Can’t get on with Hybrids?

[Britishshooting]

I don’t know what it is, I just can’t seem to get on with hybrids. I’ve barely ever used them so to me at address they don’t really feel comfortable and I hit an array of poor shots in practice with almost any hybrids as a result.

My small headed 13.5 degree 3 wood I love off the deck or off the tee. Same with my irons I strike them consistently and can pull almost any shot out of the bag, put a hybrid in my hand and I honestly couldn’t tell you where it may go.

Do they take some getting used to or is this a confidence at address issue down to me?

I just can’t get on with any hybrids of any manufacturer. I do feel in the wetter months I’m missing out not having one in the bag from the wet rough.

 

[clubchamp98]

Same for me!
I can hit my 3 iron consistently but put a hybrid in my hands and I am all over the place.
People say they are so easy to hit it’s like cheating , I just can’t use them.
I have tried even had a lesson but can’t explain it.

 

[Robster59]

I was the same. When I went for a fitting I was told hybrids didn't suit a flat lie (2° flat) which was why I struggled. I suddenly realised that all the hybrids I tried were sitting toe up. I've now found an old Cleveland Classic utility which seems to work well.

 

[Ruffy1977]

I feel your pain, I hated mine at first, it cost me so many shots but now...now it’s my go to club. 150yds or 200yds, I’ll be grabbing my Hybrid every time, stick with it

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It's being discussed on the main thread so you may get some ideas here https://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/threads/how-to-hybrid.99892/

 

[SocketRocket]

Its important to get the ball position correct. You need to have it like hitting a long iron, just forward of centre and not like a fairway wood, just inside the left heel. Hit down slightly like an iron, you should take a shallow divot.

 

[garyinderry]

Anyone who is constantly hooking hybrids needs to check their strike location on the face.

Hook merchants are most likely hitting it well in the toe. Test it and see for yourself.

 

[HampshireHog]

I have the same problem, love my fairway’s and long irons but Hybrids are a mystery. I’m resigned to the fact I’m going to be buying a 4i, as part of any iron set.

 

[Jacko_G]

Hybrids are just stinky smelly horrible devil clubs.

Much prefer the driving iron route.

 

[hairball_89]

I have the same problem, love my fairway’s and long irons but Hybrids are a mystery. I’m resigned to the fact I’m going to be buying a 4i, as part of any iron set.

Resigned? Why the (inferred, if not genuine) negativity? A 4i designed in line with the rest of a set is going to be bang on for that set, no? I've just bought a 4i for my set of irons (Benross HTX Type R) as I've been using the 5i off the tee a lot recently to great effect and strike it very consistently. It's 21.5º and I have a 22º hybrid that i'll be waiting until summer to see if it stays or goes, but recently the 4i has been looking good.

Hit the clubs that work best for you. If that's a hybrid, great. If it's not? Never mind. Or have i got the game all wrong?!

 

[duncan mackie]

Anyone who is constantly hooking hybrids needs to check their strike location on the face.

Hook merchants are most likely hitting it well in the toe. Test it and see for yourself.

A huge number of players who rarely use their hybrids really struggle to align the face square to their target. Closed or very closed seem the favoured options!

Otoh irons are inherently simple to align, used frequently during the round and, importantly, are frequently used for normal, straightforward, shots. The poor old hybrid only comes out when their isn't a hope in he'll of an iron getting the job done (and people are surprised at the results...)

Another trait frequently seen at the range at this time of year is people trying out hybrids. First few swings see them using their 7 iron swing and achieving pretty solid results (as viewed by an observer) then they seem to get lured into the search for higher, longer etc and what started as something that is easy to hit easily quickly becomes a hook monster, then a pull hook machine.

Always good fun to watch though

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have two hybrids, a G25 I've had for years and a G model I bought a couple of years ago. I use to hit the G25 reasonably well but had a two way miss and as time progressed I lost confidence hence the second purchase. When I got the G I really struggled with it, more so than the G25 and thought I'd made a mistake. However it started getting better and now I like it. I do have two way misses but the right is usually open club face and a poor swing and the left is a swing issue I'm having with all the clubs at the moment

I took both down the range this week (hard to shank a hybrid) and funny enough both were going well and not much difference and on a whim put the G25 in for the comp. It was horrible and I didn't hit a good shot with it all round but fortunately the bad shots weren't costly. Put the G back in yesterday and hit it well. I know I can hit the G25 and use to so it has to be a mental problem as the G is ok. I think it's a common scenario and I think a lot of players struggle with a hybrid through nothing more than a crisis of confidence

 

[HampshireHog]

Resigned? Why the (inferred, if not genuine) negativity? A 4i designed in line with the rest of a set is going to be bang on for that set, no? I've just bought a 4i for my set of irons (Benross HTX Type R) as I've been using the 5i off the tee a lot recently to great effect and strike it very consistently. It's 21.5º and I have a 22º hybrid that i'll be waiting until summer to see if it stays or goes, but recently the 4i has been looking good.

Hit the clubs that work best for you. If that's a hybrid, great. If it's not? Never mind. Or have i got the game all wrong?!

The trend seems to be for Iron sets to be 5 to PW these days unless you want to go top end, so choice becomes more limited and cost goes up.

 

[IanM]

Its important to get the ball position correct. You need to have it like hitting a long iron, just forward of centre and not like a fairway wood, just inside the left heel. Hit down slightly like an iron, you should take a shallow divot.

Big win for me was playing it "back a bit"

 

[Orikoru]

I've always struggled with hybrids, I'm on my 4th different one now. As said above, everyone says they're "cheat sticks" and so easy to hit but that hasn't been the case for me. Fats, tops, slices, hooks. The latest one seems to be more encouraging the previous ones I had. I've hit enough good strikes with it now that I know I can do it - it's just about making it more consistent.

I think one problem I have is that I don't get to practise much, and out on the course the hybrid is only going to get used maybe twice or three times per round, so that's not a frequent enough usage for me to really work at it. Progress is obviously going to be slow at that rate. The couple of times I've managed to get it down the range, I can get in a bit of a groove of hitting it nicely, but out on the course it's back to pot luck really.

 

[garyinderry]

I've always struggled with hybrids, I'm on my 4th different one now. As said above, everyone says they're "cheat sticks" and so easy to hit but that hasn't been the case for me. Fats, tops, slices, hooks. The latest one seems to be more encouraging the previous ones I had. I've hit enough good strikes with it now that I know I can do it - it's just about making it more consistent.

I think one problem I have is that I don't get to practise much, and out on the course the hybrid is only going to get used maybe twice or three times per round, so that's not a frequent enough usage for me to really work at it. Progress is obviously going to be slow at that rate. The couple of times I've managed to get it down the range, I can get in a bit of a groove of hitting it nicely, but out on the course it's back to pot luck really.

Can you post a video of your swing from down the line and side on. could turn out to be really worth while. the hybrid won't be causing fats tops hooks and slices. there will be something else going on and fresh pairs of eye may pick up an obvious fault. Now is a great time to fix this.

 

[Orikoru]

Can you post a video of your swing from down the line and side on. could turn out to be really worth while. the hybrid won't be causing fats tops hooks and slices. there will be something else going on and fresh pairs of eye may pick up an obvious fault. Now is a great time to fix this.

Well no obviously the way I hit them causes it, I just replaced the other hybrids as I didn't like them for various reasons. e.g. one of them was far too light, another one actually was a bit slicey (I noticed it myself even on seemingly good shots, then read something in a review of the club that backed that up), etc. I've now done what I should have done in the first place and got a Ping anyway, bog standard quality piece of kit, so no more chopping and changing.

I don't know when I'll get to do that, I don't get down the range much, and if I do it's usually on my own. And I don't like the idea of doing videos on the course. But whenever I'm down the range with someone I'll try and remember.

 

[Jacko_G]

I don't struggle with then just think they're ugly. I prefer my 4 iron and the driving iron option.

 

[Roops]

I think one of the issues with them is that they seem to require a smooth easy swing to work. So, when you reach for them, it's either becausue you are a long way back or in the rubbish. Both situations lend themselves to giving it a whack. My wife has a bag load of them and is strikes them superbly with a nice easy swing. I have one that as above, comes out when I am in trouble and needless to say the results are average. Much prefer to take my 4 iron if I can, but sometimes it's not practical.

 

[Hoganman1]

I'm in the group that doesn't like hybrids too. I've tried several and haven't found one I like. As mentioned in another three my TM 21* M2 HL 5 metalwood is my hybrid.