 irons have been collecting dust for years and repeated garage sales have not found a buyer.

A hybrid is a golf club that is a mixture of an iron and a metal (wood). It is a generic term that applies to a mixture of two species producing a new species. In golf terms, the hybrid club has the accuracy of an iron and the distance and forgiving nature of a fairway metal. They’re also called utility or rescue clubs.

The first hybrid was produced by TaylorMade in the late 1990s, and itt took a few years for golfers to make the shift to hybrids, but they are now a necessary part of the game.

The long irons are difficult to hit because of their long shafts, small heads, low trajectory of the ball flight and the need of a slow, full backswing. Hybrids, on the other hand, are much easier to hit for the following reasons:

• Large club head with corresponding sweet spot.
• Hosel offset, which reduces slicing and makes it easier to draw the ball.
• The curved face straightens balls hit off the toe or heel.
• Center of gravity is at the bottom of the club; therefore, good in the rough. 
• Full backswing is not necessary. 

Hitting a hybrid has many advantages. They include:

• Can be used to get out of fairway bunkers. 
• Can be used like an iron out of the rough.
• Greater accuracy in hitting to a green.
• Hit down on the ball like an iron for short distances and sweep it off the fairway for longer distance.

In selecting a hybrid, look at the head of the club for both a number and degree of loft. For example, my Cobra hybrid is a No. 4 at 22 degrees. The most important of the two numbers is the loft (degree) of the club. It is a great club for shots 175 to 185 yards with a low trajectory. If your No. 6 iron is your problem, your hybrid should be 25 degrees.

The only problem is that the number of the club and degrees are not standardized and every manufacturer is a little different. Before buying, seek out assistance from a CPGA teaching professional or your local golf store.