Ugh! I Cannot Hit My New Hybrids! Alternatives?

[onthehunt526]

I’ll keep it simple and short... my draw bias ZX hybrids I can’t hit, they just go left. 

I’m thinking about buying the ZX5 4-iron and trying to figure out 14th club.... At Genny I rarely have to hit either hybrid.... but longer courses I’d be between 3-wood and 5-iron. (The 4-iron is a 6-8 week wait). 
 

I usually don’t mind a hybrid (don’t mind hitting the ball high)...

I’m looking basically at a few options...

It’s not exactly easy to bend the lie of a hybrid but thought about flatten the lie to reduce the hook a bit.

Get a Pro model hybrid.

Or get a 5 or 7 wood... 

Thoughts? 
 

Yes I’m down to a 1.5 handicap, and shouldn’t really need equipment help... but I’m an adult and don’t know everything.

[iacas]

Were you fit for them?

Did you hit them first? Why did you get draw bias?

[onthehunt526]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

Were you fit for them?

Did you hit them first? Why did you get draw bias?

Yes. I was fit. 

Yes. I hit them first. It wasn’t such hook at GG when I got fit… 

I got them to keep the whole bag Srixon/Cleveland/XXIO I thought I needed a little more height coming into a firm greens from say 200 yards with a 4H. 
 

The fitter recommended the hybrids to bridge the gap between 3w and 5i. It could also be my swing, because I haven’t had a hybrid in the bag since the Exotics CBX (which I loved I sold it to a friend who also loves it)…

I still have my U85 3 and 4 irons I could put them back in the bag…

Could it be lack of use? Do I need to make myself hit them more?

[colin007]

36 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

Yes. I was fit. 

Yes. I hit them first. It wasn’t such hook at GG when I got fit… 

I got them to keep the whole bag Srixon/Cleveland/XXIO I thought I needed a little more height coming into a firm greens from say 200 yards with a 4H. 
 

The fitter recommended the hybrids to bridge the gap between 3w and 5i. It could also be my swing, because I haven’t had a hybrid in the bag since the Exotics CBX (which I loved I sold it to a friend who also loves it)…

I still have my U85 3 and 4 irons I could put them back in the bag…

Could it be lack of use? Do I need to make myself hit them more?

Where are you putting it in your stance?

[onthehunt526]

Just now, colin007 said:

Where are you putting it in your stance?

Probably too far back. Forward of the 5I but back of the 3W if that makes sense. I either dropkick it goes like nowhere. Or it starts 15 yards right and finishes 15 yards left (that may be an exaggeration.) Right after I fix the  occasional smother hook with my driver. It could be ball position related.

I still have my U85 3 and 4 irons (I traded in the 2-iron). But it could be the idiot swinging the club in this case… I hit 5I on the 5th yesterday because I didn’t want to hit hybrid (I had 210 or so in). And left it short… needless to say I didn’t get up and down for birdie…

Alli (my new girlfriend) has a 5 wood I mess around with once in a while that I can hit that 210-220 sort of distance, but I have to swing it really easy because it’s a ladies club. But it doesn’t go left.

That’s why I’m thinking if I can’t straighten out the hybrids, trading in the hybrids and getting a fairway wood/4-iron combo. Not sure if it would be a 5-wood or 7-wood, because I feel that 5-wood distance would run into my 3-wood distance too much. 

[Billy Z]

I just updated my hybrids from X-Hot to Maverick Max and am having trouble being consistent with them. The x-hot look more like a pro type hybrid then the Maverick Max do, having a more rounded sole then the max, and the max also has a squared toe to it. Also when I looked at a photo of your z x hybrids they looked like they were one or two degrees closed face. The sole also looks less rounded, or more flat, and may cause some head twisting upon contact depending on how much the lie angle favors your swing. I am actually thinking of trading my Maverick Max in for the pro type version. Maybe your z x simply don't fit your style?

[onthehunt526]

2 minutes ago, Billy Z said:

I just updated my hybrids from X-Hot to Maverick Max and am having trouble being consistent with them. The x-hot look more like a pro type hybrid then the Maverick Max do, having a more rounded sole then the max, and the max also has a squared toe to it. Also when I looked at a photo of your z x hybrids they looked like they were one or two degrees closed face. The sole also looks less rounded, or more flat, and may cause some head twisting upon contact depending on how much the lie angle favors your swing. I am actually thinking of trading my Maverick Max in for the pro type version. Maybe your z x simply don't fit your style?

That’s probably the case… could be the case. Even my old Nickent hybrids don’t have as much offset…. It might just be as simple as that.
The fitter probably thought I was your generic low-handicap gapping issue. 

[tomvk77]

We golfers can use all the help we can get is my opinion. There is a reason why peo golfers carry 5 woods or hybrids as well. It just makes the game easier. I played blades for to long i guess, i am not to far off but the little extra help my irons give is just worth it. ( i play mizuno jpx 921 forged ) i recently switched my woods from titleist 917 d3 to cobra radspeed xb and my 3 hybrid is a radspeed as well that one is so easy to hit. I will trim down the length of the driver and 3 wood to 45inch and 42 inch. To give me some more control.

[WUTiger]

On 6/12/2021 at 10:45 PM, onthehunt526 said:

my draw bias ZX hybrids I can’t hit, they just go left. 

and your point is...

I've been on TST hiatus for quite awhile, so I've lost track of your Sweet 16 mix. Apparently Tour Edge is out and Srixon is in.

On 6/13/2021 at 12:20 PM, onthehunt526 said:

It could also be my swing, because I haven’t had a hybrid in the bag since the Exotics CBX (which I loved I sold it to a friend who also loves it)…

If you remember, the TE reps billed the CBX family hybrids as left-proof. CBX Tour available on TE-Pre for about $180. But, what shaft did you have in your CBX? Of I remember right, you had gone to heavyweight R-flex in your irons.

Your story sounds like me and the FlyZ hybrids: got fitted for one in late summer, used in fall tournaments, but had trouble with it in ensuing seasons. Sometimes the fitted clubs don't work out in combat.

What you might do... For one round: move up a set of tees, and hit the hybrids for all tee shots. Due to lesser distance than driver, you will be hitting lots of hybrid approaches. If you had a round where you hit 25-30 hybrid shots, you would notice things about the clubs. Can you find the adjustment, or are the ZX simply a no-go?

Again, from your shared past history, I'm surprised you could use a draw-biased anything.

And, congrats on the 1.5 HDCP! Any regional tournaments coming up?

[onthehunt526]

1 minute ago, WUTiger said:

and your point is...

I've been on TST hiatus for quite awhile, so I've lost track of your Sweet 16 mix. Apparently Tour Edge is out and Srixon is in.

If you remember, the TE reps billed the CBX family hybrids as left-proof. CBX Tour available on TE-Pre for about $180. But, what shaft did you have in your CBX? Of I remember right, you had gone to heavyweight R-flex in your irons.

Your story sounds like me and the FlyZ hybrids: got fitted for one in late summer, used in fall tournaments, but had trouble with it in ensuing seasons. Sometimes the fitted clubs don't work out in combat.

What you might do... For one round: move up a set of tees, and hit the hybrids for all tee shots. Due to lesser distance than driver, you will be hitting lots of hybrid approaches. If you had a round where you hit 25-30 hybrid shots, you would notice things about the clubs. Can you find the adjustment, or are the ZX simply a no-go?

Again, from your shared past history, I'm surprised you could use a draw-biased anything.

And, congrats on the 1.5 HDCP! Any regional tournaments coming up?

I may actually try that. Move up and hit a few more hybrids off the tee to see if it helps. Maybe getting a bigger sample size on the course may give me a better idea of what the shot zone pattern really is. 
 

With the irons it’s usually pretty straight may be falling with a little cut. 

The ZX is hanging on by a thread let’s just say. It may be, I just don’t hit them enough or practice with them enough too. 
 

The app I was using, (SwingU) for handicap is not up to date with my course rating, so it thought my handicap was better than I was. So I broke down and paid the $40 and got an official USGA handicap and let the course know I was posting all of my rounds from this year.

So I’m currently at a 4.4 (The USGA has the proper Course Rating for my course).

 

[WUTiger]

25 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

The app I was using, (SwingU) for handicap is not up to date with my course rating, so it thought my handicap was better than I was.

Know what you mean. The course has shuffled the White and Gold (senior) tees a couple of times a season. Hole reworks keep things in state of flux.

And, half the time I play in AM when course has been set up for a noon scramble tourney. Thus, half the Gold tee blocks get moved back to White zone. So, if I register the Gold rating, my differential jumps because of the longer course.

[TourSpoon]

Hybrids have long had the reputation among better players as being hook machines so I am surprised you went with a draw bias. There are a few things you can try already mentioned but if you have to fight the technology to hit a fade it may not be worth it. You may want to see if you have a 90 day grace period and get something a little more fade bias. I played the Nickent and Adams Pro Gold which both produced a workable ball flight with the shafts I had, but there are some hybrids that I could never fade reliably because they were upright, had closed faces, or had looser shafts.  You have to have a hybrid that you can trust with your swing and not have to manufacture something different just to hit a stock shot. 

[pganapathy]

On 6/13/2021 at 2:20 PM, onthehunt526 said:

Yes. I was fit. 

Yes. I hit them first. It wasn’t such hook at GG when I got fit… 

I got them to keep the whole bag Srixon/Cleveland/XXIO I thought I needed a little more height coming into a firm greens from say 200 yards with a 4H. 
 

The fitter recommended the hybrids to bridge the gap between 3w and 5i. It could also be my swing, because I haven’t had a hybrid in the bag since the Exotics CBX (which I loved I sold it to a friend who also loves it)…

I still have my U85 3 and 4 irons I could put them back in the bag…

Could it be lack of use? Do I need to make myself hit them more?

Either you were fit badly or something has changed in your swing between GG and now.  It might be as simple as ball position or as complex as a change in the swing.

If you are struggling, might I suggest the range and a practice session or two as an alternative to selling the club.  If that doesn't fix it, then consider trading it in for a club that has no offset.  If you are happy with the club itself but want to prevent the ball going left, another alternative is thicker grips.  BDC uses really huge grips and apparently that makes it very hard to hit a draw/hook

[onthehunt526]

6 hours ago, pganapathy said:

Either you were fit badly or something has changed in your swing between GG and now.  It might be as simple as ball position or as complex as a change in the swing.

If you are struggling, might I suggest the range and a practice session or two as an alternative to selling the club.  If that doesn't fix it, then consider trading it in for a club that has no offset.  If you are happy with the club itself but want to prevent the ball going left, another alternative is thicker grips.  BDC uses really huge grips and apparently that makes it very hard to hit a draw/hook

A jumbo grip with extra tape might be something I’d be willing to try…

[colin007]

7 hours ago, pganapathy said:

apparently that makes it very hard to hit a draw/hook

I don't believe that's true. 

[onthehunt526]

Just now, colin007 said:

I don't believe that's true. 

I think it restricts the rotation some. But not completely, it reduces the draw/hook, but I’m not sure it eliminates it.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, onthehunt526 said:

A jumbo grip with extra tape might be something I’d be willing to try…

Won't do much of anything.

Grip size is about comfort. Doesn't really affect "the release" at all. In fact, if anything, a fatter grip may lead to you having to roll the hands a bit more if the grip gets up into your palm.

[onthehunt526]

18 minutes ago, iacas said:

Won't do much of anything.

Grip size is about comfort. Doesn't really affect "the release" at all. In fact, if anything, a fatter grip may lead to you having to roll the hands a bit more if the grip gets up into your palm.

Maybe minutely.. I think I’m trying to play it too much like an iron. Forward of middle but not forward enough.