Charlie Blanchard For the Las Cruces Bulletin
A “hybrid” is the type of golf club with a design that borrows from both irons and woods while differing from both. If you are a golfer who is not using a hybrid golf club you’re making a big mistake. A hybrid club looks like a smallish fairway wood and hits the ball better and easier than a long iron. It offers more forgiveness and versatility from the tee, fairway and rough.
The first version of a hybrid was launched by Cobra Golf, who came out with the Cobra “Baffler” in 1975, but the Baffler was nothing more than a fat-backed iron with a bulge instead of a cavity in the back. When TaylorMade released its version of today’s hybrid in 2003 the company called it a “rescue” club, and it led to a mini-revolution in golf clubs that became extremely popular. In 2010 I converted my long irons – 3, 4 and 5 – to all hybrids and didn’t look back. I hit them so well that several of my golf buddies at the time nicknamed me “Charlie Hybrid.” Now, every golf club manufacturer produces a full range of hybrids with lofts ranging from 16 degrees to 33 degrees. If one really, really likes hybrids, one manufacturer produces full sets of full hybrids from 1 through sand wedge (16 deg. to 55 deg.), 12 clubs per set, right or left hand.
The design of virtually all hybrids resembles a stubby fairway wood with the head made of hollow titanium (usually) and with a very slightly convex face that creates what is known as the “gear effect” that straightens out any modest off-center hit on the heel or toe. The hybrid loft is generally similar to the like-numbered long iron: a no. 5 hybrid will replace a 5 iron. In terms of shaft length hybrids are a little shorter than fairway woods, like 3 or 5. Hybrids come in teardrop or square heads.
The reason that recreational golfers, with medium and higher handicaps, along with senior golfers, struggle with hitting long irons, like 3, 4, 5 and 6 irons, is lack of clubhead speed and the difficulty with “trapping” the ball off the turf to create the high loft needed. Partly responsible is reduced flexibility, and partly is simply lack of actual strength, both of which seriously limit clubhead and ball speed. Hybrid clubs permit a player to sweep the ball off the grass with the ball rebounding off the clubface and soaring higher. A hybrid club’s center of gravity is further back from the clubface, thereby enhancing higher ball flight. The flatter bottom (i.e. sole) won’t dig into the turf so much.
In addition to the ease of hitting hybrids out of the rough, you can use them effectively as a chipping club by playing a “bump-and-run” shot when just off the green. It’s like a putter with more loft; grip it lower and practice with it so you develop touch and confidence. Most of the pro tour players, including PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and PGA Champions Tour, carry one or two hybrids in their bag. They are that good in filling the gap between other clubs and are that easy to hit.
Charlie Blanchard is a guest columnist and a retired golf teacher and writer. He can be reached at docblanchard71@gmail.com.
