Thumbs up for Adams Pro Black Hybrids

[gibbous]

I couldn't find much on this site about these, so I figured I would write up my impressions on them so far.

A few weeks ago I picked up an 18* and 23* to replace my 19* and 25* Burners from '08. Basically I wanted to replace the Burners with others that flew lower and went a little further to give me better options off the tee and long approach shots, and fill the gaps between my 5i and 3w a little more evenly. Before settling on these I hit the Burner TP from this year and last year, as well as a Titleist 909 and both offerings from Ping. These are all good clubs, but the Titleist was noticeably less forgiving, the TP didn't come in the lofts I wanted, and the Pings just look ridiculous.

I have to admit that the look at address is a big thing for me, and of all they hybrids I've ever hit this one is the most confidence inspiring at address. I've never been a big fan of the huge hybrid heads that look more like woods, and these are about as far away from that as you can get without going to one of the older driving-iron types of designs that nobody seems to even make anymore. These clubs look like they were designed by a group of aerospace engineers to have a smooth shape with a low radar reflection profile so they can very stealthily and efficiently blow a golf ball the f*ck up.

One of my biggest concerns about these was forgiveness. The simulator at Golfsmith was showing me all sorts of good numbers and lines, but it's never the same as actually being able to see the ballflight and how they'll react to whatever swing I happen to bring on any given day. It turns out that mishits feel and sound awful, but the result is never as bad as I think it's going to be at the moment I hit it. It's probably more punishing than other hybrids would be as far as distance lost on mishits and how much slice or hook goes offline, but I think the benefits they bring make it worth it.

And to me, the big benefit is a low, penetrating ballflight and a greater variety of shots that they can be used to play. I hit a high ball, and my only good option with the old Burners was a big ballooning arc that was useless in any kind of wind. The Adams is much easier to control the trajectory. A higher launch shot is a more penetrating flight but still lands pretty soft, and a low one is much easier to pull off. I can't say I'd recommend these for someone who needs a little help getting the ball in the air, but I've never really had that problem so they're great for me.

I've had great results with these from the tee, fairway, and rough, they're basically everything I needed them to be and then some. I could see maybe getting them reshafted some day, but the heads are going to be in my bag for a long time.

[Shanker]

Those are some nice clubs you just picked up!