Cannot hit my hybrids for anything!!

[ScottL]

Iv only been playing golf now for 3 years. I started off shooting in the 120s my first year and now a 20 handicap. My goal is to get around a 15 by the end of this year. Being a consistant 80s shooter was all I ever really wanted when I picked up the game. (i know once im there, ill say 70s).

Overall Im pretty happy with where Iv come in such a short amount of time. Im pretty happy with my driver. I may only get 250-270 yards, but Iv gotten rid of the slice and majority are fairways or real close. My irons are probably the most solid part of my game. My putting isnt horrible, I usually average right under 36 putts a round.

BUT, I cannot hit my hybrids to save my life. I find myself "needing" to use them quite often. Yesterday I played and hole one was a 548 yard par 5. I drove it right down the pipe and had about 200 yards left. This to me is my worst nightmare. Too far to reach with my 6 iron, but Im scared to death of my hybrids.

So, i pull out my 3 hybrid and top it and it runs up about 30 yards. Pull out the 5 hybrid again and slice it out into the woods... Finish hole number one with an 8. Pulled hybrids out only one other time the entire round and duffed it. I swear, Im so close to giving these clubs away and just laying up with 6 iron every time...

anyone else have this problem? Any advice? I dont know if its a visual thing or what, but I just cannot hit these things to save my life.

[ET-Taylor]

You hit ur driver 348 yards my advice is see if you can order long irons for your set

[ScottL]

sorry, typo!!! I meant 300 yards left. lol

[adig]

if your not comfortable reaching in two than dont force it. your better off hitting to a disatance your comfortable. especially as a relatively new golfer. youll score much more consistent and better scores that way. getting on a par 5 in 3 is never a bad thing.

[shortstop20]

Keep them in the bag until you have a chance to get comfy with them at the range.

When you're at the range practicing with them, swing them like an iron, NOT like a fairway wood. Take a divot!

[TinCupTampa]

Your probabaly swinging too hard with them. Hybrids are meant to have a nice easy controlled swing... let the clubhead do the work.

[ScottL]

I think that is my problem, I swing them more like a wood rather than an iron. I rarely ever take a divot with them. I guess its mental

[The Road Dog]

I have some Mizuno hybrids in the MX-700 line. I can tell you from my experience the worst thing you can do is try to hammer the ball. A nice smooth swing though will reward you with a
great distance shot. My 17d will reach 200+ yards swinging easy.

[Travtex]

I struggled with my hybrids for a long while. Of my two lessons before I gave up on the lesson avenue for a while, one pro told me to hit them like irons, another pro told me to hit them like fairway woods. Eventually I gave up on either approach and kept them in the bag for a while and hit my 5i for everything over 180 yards. At some point, I started taking a few hybrid shots off the tee... then I made friends with my 4 hybrid, then the 3 came around. My 20* hovers in the 215 range and my 23* is around 195.

For me, I usually start having problems when I lose extension in my right arm (Lefty). THAT'S usually a result of getting in too much of a hurry. Misses are thinned/topped or straight hooks. I'll hit fat occasionally, but that's just when I get lazy getting my weight over and has nothing to do with which particular club I'm swinging.

Hrm. Think there's nothing actually helpful in there... What I did; Tee 'em up and tweak it 'til it works.

[ncb09]

I have recently got a RAM hybrid, my friend GAVE it me, he had your problem, using it as if it were a wood, the first shot I took with the club I planted my second shot (par 5) 5yrds from the pin!
like TinCupTampa sed, jus chill out on the swing let the club do all the work!

[inthecup]

I have a similar problem. I believe hybrids should be hit like an iron. Bring the ball back in your stance, 1-1/2 to 2 balls from center. I'll bet you are hitting off your front inside heel, correct? You top it because the club is not as long as you think it is. Second as others have said slow down the swing, it will go.

[Deryck Griffith]

First, if I was you, I would hit a nice 150-170 yard short from 300 yards away with an iron instead of trying to blast a hybrid 200 yards.
As for hitting the hybrid, don't get discouraged. I would focus on a shorter more compact swing. I would also focus on keeping the left arm straight during the backswing and hit down on the ball like you would an iron. Pracitce this on the range and give yourself time to figure it out. Until then, I would lay up on par 5's and accept, a longer 3rd shot into the green.

[Mrd19abhs]

Def make sure you hit it like a iron. I used to hit mine like a wood and would slice it like crazy. went to the range for three straight days and then someone suggested to me to swing like an iron and PING the ball flew 200+ nice easy iron swing is the way to go. I cant hit my driver worth a darn so i hit my 21* 3h and i stoke it 215-225 off the tee. It just takes a little practice.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Hitting down and compressing the ball really brings the hybrid to life. As others have said. You dont need to get so steep on it that you take a divot, but a smooth sweeping swing will work nicely.

[Mrd19abhs]

Hitting down and compressing the ball really brings the hybrid to life. As others have said. You dont need to get so steep on it that you take a divot, but a smooth sweeping swing will work nicely.

Very tru I take no divot ever with my hybrid unless its a miss hit.

[WUTiger]

You might take a lesson and see what the problem is. This way you can find out if setup / swing is the problem, or maybe these particular hybrids don't fit your swing.

If hybrids just don't work, you might consider:
* 3W and 5W combination.
* TM Raylors, 19* and 22*

[rebby]

First, if I was you, I would hit a nice 150-170 yard short from 300 yards away with an iron instead of trying to blast a hybrid 200 yards.

+1, why hit a hybrid here when you lack confidence in them? There are so many other options. You could hit an easy fairway wood leaving yourself I'm going to go out on a limb here as well. I know that it won't be the common opinion but... if you have problems with the hybrids, why bag them? Why not carry long irons instead? Do you hit them even worse than a hybrid? I realize that I have one of the few "modern" bags that does not include a hybrid but the fact is, hybrids are not the end all be all for all people. I've tried them, and thus far, I don't like them one bit. Why not give a strong 6-iron a try instead of your 5 hybrid? They're easy to make, add about 1/2" to the shaft of most any 6 iron and bend it roughly 4' strong. You can even get these off the shelf, most of them have a 5 on the bottom of them. Watch out for those TaylorMade's though, a strong 6 in pretty much any TM set has an 8 on the bottom of it.

[CarlSpackler]

My advice would be to get comfortable with your hybrid(s) if you don't want to change them out. I would guess that before you topped it, you were thinking something like, "Here we go again". Before every shot, I picture the best shot I have made with that particular club in my hands. To get comfortable with a club, I will take it to the range, get a small or medium bucket and start hitting 1/4 shots until I feel comfortable, then 1/2 shots, 3/4 etc. Now that you feel comfortable, you can picture those shots on the range the next time you pull that club.

Best of luck!