Hybrid: Hit Down or Sweep

**skwon11** · October 28, 2009

I know you can do either but I'm having some difficulty. I play with a Nickent 3DX 3 Ironwood (graphite regular flex shaft). With a good lie, I play it forward and sweep it... plays great... easy... much easier than my a fairway wood. When I play in the rough or not so great lie, I try to play it like an iron, hit down on it and it just fades/slices a bit more than I'd like. I went to the range and was able to demo the Cleveland Launcher Hybrid (same loft, similar shaft) and the opposite. Hook it when I play it forward but when I play it like an iron (center stance hitting down) it takes off.. beautiful. Does it just depend on the club? Any hybrids that I can use as both? Maybe it's me?

**ks8829** · October 29, 2009

a combination of both depending on the flight I want along with ball position.

Sweeping on fairways and hitting down from rough with a slight open club face and aiming left of target,

**chilly** · October 29, 2009

I'm a "sweeper" with irons anyway, so I use the same swing. I've landed a 20* from 225yds (I should say I've done this once and think of it as a minor miracle), stopped within 6ft, so at this point I'm happy with the ability to hold a green. This was on a medium soft green, may have to learn to hit down on them more if I lived in another area, but I don't encounter many truly hard greens in VA.

**david_wedzik** · October 29, 2009

I know you can do either but I'm having some difficulty. Does it just depend on the club?

In your case it seems to be much more an issue of the clubs in question. Done properly you MUST hit down on the hybrid. For that matter, you hit down on irons, hybrids, fairway woods, even the driver off the tee for the great majority of touring professionals. It may seem like sweeping to some, but again, done correctly, you MUST hit the ball before the low point of your arc/swing. This only happens if the club is still moving down.

Dave

**shortstop20** · October 30, 2009

I always try to take a divot with my hybrid unless the ball is sitting up in the rough.

wabobbo · October 30, 2009

I have been using my hybrid 19* lately, and out of the rough slightly forward in my stance, some success. question i have, where to put it in my stance when i have a good lie?

**shortstop20** · October 30, 2009

A little bit more forward.

**skwon11** · October 30, 2009

Thanks all... but anything particular to the different hybrids available?

**SQ Bimmer** · October 30, 2009

Every time I have demo'd hybrids at the golf shop, the sales people tell me to put it just a little forward so that you come down on it, just not as much as you would with a short iron. I think the idea is that the longer the iron/hybrid the more forward you put it and you take a smaller and smaller divot with longer and longer clubs?

I am really not 100% sure on this and I am by no means qualified to spit out such information, just regurgitating things I have read in golf digest. I personally play all of my irons in the center of my stance until i get to 3 and 4 iron, I put them just a tad forward.

**jerry g** · October 31, 2009

i have a taylor made 3 hybrid and play it like a wood. i play it forward in my stance as i do woods. the only difference between my hybrid and a wood is the shaft is a little shorter. the slightly shorter shaft makes it so my wrists are slightly lower at address due to the shorter shaft. that is the only difference between a wood and a hybrid for me. i do not hit the ball any differently out of the rough versus fairway though. have you tried playing it forward in your stance like you do in the fairway from the rough?

**SQ Bimmer** · October 31, 2009

i have a taylor made 3 hybrid and play it like a wood. i play it forward in my stance as i do woods. the only difference between my hybrid and a wood is the shaft is a little shorter. the slightly shorter shaft makes it so my wrists are slightly lower at address due to the shorter shaft. that is the only difference between a wood and a hybrid for me. i do not hit the ball any differently out of the rough versus fairway though. have you tried playing it forward in your stance like you do in the fairway from the rough?

In the rough, don't you want to put it back in yoru stance so that you come down steep on it and not get as much grass between your club and the ball? That's how I play almost all of my shots from the rough, dead center to maybe a little back if it's deep. I have no idea if that is correct or not though. I need to take an on course lesson to really learn about lies, maybe watch some videos on youtube... or hey, maybe the near-pros here can help me!

**jerry g** · October 31, 2009

i don't do it that way. never really had issues using my normal swing and stance from the rough. if i play the ball a little back in my stance with a wood, it is never less less than 3/4 forward or below my heart i guess. when i play it back to 3/4 forward, it can promote a little draw instead of a straight shot.

**chilly** · October 31, 2009

Had an odd one today. Played the Pete Dye River Course at Va Tech today. Hit my 20* to a green @~225yds, and had another miracle, landing the green with a little draw. Very happy with the shot but was very surprised when I got to the green, the ball had spun back on the green. It was medium soft, and hit a slight upslope, but it had the "burn" mark type of ball mark that indicates that it spun back and was about 8ft below the ball mark. I left no divot, just my normal sweeping swing that I'd use on a 5iron and above.

**14ledo81** · October 31, 2009

I used to put the ball in the middle of my stance and swing like I would a 5 or 6 iron. This never seemed to work well for me. Now I play it off the left heel and swing like I do with a fairway wood. I get much better results this way.

**flatom** · October 31, 2009

Hit down.

I know you can do either but I'm having some difficulty. I play with a Nickent 3DX 3 Ironwood (graphite regular flex shaft). With a good lie, I play it forward and sweep it... plays great... easy... much easier than my a fairway wood. When I play in the rough or not so great lie, I try to play it like an iron, hit down on it and it just fades/slices a bit more than I'd like. I went to the range and was able to demo the Cleveland Launcher Hybrid (same loft, similar shaft) and the opposite. Hook it when I play it forward but when I play it like an iron (center stance hitting down) it takes off.. beautiful. Does it just depend on the club? Any hybrids that I can use as both? Maybe it's me?

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Hybrid: Hit Down or Sweep

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