The Adams Idea Pro hybrids follow in the footsteps of the popular Adams utility family. The difference here is that Adams is, with the advent of the Idea Pro hybrids continuing their foray into club-building for the player’s market.
They have been very well received on the PGA, Champions, and Nationwide Tours. Trevor Immelman won the Western Open with an 18° Idea Pro in his bag, John Rollins won the B.C. Open using an Idea Pro hybrid, Jason Wagner won the Nationwide’s Cox Classic with an Idea Pro, Kevin Stadler used one to win the Nationwide’s Xerox Classic, and Allen Doyle used one to win his second consecutive U.S. Senior Open Championship. This club has become very popular in a short amount of time.
Adams spent a considerable amount of time and effort getting this club in play on Tour prior to its September release so it will have been well tested before it makes its way into your hands.
Design and Technology
According to the press release, the Adams Idea Pro is “a sleek combination of aesthetics and high-performance elements crafted for accomplished golfers.” Adams wanted to create a club that would meet the needs of better amateurs and professionals.
Pull-face construction and a low custom-steel face promote low spin and increased ball-speed. The club’s center of gravity has been optimized for ball speed and low spin. The forward positioned and adjustable weight screw promotes lower spin while allowing for swing-weighting and shaft adjustment.
The Adams Pro Idea hybrid has a classic and iron-like appearance. I enjoyed playing a club with an aggressive but minimalist appearance.
The Adams Idea Pro comes in loft offerings of 16°, 18°, 20°, 23°, and 26°, enough to meet a wide range of needs. All lofts are available right or left handed. Stock offerings include an Aldila VS 80-gram graphite shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips.
Looks and Setup
This is a great looking club. At address Adams has created a unique and identifiable look with a black composite top married to a silver chassis. While I’m a fan of a simple paint job this one is easy to get used to and doesn’t make it difficult to line up for a safe tee or long approach shot.
Maybe I don’t get out much but I don’t remember seeing less offset in a hybrid. The lack of offset looks great and will inspire confidence in players who don’t want performance enhancing technology messing with their finely crafted swing.
Turn this club upside down and the first you’ll notice an interchangeable screw for adjusting swingweight. This is a great idea for post-purchase customization. It comes factory set to a D2. Styling is bold with a loud yellow/gold bar along the back.
The boxy face has tradition written all over it. If there’s a selling point for this hybrid it’s the face. I love the boxy and iron-like appearance. For some reason the look gave me a considerable amount of confidence.
Overall, this club has technology under control. I liked the fact that Adams Golf stamped a simple loft° instead of choosing the more cryptic iron numbers. Its easier to identify which club you need without doing research on loft.
Looking down the barrel of the Idea Pro is scary. It has one of the best looking faces in a hybrid.
Performance
Adams has produced a club that performs well in many conditions. Off the tee it does what you expect. The 20° club I tested was great at getting the ball in play off the tee. There is something pretty special about having a club that will perform when you need it to.
This hybrid does a great job off the tee as it should. It’s a reliable go-to club when hitting the fairway is important or when there’s trouble a three-wood away.
Off the fairway the Idea Pro is a gem. There are few things as sweet as nipping the ball off the fairway with an Idea Pro fairway wood. Among them must be nipping a two-iron off the turf but I’m not Ben Hogan so the Idea Pro does the trick. It produces a solid ball-flight and distance off the fairway.
The Idea Pro does well out of the first cut and in a reasonable amount of rough. I felt that the compact profile worked to my advantage in the hay. It glides through the rough stuff well and advances the ball much better than a long-iron in a similar situation.
Aldila’s VS Proto “By You” 80-gram shaft is a very stable shaft. It is a big improvement over the NV hybrid.
It is wonderful for punch shots, little touchy shots with unobstructed views to the green, and high or low full shots. It is a versatile club.
The lack of offset and stiffer shaft greatly reduces the chance of a hook. If you suffer from the lefts with game improvement or higher-flight shafting options this club may be for you. It is a no-nonsense club built for those who want their swing, not game improvement technology to do the talking.
Adams choice of the Aldila’s VS Proto ‘By You’ is great stock shaft. It handles an aggressive swing better than the popular NV Hybrid and is a more stable grip to tip. Its easier to feel the clubhead during the swing and prevents offline shots resulting from an overpowered swing. While the NV gets the ball up quick and high the VS Proto produces a more piercing trajectory. The VS Proto fit my swing well and I highly recommended it for accuracy and stability.
The headcover is unique and functional. Magnets hold the back and front of the cover together. Its easy to get on and off and looks good.
If bumble-bee yellow is your thing or you can never find your hybrid when you need it you’ll appreciate the loud but functional headcover.
Feel
The Idea Pro feels solid at impact. It provides plenty of feedback without a dead, hollow, or springy feel I’ve gotten from other hybrids before.
It provides ample and solid feedback on a variety of shots. Whether you only use it for a full swing or for chipping as well you should be satisfied with the feel provided by the Idea Pro.
Married to the VS Proto shaft the Idea Pro hybrid produces a very solid and stable feel. Adams got the feel right and choosing a good shaft was a step in the right direction for feel.
Conclusion
While I wasn’t sure I liked the look of the composite top at first it didn’t take long for me to get used to it. The low-profile and efficient look of the Idea Pro hybrid is just about right. It handles a variety of turf conditions very well, holds up well during a swing thanks to the shafting, produces a piercing ball-flight, and provides ample and solid feel.
I suppose all thats left to do is highly recommend this little gem. At $199 retail it’s a little more expensive than some other hybrids you may be looking at but it is a stand-out. If you like an iron-like players-hybrid this very well may be a club that will be the right one for your bag.
Jeff,
Your review follows my own experience and perceptions almost exactly. I’ve played Nickents, Bobby Jones and Mizuno hybrids and the Adams Idea Pro absolutely delivers the best ball flight. And the lack of offset makes this a whole lot more workable. I think it’s a very, very good club… and its in my bag!
Adams has a great reputation for fairway/utility type clubs, I will definitely demo it as i am in the market for a hybrid. I am wondering if anyone has done a side by side test with the new titleist 585 hybrid? I need to demo that as well.
It’s JOHNSON Wagner who won with it on the Nationwide tour…he’s a friend of mine, and HE SMOKES THE CLUB!
I bought the club after reading this review and cannot thank you enough. Great Club !!!
So glad the review was helpful. Thanks.
After reading your review I went to a local golf shop, and hit this club. I must say that I have NEVER hit my 3 iron as far as I did with the Pro. After about 15 great swings with this club I had to buy. Yes, the head cover is a bit loud, but it fits the club very well.
Thank you so much for a great review!
I have hit some astounding shots with this club and have enjoyed it as much after the review as before. It is still in the bag. Thank you Danny.
I just put a 20 deg in my bag. Previously, I’ve used the nickent 3dx and tour edge and this club blows them away by a mile. More solid feel and much better shaft. I hit it four times, two draws and two fades. Normally, I fight the lefts, but with the limited offset this club is solid and allows me to hit a controlled cut. I hit it twice on a 480 yard par five and was pin high. Not bad, I like it so much I’m going to buy the 16 deg and replace my 4 wood.
Great review, Jeff. Your comments and observations were spot on.
After reading this review, I decided to check-out this club. I was looking for a hybrid to replace my 3/4 irons and tried the Idea Pro. This club is just absolutely the best club I have ever hit – it’s easy on the eyes, provides great feedback, and produces a nice boring ball flight. I hit 15 out of 20 in a nice tight 5 yard circle about 200 yards out (4H – 23′). The few where I hit either the toe or the heel, I got immediate feedback. The mis-hit shots weren’t too bad either, definitely playable – sure, you lose some distance, but what do you expect?
I tried the Adams Idea A2OS at the same time as the Idea Pro. The A2OS seemed just slightly “easier to hit” (probably because of the bigger club-face and related sweet spot), but I got almost no feedback. While the A2OS was slightly longer (by only a few yards), I found that the shots weren’t as tightly bunched as I sprayed the balls a bit more than the Idea Pro.
My final decision was the Idea Pro. Can’t go against easy to hit, great feedback, and consistency. I’ve decided to put this in my bag. Now I’m thinking of replacing my fairway woods with these hybrids…
Thanks for stopping by Hans… I’ve still got the Idea Pro in the bag and its not going anywhere.
Nice review. Went out to the range last night with a Titleist 585 H and the Idea Pro in my hand expecting to buy the Titleist due to very much being a Titleist guy. After hitting 15-20 shots with each I had no doubt that the Idea Pro was the club of choice for me.
I bought the complete Idea pro set, all the way through to the L wedge, with forged irons and the 3 and 4 hybrids. I have to say that I agree with your opinion in every way. I love the look and feel of both the irons and the hybrids. In only 5 rounds, I have had the opportunity to hit just about every variation of shot on the course with the 3 and 4 hybrids, and find their workability and control absolutely wonderfull. The only minor problem I have is the difference in feel between the irons and the hybrids. I am thinking about replacing the 5 iron with the 26 degree hybrid as well.
An excellent review. At age 55 I grew up playing golf with the 5W and/or 2i in the bag. As a matter of fact a full set of irons included the 2-PW. So, I have been slow to change. With a 5 handicap I am wanting to work on getting that number down and so I added the Adams Idea Pro 18* 2H in my bag. With only one round I replaced my 5W and have found this club and shaft combo one of the best I have tried. The 18* hybrid will be so much more versitle than the 5W. An easy club to hit. Your review was the catalyst to get me to try it. Thanks. 😆
I am a 7hcp and I also wanted to replace my 3-4 iron.
So i bought the idea pro #3, wouw i hit it so good and so nice to play.
So now i have the #5, #4, #3 and the 2 to replace my 5 wood.
I only want the #1 to replace my 3 wood and i am ready for acrtion.
Played last week with them and till then my best round was a 76 ( on a par 72 course), but know i score a 70.
Just to add a PS. After adding the 2h to my set I immediately went out and added the 3h as well. Just too easy to hit to leave them out of the 14 club limit.
Have had the idea pro irons and hybrids for about six plus months. Stiff flex, cut the five iron down 1/2 inch, strengthened the loft 1 degree on all irons to fix ball flight. Standard lie works for me. Staight, longish, nice ball flight, with stop and drop with a bit of spin ball action, very forgiving. Clubs make you swing correct, but off center shots you’ll feel both in hands and distance. Not tooo bad on both, and could be much worse, but you should expect it since it iis more of a players club.
Hybrids, 3,4, and 5, I could not play. Ball flight was a initially right then peeled off right. Used ball tape along with ware marks which indicated center face contact with straight on contact.
My Nike driver was same way, same blue shaft. Couldn’t close it. Traded it in for another shaft combo and blame. Feel, direction and distance all improved. So blame, two months and enough suffering with the idea hybrids with the idea I could make them work, I traded the hybs for the Adams a3 boxers with stiff shafts. Blame!! Problem solved, but a3 has higher ball flight but it is much straighter, about as long and definitely much more forgiving.
New shafts with the a3s are great. Highly recommend at this time of this review. I feel confident they will continue to perform. Make sure to hit the crud out of the clubs before the return policy ends. If they don’t work for you take them back. No guilt, its your money:cool:
This is by far the best hybrid I have ever hit, the longest and most accurate too – it’s fantastic. I got the 3h 20 degree Aldila’s VS Proto ‘By You’ stiff. At first I thought it might replace my 3 iron but after hitting it, it was as long as my 5 wood and much more accurate. Great review Jeff!!
After playing with a buddy who carries a +2 handicap and watching him stripe these clubs, my interest was piqued. I headed over to edwin watts and hit the 1 and 3 hybrid and must say WOW/.
i orderd both of them with the vs “by you” x shaft, and cant wait to play with them in a week.
great looks, efortless distance and straight.
As a beginner who can neither hit the balls using fairway wood nor long iron, this is really your “RESCUE” wood!
Hi All,
I have the 1 iron-16*, 3 Iron-20*, 4 Iron-23* & 5 Iron-26* All have the Aldila VS Proto in Stiff. I am a 7 Handicapper and can assure anyone looking to replace the longer irons these are a great option to look at.
I have always hit my long irons well but with dryer conditions here in Dubai it became evident i needed something that went on a higher plane, without losing distance. These clubs are perfect for that job. Very predictable in distance which is important. I think the shaft has a huge part to play in the overall feel as i have these in my Nickent 3DX Pro 3 & 5 Fairways. I find the shaft doesn’t lag behind the head which allows you to hit harder with confidence. If you want to get the best results from these clubs set up left of centre and hit down on the ball. The head cover’s are excellent probably the best Hybrid covers you will ever see for practicality.
Conclusion
Go and buy them even the 5-26* your friends won’t be laughing when you carding 70 something’s like me!
Hope this review helps.
The Curry 66
” your only the loser when you stop trying” 😮
I play off a handicap of 18 and use titliest ap1 irons which I hit well (it’s my short game that lets me down)! I’m looking for a hybrid as I don’t have a 3 iron and I have seen these reviewed as must buys but do u think my handicap is too high to make the most of them?
I play off 2 and I have the 14degree (tour only) as well as the 18 and 20 degree. All I can say is now I understand why Adams is so renouned for their hybrids.
I initally got the 14degree (rather than the new pro gold model since it didnt have that strong of loft) in hope of replacing my 3W for more consistency. It has without a doubt delivered everything I was looking for. What really surprised me was how easy it was to hit as well as the forgiveness.
I liked it so much that I decided to buy the 18 and 20 degree versions to try out. they are now going to kick my 585.H 17 out of the bag eventhough it was probably my favorite club in the bag.
These are truly a player’s hybrid. It’s minimalistic looks with no offset really set up well and inspire confidence behind the ball.
Seeing Anthony Kim using the same model certainly helped put a good image on the club.