hybrid cheap vs expensive

[heggis]

iv been looking at hybrid recently and when in a sports shop saw they had a dunlop hybrid at a very cheap price so i decided to give it a go. but I'm not getting the distance i thought i would. so my question is whats everyone experience? are more expensive clubs better ( further distance) or just the same and you just buying a brand name. the hybrid was £9 have been looking at a taylormade hybrid for £100.

now i know most of you are going say go out on the range with a better club and see what distance you get. Which i will but just wondering on your experiences.

[newtogolf]

I'm not familiar with Dunlop woods but my guess is you might see some additional distance gain from a more expensive club but the problem could also be the Dunlop is just not fitted properly for you.  I've learned the hard way that getting fitted for a club (shaft stiffness, kick point, and torque) is more important than how much the club costs.  Every new club produced claims yardage gains over the previous version, but if it were all true we'd be hitting hybrids 400+ yards by now.

[SAGolfLuvr]

I agree with NewToGolf. Price is not the factor, the individual components, (grip, shaft, head) and length, lie angle plus your swing is the key. I hit standard off the rack expensive clubs just as far as "so called" cheap clubs.

Take a look at that veteran golfer in your group that wins a lot of rounds. His clubs are probably not new, considered cheap today and supposedly has less technology than todays's clubs. So how do you explain his lower score?

P.S. I have hit great Knight, Pinemeadow, Warrior, and Golfsmith irons/woods/hybrids. These so called cheap brands play just as good if not better than the more expensive brands.

[zeg]

While price is not the most important thing, and it's not uncommon for a cheaper club to outperform a more expensive one, I think there is a minimum price level at which the production of reasonable quality is possible.  £9 seems to me like it might be on the wrong side of that boundary for a new club.  While you might find a diamond in the rough, I think you'd be better off with an older used club if you want to save money.  Quality design, materials, and workmanship is more important than the latest technology, and with ultra-cheap new stuff, you're probably not getting either.

It's worth giving it a try at the range, though.  Maybe it suits your swing or you find a "hero" club---one of the best from the manufacturing run---but I wouldn't count on it.  I've had fair luck with a $30 gap wedge, but that's already twice the price you're talking about, and wedges are typically less sensitive to construction and design than hybrids.

[rustyredcab]

May be the shaft length as much as anything that is causing the shorter shots. Hybrids used to have short shafts but guys want length and they are getting longer. IMO, a hybrid with a longer shaft defeats the whole purpose.

If your Dunlop is an older model, the price may be a lot because of that. Older model does not mean worse.

[bassplayer7770]

Others have basically said it, but there are many factors that can effect distance.  On pre-assembled clubs, I'm guessing the shafts used probably aren't the highest quality on the low priced equipment, but that doesn't necessarily mean you couldn't possibly find the proper flex for your swing.

As for "cheap", I'm a clubmaker, so I suppose a lot of options available to me would be considered "cheap", but that doesn't mean the quality is lacking.  I currently have a Power Play System Q2 hybrid from Hireko Golf in my bag, and they make some of the most affordable components on the market.  The performance of the hybrid is great.  If there is one area where it is lacking, it might be in the durability of the paint finish, but that has no effect on the playability of the club.  I can live with a few paint chips.

[nickel_aTm]

First hybrid I ever purchased was made by Zevo -- this was like 5 years ago.  I rolled into Golfsmith ready to be done with my 3-iron and hit some hybrids.  Again, this was a few years ago but I hit a few "name brands" in the simulator (Taylormade, Nike, Cleveland) and I guess because of shaft, weight, whatever I was hitting the $69 Zevo hybrid longer and straighter than the rest.

That Zevo is long gone but the point remains the same -- find what works for you.

[heggis]

reason i asked this question is i hit my taylormade 23*  loft about 10yards longer than the dunlop 18* hybrid going out to try the taylormade 17* hybird 2night to see how i get on with that. And i know some cheaper clubs can be ok ect but just think maybe this was too cheap? my putter is worth about £5 but wouldnt change it for the world.

[heggis]

used the taylor made getting an extra 65 yards on the dunlop. think the loft s set a lot higher than the 18* it claims

[tristanhilton85]

The materials in the Dunlop may not be as good either.  While bigger name brands to have a significant price mark up just because of the name some of the difference is definitely the quality of the materials used (better metals for the club head; lighter/better constructed shafts, etc.).

[Stacey_E]

There could be a lot of factors involved.  Sometime, not always though, cheaper clubs are cheaper for a reason.  True we are all guilty at times of buying a brand as opposed to what is best for us.  But many times cheaper clubs have cheaper steel and construction in the face which makes them less "hot".  They also don't have the same level of QC, so a club labeled 18*  might be 15-21*.  The shafts are usually made of cheaper materials or at the least with a simpler production method.  You can, and I have before, luck out with a cheaper club.  But I personal think a used club from a major and respected manufacturer is a better bang for your buck.  They tend to hold their value much better as well.

[meenman]

I bought a $30 hybrid when i first started playing to see if I would like the concept of a hybrid.

The one thing I noticed with the cheap ones is a heavy offset - which was too much even for a newbie that sliced everything. I'm not saying you need to spend a ton of money on a hybrid, but the real name brands will probably suit you better.