Trouble hitting off the deck and out of the rough with hybrids

One of the problems I've had and cannot resolve is consistently hitting off the fairway, driving range mat, and the rough using a hybrid (traditional wood-like hybrid).

I thought it might be shaft flex, shaft length, loft, etc... but it doesn't seem to be it. For whatever reason I either top the ball or take a huge divot (or smack the head into the driving range mat). I address the ball and swing the hybrid the same way I do with a long iron. If I use the hybrid 10 times in 18 holes, I maybe get 2 or 3 good hits. The rest of the time I top the ball or take a huge divot.

I can take my 11 degree 2 iron (which depending on what set of clubs you have, is either the length of a "0" iron or a 1 iron) and smack the ball out no problems either on the mat, fairway, or rough but it just won't go as far as a long hybrid - I'll usually take a shallow to medium divot with the iron.

Any ideas with the hybrids?

One thing I've noticed very recently is that I hit hybrids with the ball a slight bit further forward in my stance than I would expect. Because the hybrids have a bigger head, the center of gravity is just a bit different than a longer iron. Once I started moving the ball a bit more forward, I stopped hitting fat and started hitting line drives... when I wasn't slicing them :)

If you're in the rough just try and do your normal swing rather than try to hack the ball out

Do what I did ... just buy another hybrid and see if it works.

They are almost as weird as fairways...

___

It seemed like I tried about every hybrid for 10 years... settled on these

http://thesandtrap.com/products/bobby-jones-jesse-ortiz-fairway/reviews/4795

Your mileage may vary.

One thing I found about hybrids is that I have to make a conscious effort to hit it like a long iron rather than a fairway wood, which I know is slightly contrary to what some other people have said here. The key word in that though for me was like a long iron, not just like an iron. For a long iron you're going to have to move it forward, but it still requires what feels like more of a descending blow than a fairway wood to get a good outcome. I'm not guaranteeing that it'll work for you, but it did for me to remember that I had to still "hit down" like an iron.

My suggestions is to stay down in posture with your knees slightly bent. Topping with a hybbrid means that your coming up slightly at impact, that's on any topping of the ball.

Possibly but not likely.

More likely that it's caused by not getting the bottom of your swing far enough forward, the low point is happening behind the ball and then on the way back up the club clips the top of the ball. Make sure your weight is forward at impact and the topping should fix itself.

Wow. The least lofted 1 iron I've ever seen is 16*, some are 18* - and all are pretty much extinct now, or redundant. A true 2 iron might have anything between 19* and 21*, and would probably go further than your club by staying in the air for longer. If you already hit your irons well, why not look into finding long irons with just a bit more loft?

hybrids are all about swinging them easy - the length will be there if you hit them clean.     Back it down a bit & I bet you'll be fine ...

first off try not to get too down on yourself. golf is tough. long shots are a tougher part of golf. long shots from the rough are some of the tougheresnessest!

1)PLAY THEM MORE LIKE THEY ARE IRONS

all things being equal the longer the club... the more forward we play it in our stance. obv a normal driver shot is the furthest forward (and furthest away from us) and the stock LW short is basically in the center and closest to us. 3w's seem to b like 43.5" or 43" and 5i's like 38" nowadays. depending on year and model and # hybrid.... im guessing yours r closer to iron length. maybe hold whatever hybrids u use next to whatever woods and irons u use and c which it is closer too and play it more like that club? but...i FEEL (i have no fake stats or used car salesman tricks to use here, so my opinion is all i have..) most plyrs that think hybrids are their weak spot play them too far forward. if everything is your weak spot, then ??$%^^$%. OR are "sweeper golfers" instead of "digger golfers".  if you dont take iron divots, youre probable a "sweeper"... so id sell my hybrids and buy some combo of 5w, 7w and 9w to replace my long irons.

rough? hybrids? another toughie. but hey tha'ts a big part of why we bought em right?

2)BE REALISTIC

"Golf is a compromise between what your ego wants you to do, what experience tells you to do, and what your nerves let you do. "
- Bruce Crampton

"Every golfer scores better when he learns his capabilities."
- Tommy Armour

pga tour pros hit it ABOUT the same dist from the jar when they r  200-225y in the fairway as they do from 150-175y in the rough:0 (their rough is usually more serious then ours but still, its a good lesson. avoid the rough, and if im already in the rough, respect it).  PLUS if you think u cant get near the hole or greenside in this shot, why bother risking it?I dont know your game, tees, or course.... but hitting 10 hybrids a round seems like a lot.  In my game, im not forcing a hybrid outa any real hay, and im not hitting one just to get to 2/3rds SW at 70y out (i dont think im any better with a partial wedge than i am with a normal PW)  If i cant cant get AT LEAST to pitching range, like <30y... im hitting 2 iron shots. ima huge bitch. i hate seeing REALLY BAD shots. enough of them come just on their own. i dont need to go looking for more. i get more confident and play better and use bad grammar and stay in my rounds and matches longer the more solid shots i hit. once i miss one, i want to get the "good shot snowball" rolling again asap!

3456) or is this 1)again? PLAY IT BACK

the worst the lie, the more the grass gets in the way, the steeper i want to swing as to avoid the rough for as long as possible. you can make your swing steeper lotsa ways: more descending by playing the ball back, or swinging outside to in, or hinging the wrists more quickly, or by standing closer and gripping down to the shaft (shorter the club, the more vertical we swing it, saying "F that!" and hitting a 9i out, or by lowering the hands at address or by or by or by or by a combination of these. but playing ball back, aiming left, body left, opening the face slightly, and gripping down....are SET UP changes. they seem to USUALLY be easier for me than trying to change swings. esp in any round that counts!

SO IF THE ROUGH ISNT US OPEN STYLE....AND YOURE HITTING HYBRID BECUZ ITS A GOOD PLAN NOT CUZ U WANNA MAKE THE BALL GO FAR FOR NO REASON...

1)grip down to shaft (stand closer cuz now your club is shorter)

2)aim left

3)play the ball middleish in your stance

4)open the face a lil

it'll probably fade or slice and travel shorter dist than your teed up or fairway hybrid shot so be warned (or be straight if you already play a wicked hook) but it'll get out of rough easier + go like long or mid iron dist + the hybrid's meaty clubhead tends to make this easier than long or even mid irons + it obv gos further than the 9i safe out shot.

once you get the real "escape" shot down, it should b easy enough to dial it back, and make less adjustments.... for like light to normal rough.

:0 to HACKERUPNORTH

+1 to PRETZEL

+1 to GLASGOWSGREEN

If your handicap is that high, take lessons.

If you're topping, you're probably moving around too much during your swing, and not getting enough weight forward.

Not sure how to reply to that