by Thomas Franz

Created on: February 21, 2007   Last Updated: May 04, 2007

After watching the first month and a half of the professional tour season, the hot ticket for making more birdies is hitting the hybrid clubs.
The hybrid began hitting the pro shops in the late 90's with the introduction of the Taylor Made Rescue club. It was a utility iron with a loft in the low twenty degrees range and had a sole plate designed to cut through trouble lies. The idea was good, but the club was not the most ideal for game improvement on the amateur level.

Since then, the club designers have changed the idea of the utility iron to make a club that is easier for the everyday golfer to make cleaner contact on longer iron shots from the fairway. In the current market the hybrid club is a perfect addition in any bag that needs a longer shot into the green. The hybrid club is a mixture of the head of a fairway wood and long iron. It is meant to create a low center of gravity with the wood design to make the otherwise difficult long iron easier to hit. It has a longer shaft, and a lower degree built for a shot with height and distance. The motion of hitting down on the ball creates the proper spin needed for maximum flight.
Hybrids have grown from the original concept of replacing the mid irons for high handicappers, to becoming a gap type club for the mid to low players for that distance between a 3 or 4 iron and a 3 wood. There is a wide range of available models to choose from. The mid iron can be replaced with a hybrid labeled in the 5h to 3h range. The lofts go down from around 24 degrees, which is related to a 5 iron. This is a replacement for a player who has a difficult time hitting the mid iron. A 3h or 2h is more or a replacement for the 2,3 or 4 iron. It has the lofts of 22 degrees down to 17. This club is designed to be the in between club that is too long of a shot for a 3 wood and not enough for a 3 iron. This is the idea that is hitting the tour currently, giving the pros the extra yardage to hit the long par 5's in two shots.
When used with the proper swing, the hybrid can give an advantage to any player at any level. The hybrid is easier to hit then longer irons, and can maximize yardage on shots outside of your iron range. There are many models out there to fit your needs so think about the gap in your long approach game and choose the loft that will fit your game the best.

Learn more about this author, Thomas Franz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.