From Irons to Hybrids, How and Why?

[Highdesertdufer]

Hi to the group in advance

I have always carried irons from 3 to whatever, now I am thinking of adding a hybrid or two to the mix for a couple reasons. One: Same distance with more loft Two: better out of the rough.

For those of you who have been solid iron players who swapped out long irons for hybrids, Why and to what? What did you swap out for the hybrid? And do you still have say a 2 or 3 iron for the low stinger?

Thanks

[Highdesertdufer]

ttt

[Derrick Parker]

I swapped my 3,4,5,6 irons for Hybrids. My 7,8,9,PW are what I like to call semi-hybrids like the Adams a12os. You can see them all in my signature. I use my 2-18 degree hybrid for the low stinger shot from under the trees.

[Chris223]

Hi to the group in advance

I have always carried irons from 3 to whatever, now I am thinking of adding a hybrid or two to the mix for a couple reasons. One: Same distance with more loft Two: better out of the rough.

For those of you who have been solid iron players who swapped out long irons for hybrids, Why and to what? What did you swap out for the hybrid? And do you still have say a 2 or 3 iron for the low stinger?

Thanks

with all the hoopla surrounding them and the fact that I couldn't (and still can't) hit anything higher than a 5i and I don't even hit the 5 that well off the fairway, I bought my first hybrid 2 years ago - a Callaway Warbird that was on sale @ Dick's.  After taking it to the range I left it out of my bag because I did nothing but hook it bad.  Then I learned how to actually hit hybrids (that is to say, play them like an iron, not a wood) and suddenly I was hitting it long, straight and high.  I have since added a 19* 3 Hybrid Burner Rescue (which is a GREAT club off the tee).  I still have ole' faithful the warbird and this year I added the XHot 5 hybrid and replaced the 5 iron.  I love them, they give me shots I never had before in my bag.  210 yards out on a par 5?  4 hybrid will get me there... I used to layup to wedge distance.  Short par 4 and I suck with the driver?  Boom 3hybrid in the fairway.  Long par 3?  5 hybrid gets up high and lands soft.  As a matter of fact... I've done nothing but hit 3 and 4 hybrid off of every par 4/5 tee my last 3 rounds.

[JerryTimes]

The only hybrid that I have is a 3.  From 4 on up, I just use regular irons.  I don't feel like I gained much trying 4,5,6 hybrids.  I do like having the three if I need a longer shot and I'm in the rough.   I wish I had a regular three though.

[Highdesertdufer]

with all the hoopla surrounding them and the fact that I couldn't (and still can't) hit anything higher than a 5i and I don't even hit the 5 that well off the fairway, I bought my first hybrid 2 years ago - a Callaway Warbird that was on sale @ Dick's.  After taking it to the range I left it out of my bag because I did nothing but hook it bad.  Then I learned how to actually hit hybrids (that is to say, play them like an iron, not a wood) and suddenly I was hitting it long, straight and high.  I have since added a 19* 3 Hybrid Burner Rescue (which is a GREAT club off the tee).  I still have ole' faithful the warbird and this year I added the XHot 5 hybrid and replaced the 5 iron.  I love them, they give me shots I never had before in my bag.  210 yards out on a par 5?  4 hybrid will get me there... I used to layup to wedge distance.  Short par 4 and I suck with the driver?  Boom 3hybrid in the fairway.  Long par 3?  5 hybrid gets up high and lands soft.  As a matter of fact... I've done nothing but hit 3 and 4 hybrid off of every par 4/5 tee my last 3 rounds.

Thanks Chris

That really puts a light on it for me.I do hit my irons well, but the different shots they might hold for me is worth the try.

Great post

[inthecup]

I have bought many hybrids and they are in the bag for a while but the irons always end up back in the bag. I just added a 2 iron. They are not for everyone. I can get the hooks with hybrids.

[Chris223]

Maybe someone who strikes their long irons pure can answer this - why does it seem like when I hit a golf ball with a 3 or 4 iron it literally feels like a brick on the end of the shaft or something hitting a ball?  Is it because I'm not hitting the ball with the sweet spot of the iron?  Is that because of the longer shaft?  Certainly if I can strike a 6 iron pretty pure... I should at least be able to do that off a tee with a 4 or 3 iron?  Does the loft... or lack of, really mess with a players head that much?  I feel like I have a decent iron swing, as I strike most of my irons pretty well.  But I just cannot hit a 3 or 4 to save my life.  I hit them and they go nowhere, it feels like I hit a round brick and not a ball.

[Pretzel]

Maybe someone who strikes their long irons pure can answer this - why does it seem like when I hit a golf ball with a 3 or 4 iron it literally feels like a brick on the end of the shaft or something hitting a ball?  Is it because I'm not hitting the ball with the sweet spot of the iron?  Is that because of the longer shaft?  Certainly if I can strike a 6 iron pretty pure... I should at least be able to do that off a tee with a 4 or 3 iron?  Does the loft... or lack of, really mess with a players head that much?  I feel like I have a decent iron swing, as I strike most of my irons pretty well.  But I just cannot hit a 3 or 4 to save my life.  I hit them and they go nowhere, it feels like I hit a round brick and not a ball.

The reason for this is that with a longer iron shaft, your mistakes will be amplified. In addition, a lower lofted club will generate sidespin much easier than a higher lofted club. I believe that there is a video on why this is floating around somewhere on this site. I don't completely know the math behind it, but it basically says that more sidespin will be generated from the same face angle in a lower lofted club than a higher lofted one.

The reason it feels so terrible off the face is likely due to the fact that it's harder to hit the sweet spot of a club with a longer shaft. All your irons will have a sweet spot of about the same diameter, while your woods/hybrids/driver will have a larger sweet spot. This means that while your swing could be exactly the same with the long iron as a short iron, you could miss the sweet spot by much more simply because the small flaws will amplify any mistakes and make you miss the sweet spot by an inch instead of a quarter inch (exaggerated example, I know).

Lastly, it is a mental thing. Most people have trouble with long irons because they attempt to swing up into them in an effort to get the ball in the air. They hear that the clubs are hard to get into the air and may adjust their swing slightly in order to try and compensate. Not all people do this, but I know that I used to.

[TourSpoon]

I swapped my 2 iron out about 7 years ago for a Nickent. I then upgraded to an Adams Idea Pro Golf with a Matrix shaft which is a good combo for me. I saw the 3H on sale and bought it and swapped out my 3 iron but then put the 3 iron back because I am able to hit it well. The 2H for me is versatile and fills a specific need from the tee, fairway, and rough plus I can vary the distance. The 3 iron also feels a need because I can hit it with a few different flights with the low penetrating flight being a favorite for the wind.

Longer irons are harder to hit because of the lower loft and the longer shafts. This puts the sweet spot farther away from you and any swing flaw just makes that sweet spot even harder to get to consistently. A hybrid can offer a benefit for some because of the way it is designed which affects the center of gravity and its inherent forgiveness. A mediocre 3 iron swing can yield better results with the hybrid in many cases for these reasons. There is one thing that cannot be duplicated for me. When you nail a 3 iron on a string to 215 that feeling of knowing you hit a quality shot resonates and gives you a confidence knowing that you hit a golf shot. I also believe that if you can't generate enough club head speed to hit a 21 degree 3 iron about 200 yards then you are better off with a hybrid because you are not able to take advantage of the loft as it was designed because you are most likely not able to have a significant gap between your 4 iron and 3 iron for it to be a difference maker. Just my thoughts.

[WUTiger]

My first hybrid: I used a brand-X 3H in place of a 5W for half of the 2009 golf season. Strange club: great out of the light rough, but unpredictable off the fairway or tee box. I dumped it for 5W, and that for a TM 19* Raylor for 2 + seasons.

Along the way, I found I could hit Adams a12 Tour and Callaway Diablo Edge Tour hybrids with an R.flex shaft. (Tour head didn't produce hooks). But, I stayed with the Raylor and 3i.

In 2012 I switched to stock RBZ 4W and 7W, and 4H. I dropped the 3i. Ball went a long way with RBZ, but I had bad trouble with hook misses (light shafts in part).

This spring, I switched to the Tour Edge Exotics XRail 4W and 7W, and an Adams IDEA TECH V4 22* 4.Hybrid. The V4 has a Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara 60 x 5ct R.flex shaft (60 grams). The shaft has a low-to-medium launch, but reaches decent height at peak. It is good into the wind, and bridges the XRails and irons well.

Yesterday I bought V4 19* 3H with the same Bassara shaft. I may use it instead of a 7W on flatter courses and windy days, and possibly from October through March when the rough is thinner. (7W is super for medium rough, and for hitting into elevated greens).

[Highdesertdufer]

My major concerns in going with the hybrids are more a yardage and loft thing. I hit my #6 to 215 and with the #3 I get out to 230. I hit my long irons well but I think that I could get 230 or there abouts with more loft and a softer landing with the hybrids I am guessing. Maybe I should get a 3H and just set back in my stance to de-loft it.

By the way, all of this conjecture is due to the fact that I haven't yet filled out my new irons to the #3 and #4

[WUTiger]

...  There is one thing that cannot be duplicated for me. When you nail a 3 iron on a string to 215 that feeling of knowing you hit a quality shot resonates and gives you a confidence knowing that you hit a golf shot. I also believe that if you can't generate enough club head speed to hit a 21 degree 3 iron about 200 yards then you are better off with a hybrid because you are not able to take advantage of the loft as it was designed because you are most likely not able to have a significant gap between your 4 iron and 3 iron for it to be a difference maker. Just my thoughts.

I find the 4H is more reliable than the 3i.

I've been having hip trouble this summer, and the clubhead speed thing has kept the 3i in my closet at home, even for a particular course where it might be useful. If I had my 3i softstepped or reshafted in graphite, I might use it for certain courses.

Or, I could just keep hitting the more reliable and versatile 4H.

[Mr. Desmond]

Tough subject -

Hybrids and fairways are the toughest clubs to find.

It's easy to get fit for drivers, irons, putters, and wedges now - lots of custom equipment out there.

Hybrids have grown bigger - like fairways - so many are not good out of trouble lies - take the RBZ or any similar hybrids - flattish sole and large head make for poor performance out of the rough, unless of course, you've got super swingspeed.

I actually like the Titleist and Bobby Jones Hybrids ... I've tried them. Haven't tried others like Ping and Cobra.  I'm sure there are a couple of other similarly designed clubs. I play the Bobby Jones because the rounded sole is easier to get through the turf, they're easy to get up higher in the air, are bigger than they once were (they were small), and they have a decent stock shaft. Perfect for 95% of us who don't have a lot of swingspeed.

But everyone has their own journey.

Good luck.

PS - I use a 21 and 25 hybrid and go 6-PW. I carry a 5i when it's windy.

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

I've just recently ditched my 3i and 4i in favor of a Callaway X-Hot Hybrid 22*. I was never a fan of hybrids until now. I hit it long and straight from both the tee and the fairway and its really forgiving on mishits.

[TourSpoon]

My major concerns in going with the hybrids are more a yardage and loft thing. I hit my #6 to 215 and with the #3 I get out to 230.

You have a perfect 15 yard gap there, but what about the 4 and 5 iron? Maybe you need to back off the lofts and space things out.

[Chris223]

I've just recently ditched my 3i and 4i in favor of a Callaway X-Hot Hybrid 22*. I was never a fan of hybrids until now. I hit it long and straight from both the tee and the fairway and its really forgiving on mishits.

I have the X-Hot 5 hybrid which is I think 25*... great club.  I was impressed when I first hit it.  I was skeptical at first when I read things about how the ball just launches off the face like a rocket - well... it does.

[Mr Smell Good]

If I was to get one hybrid what would you guys think I should get?  I currently have a 4-iron and a 3-wood.  My distances are probably around 230 for the 3 wood and 210 for the 4 iron.