Hybrid Clubs Continue to Proliferate

Don’t look now, but 1 and 2 irons have gone the way of persimmon heads. And 3 and 4 irons don’t look too safe either. Here’s a quick run down on four of the newest hybrids vying for a spot in your bag.

Bag DropClub manufacturers aren’t shy about jumping on a bandwagon. Witness the recent explosion of 460cc drivers, moveable weights, and high MOI (moment of inertia) putters. But no other recent development in equipment has had such an impact on the makeup of clubs in a bag as have hybrids.

Over the last few years, hybrid woods and irons have gone from crutches for senior hackers like me to standard issue in the bags of many PGA Tour pros. Todd Hamilton wielding his Sonartec hybrid to win the British Open at Royal Troon in 2004 underscored their versatility and acceptance.

What’s interesting is that club manufacturers large and small have had considerable success in pursuing this niche. And more models keep coming. Here’s a look at some of the latest offerings that have caught my eye…

Hybrids have become such a broad category that they now encompass entire sets. Adams, Nike, and Nickent are just some of the makers who have designed full sets integrating irons and hybrids. In fact, we’re currently testing a set of Nickent 3DX hybrid irons that we’ll review in great detail next month.

But this week’s column is devoted just to some of the newest single-model offerings. A hot category, coupled with today’s ever-shorter product life cycles, makes it tough to keep up without a scorecard. Here goes…

Cobra Baffler
Cobra Baffler HybridI know, I know, the Baffler has been around for 30 years. But one of the clubs to foment the hybrid revolution is still around and in a new version with up to date technology.

A miraging (very thin) steel face insert and a choice of Nippon NS950 steel shafts or Aldila NVHL65 graphite shafts brings the club up to today’s standards. This, coupled with a unique contoured sole (the primary difference among hybrids, it seems to me) makes the current Baffler a worthy new introduction.

One of the things that makes me crazy about hybrids is that every manufacturer chooses to number lofts differently. Cobra’s lineup goes something like this: 1/R (16°), 2/R (18°), 3/R (20°), 4/R (23°), 5/R (26°), and 6/R (29°). The Baffler retails for around $180.

Nike CPR 3 Iron-Wood
Nike 3 Iron WoodYou’ve got to hand it to Tom Stites at Nike. He’s not afraid to play mad sculptor when shaping his clubs. The CPR (“Clubs for Prevention and Recovery”) 3 Iron-Wood this year features a dramatically scooped out top designed to move the center of gravity lower and further back from the face.

Moving weight lower and back seems to be the mantra among designers today and Stites seems possessed in his pursuit of this goal. But even with it’s three-toned color scheme, it doesn’t seem any stranger than many other hybrid offerings today.

This particular model, unlike Nike’s CPR Wood model hybrid, has a smaller hybrid head, which I prefer. It also has a shaft 1.75″ longer than its cousin. It comes with either Royal Precision Uniflex steel shaft or Royal Precision graphite.

Available lofts are: 1 (16°), 2 (18°), 3 (21°), and 4 (24°). Retail prices are $139 for steel and $159 for graphite, although lower prices are easy to find with a little surfing.

Tour Edge Exotics Iron-Wood
Tour Edge Exotics Iron WoodNot to be outdone by TaylorMade and their Rescue Dual models, Tour Edge has come up with a hybrid that features moveable weights. The standard club comes with two 6-gram screws in the heel and toe. $30 more buys you a kit with a wrench and 2-, 4-, 8-, and 10-gram screws.

The club features a cupped face made of forged beta titanium chemically brazed to a steel body. This means the face is super thin and that helps to… you guessed it… move weight lower and further back. Because it’s not welded, Tour Edge claims you get better feel and more of a kick off the face.

I think they’ve come up with a great selection of shafts for the club. It’s available in steel with Nippon NS Pro950’s for $179 and in graphite with either a Fujikura Exotics 75 shaft or an Aldila NV-90 shaft for $179.

Three lofts are available: 2 (18°), 3 (21°), and 4 (24°).

Callaway Fusion FT-Hybrid
Callaway Ft HybridJust as in their Fusion FT-3 driver, Callaway has eschewed moveable weights and moved to multiple versions with draw and neutral bias built into the Fusion FT-Hybrid introduced this year. Unlike the driver, there is no fade bias model available.

Like their popular driver, the hybrid marries a carbon composite crown with a stainless steel body. It also features their bore-through shaft – a feature to which I’ve always been partial.

Without moveable weights, Callaway has made catering to the needs of different golfers a much more expensive manufacturing proposition. With two different versions and multiple lofts, their costs have got to be much higher. And, of course, that’s going to show up in the retail prices.

The draw version is available in 2H (17°), 3H (20°), 4H (23°), and 5H (26°). The neutral version is available in 2H, 3H, 4H in the same lofts as well as a 1H at 14°.

Shafts and suggested retail prices include True Temper Uniflex steel for $250 and Aldila NVS-85 graphite for $275. I told you it was an expensive proposition.

In the End…
When I was a kid the only hybrids around were fields of corn where my errant drives ended up. Today there are just tons and tons of hybrid clubs on the market making the game considerably easier. The four noted here are just some of that have caught my eye as they’ve been introduced this year. Whatever flavor you choose, however, you can be sure a hybrid, or two, or three, will make a positive difference in your game.

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