Picture the scene. You’ve just hit a glorious drive, and you’re 200 yards from the green. It’s time to pull out the dreaded 3 iron. Or, you’re in the rough again and can’t get a clean swing.
It sounds like you need a hybrid golf club in your golf bag. Hybrid clubs combine the best elements of a wood and an iron and are used by many golfers today. In this blog, we’ll look at exactly what they are, their benefits, and when to use them.
What is a hybrid club in golf?
In the most basic terms, a hybrid golf club is a cross between a fairway wood and an iron. Twenty years ago, no one had one in their golf bag. Then, TaylorMade introduced them, calling them Rescue Clubs (they still call them that today).
These days, all golf brands make hybrid clubs, and no two manufacturers make them exactly the same. The fact that there is no identical template for hybrid golf clubs means you can shop around and find one that works best for you.
As a general rule, hybrid clubs have a head that tends to be shallower than a standard fairway wood and a centre of gravity closer to the back and bottom for greater club-face control. The head can also have an iron-like angle to cover all bases.
Often, their faces are made from a high-strength steel alloy that offers the hollow ‘bounce’ of a wood but also gives you the weight and control of an iron.
What are the benefits of hybrid golf clubs?
The main benefits of hybrid golf clubs include:
- More weight: This slows the club head but increases the force applied.
- Sharper front edges: This enables you to cut through long grass.
- Better club control: Giving you a more accurate shot.
Most hybrids have a larger sweet spot on the club face, helping even the least experienced golfers hit a clean approach shot more regularly.
Why do golfers use hybrid clubs?
If you’re driving off the fairway using a standard mid-range iron or wood, getting a good combination of distance, accuracy, and loft can be difficult.
Many golfers—even those with low handicaps—find the traditional long irons (1, 2, 3 or 4) hard to get airborne and hit consistently well. Now, most are doing away with these clubs, and 1 and 2 irons, in particular, are now only really used by the top players.
Hybrid clubs replace these irons and make everyone’s life on the course that little more enjoyable and fruitful. The perfect time to use a hybrid club is when you’ve still got a long way to go to the green—maybe around 170 yards or so.
When to use a hybrid golf club
Hybrid golf clubs are ideal to use:
- For longer approach shots when you don’t trust your skills with an iron. Hybrid golf clubs offer distance as well as accuracy. They’re also ‘deeper’ face-to-back than a normal iron, so the centre of gravity is further back from the face, making getting the ball in the air easier.
- When you’re in the rough. Many beginners struggle with this, and hybrids are ideal to get you out of this situation. Traditional irons have more angular edges that can snag in the grass and twist the clubhead off-target. As hybrids more resemble a wood with smoother edges, they reduce drag through thick grass for a cleaner connection.
- For approach shots. The greater loft hybrid clubs offer means your ball is unlikely to skip off the green. Instead, it should land downwards (hopefully with a touch of backspin), so your ball will come to a quick stop.
Do I need a hybrid golf club?
If you’re a beginner golfer, we definitely recommend getting a hybrid golf club. When you’re first starting out, it can be tough using irons. The swing motion with an iron should be aimed down at the ball, but many beginners find this difficult at first. You’ll get a more natural and sweeping swing with a hybrid.
And they’re not just for beginners these days, either. You’ll see many of the top players at your club with hybrid clubs in their golf bags. Plus, many pros use them too—anything to improve their games and get those marginal gains!
Which hybrid golf club is best for me?
As we’ve already mentioned, hybrids vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. They are classified using degrees, which helps you understand which potential clubs you want to replace. The degree and the club to replace vary between manufacturers, but you’ll find that most have a number stamped on them, so you’ll know which number club they replace.
Different types of hybrid golf clubs are numbered. The numbers, most commonly 3-7, correspond to that specific club’s shaft length and loft angle.
As ever, it makes sense to speak to a professional fitter when getting a new club. If you’re having lessons with the pro at your club, get their advice, too, on which hybrid club would work best for your game.
