Hybrid Clubs

[peteybird19]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this hybrid club thing and I was wondering how good they are.

I can't hit my 5w very well in the fairway and I was looking for a way to reach the par 5 greens in 2.

2 I can get for reasonably cheap are a:

Nike Slingshot for 69.99 and an Adams Tech OS for 99.99.

Just wondering if a hybrid is worth it?

[YogiTKE]

Hi guys,

My suggestion would be to work at your ball striking more and to not worry about reaching a par 5 in two. Having a handicap index of 36 would lead me to believe that the ball striking needs the improvement. Therefor, I would have to suggest that spending the money on another club wouldn't be the best thing to do at this point. Maybe give it some more work, lay up to reach in 3, or invest that $100 in a lesson or two.

[peteybird19]

My ball striking isn't the problem, it's the short game. I've just got a new putter and a new wedge and i'm improving in that greatly.
My handicap isn't actually 36 either, it's around 23ish. I was just wondering how well hybrids work and if they are worth the price instead of trying to figure out how to hit my 5w on the fairway.

[DDBowdoin]

they are worth it... just compare the club lengths of a standard hybrid and 5 wood. I have a 19 degree sonartec hybrid which definition varies from manu to manu (2 iron to sonartec, 3 for taylormade) either way the club is shorter than my old 5 wood and travels further. Versatile on long par 3's, approaches into par 5's and from rough.

There are countless models out there but if you are looking to replace your 5 wood I'd recommend a 19 degree model.

At your handicap I'd avoid the following:
sonartec MD
Titleist 585H
adams idea pro

[steve617]

Nickent makes a great hybrid for the money.

[FlopShotArtist]

Check out the Taylor Made Burner hybrid. I'm getting the 2008 model soon.

[DDBowdoin]

Nickent makes a great hybrid for the money.

true that, but they have continued to rise in price / value

[iQuest Golfer]

Hybrids are definitely gaining in popularity.

I love my Nike SlingShot, 20*. I call it my Slingshot Redemption club as it usually gets me out of the high grass with no problems. It's great on the long Par-3 holes as well. Great for putting off the fringe or high grass around the fringe.

You say your Hcp is 23ish...? A book you may be interested in reading is How to Break 90 by TJ Tomasi, PhD and Mike Adams w Mike Corcoran. It may help you take more strokes off your "...ish."

Good luck!

PS... my son swears the TaylorMade hybrids are excellent as well. Lot's of options!

[YogiTKE]

My ball striking isn't the problem, it's the short game. I've just got a new putter and a new wedge and i'm improving in that greatly.

I've thought about purchasing a hybrid, but for some reason I can't talk myself into it. I'd get a baffler if I did.

[peteybird19]

Hey guys,

Thanks alot for the advice. I can hit the 5w excellent off the tee, just not in the grass. What degree would you recommend for the hybrid?

Between those 2 clubs what one would you recommend?

I'm looking to keep it around 100 bucks tops so i'm trying to nail a sale club.


Also would steel shaft or graphite shaft be better? I've just got a steel shaft in my tommy armour irons and i'm hitting them much much much better than I ever did my old graphite northwesterns.

[doin-it]

Hi guys,

Well im new to the game and can hit my short & mid irons fair but have struggled a bit w/ the long irons. I was @ the course yesterday with my buddy who has to hybrids in his bag. I grabbed his 23* because I wanted to hit one & never have. Lets just say later that night I bought one off ebay. I was hitting it over 200 yards with ease. High ball flight as well. Im a hybrid beliver now...lol U may want to check out the nickent 3dx ironwood, mizuno clk hi-fli & clevland halo. All these from my understanding are nice clubs & can usually be found on ebay for around $40-$60. Gluk

[OldDog66]

I replaced my 5 wood with a 17 degree Nike Slingshot and have never regreted it. I can hit it about the same distance and much more consistently.

[CG031]

I love my Ping G5...straightest, most consistent club in my bag.

[DDBowdoin]

yeah the g5 has a considerable amount of offset... might be right up your alley

[Ruari]

I happen to have both a Cobra Baffler (3R) and a DWS (4R). The DWS is fantastic - easy to use, accurate, good off the fairway and out of a few inches of rough. I got it to fill the gap between my 7-wood and 5-iron; it doesn't, it's quite a way towards the 7-wood. Easily 200-plus yards is what I expect from it in the (British!) summer.
I would not be without it.
But how do I fill that gap between the DWS and the 5-iron...?

[GaijinGolfer]

Hybrids are most definetly worth it. They are so much more forgiving and easy to hit than a long iron of fairway wood and they work in a variety of lies.
Personally, Id go with the Adams over the Nike. Adams pretty much created the hybrid market and they are still one of the best.

[georgeflash]

My two cents. I am about the same handicap as you with similar issues with the short game. I purchased the Taylor made dual "TP" 3 hybrid off ebay for $40. True Temper Dynamic gold S300 steel shaft. I prefer the steel stiff shaft compared to the graphite shaft which I felt was too whippy and club head would drag in high rough. The club is easy to swing and has a low trajectory compared to the non TP version (that I would always sky). I got rid of my 5 wood which I could never hit unless the ball was perfectly sitting on top of 6 blades of grass, all gentle leaning in the direction of the flag.
My friend has the Nike sumo hybrid club that I tried a few rounds. If you are not put off by the square look at address its pretty easy to hit. Its not as noisy as the Sumo driver either.

[peteybird19]

I played 9 yesterday and I have no problem getting off the tee with a 5W, it's just no good on the fairways. I don't pull my 3I out except on the par 5's and the last 3 rounds i've played i've had no trouble hitting it at all, but I'm not reaching the par 5's in 2, and i'm usually a big ball striker. My putting was top notch yesterday though, nailed a couple 10+ footers.

So do you think I should try out the hybrid for the long fairway shots, or just stick to my current setup?