Switching FW to Hybrids

[ronaldkuntoro]

For golfers who left their Fairway Woods at home and use hybrids instead, do you score better or worse? Do you use it on tight fairways?

I know Hybrid can never replace 3 wood but using a 18 degree hybrid might be good enough for some golfers.

[Gerald]

I kind of focus the same problem, my 16* hybrid is about as long as my 18* wood, my misses are topper or thinned fairway woods or hooked hybrids ..... I think I am going to try a Mizuno MP Fli-Hi 18* for those 210-230 yds shots.

[anthony]

You can mishit a hybrid just like any other club (I do it more than I'd like). I carry a 4 and 5 hybrid, but would need a 2 or 1 hybrid to replace the distance from my 3 wood. Although, if I had to hit a target for cash, I'd choose a hybrid over a wood without thinking twice.

[double_j]

I play a 19 degree hybrid and use it more or less as a substitute for a 5W (although I never carried a 5W to begin with). The two club types play pretty similarly for me - not that great out of fluffy rough, trouble/buried lies, etc. but very nice from the fairway or other tight lies.

Although I haven't done a comparison of similarly lofted hybrids and woods, the difference for me tends to come in the ball flight. The hybrid will fly a little higher and act more like an iron when it lands. The wood will fly a bit lower and run a bit more.

[ronaldkuntoro]

BTW Anthony Kim used to have a 14 degree hybrid to replace his fairway wood a few years ago. Now he is using 2 fairway woods and take the hybrid out. I wonder if hybrid can really replace your FW....

[Deryck Griffith]

I play my driver and two hybrids; a 19 and 23 deg. With the shorter (steel) shafts in my hybrids vs. longer light graphite shafts in the FW, I am able to have great accuracy with those two clubs like I do with my irons. As it pertains to distance, I am able to carry the 20deg 245 before roll and 230 with the 23deg..... So in my case, they certainly replace FW and allow me to place another wedge in the bag.

[Rexx]

I don't know why I still carry the 3W & 5W. I almost never hit them. I'm either going to hit the driver for distance or play conservative and hit the 3H. And I was never very good at hitting the 3W off the deck, and the hybrids are more consistent than the 5W from the fairway/rough. The smaller heads suit my eye better when hitting off the ground. I should just remove the woods and go with another wedge... someday.

[The Recreational Golfer]

I dropped my 3W when I realized that I hit my 19* hybrid almost as far off the tee, and get much better contact with it from the fairway than I do with the 3W.

[Gerald]

  Deryck Griffith said:

I play my driver and two hybrids; a 19 and 23 deg. With the shorter (steel) shafts in my hybrids vs. longer light graphite shafts in the FW, I am able to have great accuracy with those two clubs like I do with my irons. As it pertains to distance, I am able to carry the 20deg 245 before roll and 230 with the 23deg..... So in my case, they certainly replace FW and allow me to place another wedge in the bag.

But .... you carry 15 clubs in your sig. and 230 and 245 carry is about further than any pro .....

[Deryck Griffith]

  Gerald said:

But .... you carry 15 clubs in your sig. and 230 and 245 carry is about further than any pro .....

My sig needs to be updated (which I will do now, removal of 3iron) and here is my swing 8 months ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J1gDnbpnCI ...keep in mind that I've made big improvements since that swing was recorded. I played NCAA 1 baseball and played minor league ball. I am lucky that expereince allowed me to transfer some of what I learned in the baseball swing into the golf swing. Took some time but I'm at a happy place with my golf swing this summer. I'll take more video and post it in the appropraite forum. As for the OP, I think it is a great idea to switch to hybrids for the sake of accuracy and decent distance if you hit them better than you FW's.

[Gerald]

  Deryck Griffith said:

My sig needs to be updated (which I will do now, removal of 3iron) ....... I played NCAA 1 baseball and played minor league ball. I am lucky that expereince allowed me to transfer some of what I learned in the baseball swing into the golf swing........

Wowww, BTW did you also try the MP Fli-Hi and if you did how do the MP CLK compare ?

[Deryck Griffith]

  Gerald said:

Wowww, BTW did you also try the MP Fli-Hi and if you did how do the MP CLK compare ?

Actually I my 23 deg is the Clk Fli-Hhi and my 20 deg is the MP CLK. THe only issue I had with the MP CLK is the fubuki shaft...It was way to light and whippy for me so I threw a nice heavy steel shaft in it and it now plays like an iron. Other than that, the MP CLK is fantastic because it sits slightly open at address. I would recommend these hybrids to anyone who wants a more refined looking hybrid. I also have the Nike SQ hybrid but took it out of the bag because it felt like it sat closed at address and I hooked the crap out of it sometimes..LOL

[devilsadvocado]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but the site won't let me create a new one for some reason. Can anyone please give me some feedback???

I'm back into the game after a ten year hiatus. I was recreational before (middle school, high school) but am taking my development as a player more seriously now. The only difference I've made in my equipment since then is that I have added a hybrid (Callaway #3 21°). I made this purchase (just today, in fact) based on a little bit of research; I'll admit it was kind of impulsive. Now after additional research, I'm wondering if it was a necessary choice.

The absolute best aspect of my game (then and now) is hitting my five wood off the fairway. It's the only club that I can hit perfect direction and perfect distance 80% of the time. The absolute worst aspect of my game is mid to long irons off the tee, fairway, rough, whatever. Did I choose the right rescue club for my game?

[Gerald]

You have to have posted at least 3 times, before you are allowed to post new threads !

21* Hybrid is maybe a great 3 iron replacement, certaintly if you have trouble with your long irons, however with most brands they tend to be one iron longer, so a 3 hybrid, might well be as long as a 2 iron. And a two iron is about the same lenth as the old 5 wood ...... however the todays 5 wood is more like a yesterdays 4 wood.

So I would say normally spoken a 3 hybrid, might fit well between a 3 iron and a current 5 wood.

[devilsadvocado]

Thanks for the response Gerald.

After my first round with the new club, I am terribly disappointed. I know it's too soon to say, but it just felt like a lame substitute for the five wood. Also, I found it more difficult to hit off of rough than my five. The only good use I put it to today was for chipping from the rough just off of the green. That was an idea I got from an interview I read of some pro a few days ago. I thought it worked very nicely for that.

Maybe as I get better at golf I will notice more its effectiveness.

[Wildcat]

  devilsadvocado said:

Thanks for the response Gerald.

Hmmm. My Callaway 26* FT Fusion hybrid is my go-to club out of the rough. Slices right through. I hit a shot from the rough 170 yards out today to within 6 feet of the hole.

[Gerald]

My thought..... hybrids are great from the rough, allthough a 21* might be to much club for a 36 hc.

[devilsadvocado]

My hc isn't actually 36 that's just the number the forum automatically gives you when you don't fill in that field. I was a bogey golfer in high school and since I've started playing again a few weeks ago at age 26 I've decided not to keep score until I get back in shape. If I can hit a 5 wood out of gentle rough no problem, shouldn't I be able to hit the 3 hybrid out of rough that is a bit longer?