Problem with 4 iron to 3 hybrid transition

I'm using a set of Ping G15 AWT regular steel shaft 4-PW and a Cleveland DST graphite R-flex 3 hybrid.

For some reason, my hybrid shot is always 10-20 yards to the right of all my iron shots.

Has anyone experienced this before?    Is my hybrid shaft to flex or too stiff or too light for me?

Any one have similar problem transition from longer iron to hybrid and find that they don't have the same characteristic or behavior?

Thanks.

Not exactly the same situation, but I struggled quite a bit with my hybrids and woods with consistency. Was playing reg flex throughout my entire set. Have changed it up, now my irons are reg flex steel but I've got stiff graphite in my hybrids and woods. Works better for me - more consistent and straighter, especially with the driver. About 95 ss with my driver, which I understand is right around the mark where either can work - not fast for sure but not too slow. Best thing would be to get fit for shaft flex based on your swing and see what the results tell you. Good luck!

I have exactly the same problem with my hybrids - always go to the right.     For me, its 100% a matter of making clean contact - if I hit it on the screws, it flies perfect ... no problem ---- BUT ---- if I hit it even a little fat, the ground grabs the club & the ball flight will go way right.      This is the reason I find myself using my 3i & 4i more ... the iron is way more forgiving of slightly  fat shots.

I know this probably sounds lame, but I have given up on hybrids all together. Not to get too far off topic, or to bring up the god-forsaken word clone ... but I recently bought an "Extreme 5 - 3 Iron Cavity Back/Hybrid" from a local professional. Yes, I used his terminology "cavity back hybrid" as a joke. The sole is so exaggerated out and extended that it's similar to the feel and look of a hybrid. He strongly believes in clones and maintains his scratch handicap with cloned irons. For some reason, it is visually easier and mentally easier on me to know that I have a cavity back long iron in my hands, but the sole extends so far back that it is like a hybrid with the top basically cut off. I have never hit my long irons so accurately until I bought the 3 and 4 off of him and actually tested my 3 for the first time yesterday. I was getting the 3i about 190-200 out with a slight 5 yard fade on it (could be more or less... there was no computerized results given to me on the course obviously). I usually use a 3/4 swing on long irons though to ensure solid contact as well.

Just an idea though if you know of any local professionals/instructors that can possibly build you one. It really had me thinking when I got the club for a 20 spot. Now I'm not pushing clones at all or by any means saying they're "better", but like the guy that built it said... They're cheaper because there's zero overhead at the foundry. There is no advertising, marketing, sponsoring, research and development, etc. If you have the opportunity to get a hold of one of these clubs, I definitely recommend you try it.


Back on topic , you should definitely be seeing a pro shop to get your launch and swing speed monitored. Within minutes they will be able to perfectly fit you with a club that suits your swing to a T. Another thing to really watch is your ball placement. I've always placed long irons almost identical to where my driver is while opening my lead foot about 30-45° to help the hips clear through - similar to a driving stance. The right foot should not be more than slightly open because that will promote a resistance on your hips finishing towards your target.

Hey what the hell do I know though? Just another hacker offering up some advice where asked!

I had similar challenges with hybrids.  Two things helped me start to get much better results - Slower swing speeds, and hitting (down on)  them like irons.

This definitely ^ In my overly long story above, I mentioned my 3/4 swing. For me it is always harder to change my swing speed (when not chipping or pitching) with irons in my hand, so I went with a 3/4 swing. You would basically need to try it out and see which one you're more comfortable with.


Kind of like that saying when you top a ball and your buddies just laugh and it gets quiet for 5 seconds then you hear... "...Hey, swing harder!". lol Or is that just me?

Different brand, different shaft, my first guess would be the shaft or the lie for the hybrid does not suit you. Check the lie using a lie board, shaft might be a little long as well, playing the distance game companies often put a shaft that is considerably longer than a comparable iron in the same number hybrid.

I have the Adams A3 iron set with 3,4, and 5 hybrids.  For me, the hybrids have improve my game quite a bit.  I like to use them from out of the rough.  Instead of having to use a 5 or 6 iron for the loft out of the rough I can use a 4 hybrid.  The larger head puts some "meat" behind the shot.  I also find them easier to hit and use them off the tee when a driver or 3W is a bit much.  I will agree they tend to go a little right if you don't hit them square but I play them that way to compensate.

I couldn't give you a reason as to why you hit your shots to the right like that, besides what someone else said about hitting it fat instead of picking it clean, but my biggest problem with hybrids was I couldnt really get comfortable with the fact that I had a club that looked like a wood, but had the length of an iron, and I don't just mean the physical appearance.  I had to tell myself every time I swung the hybrid that I needed to swing down on the ball instead of picking it off the ground like a 5 wood or 3 wood.  The best shot I ever hit with my hybrid was on a 185 yard par 3 where I tilted the grib of the club about 3 inches forward to get the face a little less lofty, and I swung downward and through the ball with my best "draw" swing.  I stuck it about 5 feet from the hole after it started about 15 feet wide of the hole and curled back into it.  The easiest place for me to get 100% comfortable with my hybrids was off the tee for par 3's and longer holes that demanded a precise drive instead of a lengthy one.  My suggestion is shorten your backswing to make it more of a pitch or chip shot with the hybrid, and gradually work the backswing further back once you consistently strike the ball the way you want, and never give up on the hybrids because I feel they are a great way to help someone score better (and legal like the belly putter shouldn't be ;)

I've had problems with every hybrid I've tried, until I hit the Adams Pro Black 9031s. Now have two in the bag.

UPDATE to my previous post:  I figured something out with my Adams A4 (17*) - tried choking up about a half inch to an inch - same setup - haven't hit a fat shot in 3 rounds since with that hybrid - absolutely loving it & have alot more confidence in it.     To those who struggle with their hybrids, it may be something worth trying  ...

Have you tried playing with ball position a little? Trying moving it a little more forward to see where it ends up?

... or close the club face a bit.

Are you slicing those shots or pushing those shots to the right?

+1 on choking down a bit to see if that helps.  I know my 3h is an inch longer than my 3i.

You didn't really say if the rightness was caused by a push or a fade (e.g. does the ball fly straight or fly left to right in the air). The hybrid you have sits slightly open at address (I know I use the same one) which is likely part of the cause I suppose. If it's consistent I wouldn't worry too much about it, just line up a little more left... if it's a fade and you are hitting it straight with your irons then I would check your ball position and see if its too far left in your stance.