hybrid fitting? too many options

[handlez42]

I've been playing for 4(ish) years and have set on my tour edge exotics trilogy hybrid. Its a slightly larger profile TaylorMade Raylor. The shaft is a mid/low (mostly low) kick shaft. Tour ad60 accuracy and distance shaft made for exotics. A bit whippy and im not big on the lower kick feel. (Now that i have some experience) i need to reshaft this club. I've considered the KBS hybrid shaft (steel) to the Fujikura Motore F1 There's alot out there. I currently play 6.0 DG S300s in a 4-PW setup. Common. higher kick with control as far as north and south (height) and east and west (directional) Any ideas?

[mvmac]

Not too many guys out there play a steel shafted hybrid.  I know these are popular right now

http://www.aerotechgolfshafts.com/hybrids.php

Also Aldila has some nice options for the price.  Obviously Fuji is good.  For the shafts you use, I'd recommend something in the 80-90 gram territory.  Since they're hybrid shafts, you'll be getting a stiff flex in an 85 gram weight, the kick points will be similar.

[handlez42]

Not too many guys out there play a steel shafted hybrid.  I know these are popular right now [URL=http://www.aerotechgolfshafts.com/hybrids.php]http://www.aerotechgolfshafts.com/hybrids.php[/URL] Also Aldila has some nice options for the price.  Obviously Fuji is good.  For the shafts you use, I'd recommend something in the 80-90 gram territory.  Since they're hybrid shafts, you'll be getting a stiff flex in an 85 gram weight, the kick points will be similar.

Is it common to play your woods and hybrid setup like your irons??? Where in this case its the replacement of my 3-iron. Im hearing softer for distance and movement and stiff for more straight directional precision shots... Any thoughts? Also is a graphite shafts flex able to be adjusted via tip trimming? Like a steel

[WUTiger]

Is it common to play your woods and hybrid setup like your irons??? Where in this case its the replacement of my 3-iron.

Most advice says to set up the hybrids like an iron shot. Hybrid shots are much more consistent for me when I do this.

For woods, it's mixed, and I've seen an era or two come and go on this. Back in the 1960s, the advice was to play the FWs forward, but hit down slightly on them.

Then, when graphite shafts came on the scene, the advice was to sweep the woods, supposedly to lessen spin.

Now, some pros at golf expos say that if you're having trouble getting the woods airborne, play them back a little in the stance and hit down on them. I started doing this with some success last year, and even more this year since I switched fairway woods. I suspect people who really explode through the ball might be better at sweeping it.

Someone who works in club design might be able to tell us if changes in heads and shafts influence best ball position.

[handlez42]

Most advice says to set up the hybrids like an iron shot. Hybrid shots are much more consistent for me when I do this. For woods, it's mixed, and I've seen an era or two come and go on this. Back in the 1960s, the advice was to play the FWs forward, but hit down slightly on them. Then, when graphite shafts came on the scene, the advice was to sweep the woods, supposedly to lessen spin. Now, some pros at golf expos say that if you're having trouble getting the woods airborne, play them back a little in the stance and hit down on them. I started doing this with some success last year, and even more this year since I switched fairway woods. I suspect people who really explode through the ball might be better at sweeping it. Someone who works in club design might be able to tell us if changes in heads and shafts influence best ball position.

Although ball position was a question to follow. I was actually referring to shaft setup and now realize my phrasing mistake People tend to play their irons stiffer for tight dispersion and distance control and their woods softer for distance and working the ball. But a hybrid is exactly that...in the middle. So should a hybrid be shafted according to how your woods are shafted? Orrrr should be set up stiffer like an iron shaft. I do appreciate the help though because I was always told to sweep the fairways but my faurway wood is incredibly nitpicky with hitting off the deck (tour edge exotics cb2) and I occasionally play the ball back to play a low penetrating cut because my hands aren't able to fully close with the ball THAT far back

[Always an 80]

I've been playing for 4(ish) years and have set on my tour edge exotics trilogy hybrid. Its a slightly larger profile TaylorMade Raylor. The shaft is a mid/low (mostly low) kick shaft. Tour ad60 accuracy and distance shaft made for exotics. A bit whippy and im not big on the lower kick feel. (Now that i have some experience) i need to reshaft this club. I've considered the KBS hybrid shaft (steel) to the Fujikura Motore F1 There's alot out there. I currently play 6.0 DG S300s in a 4-PW setup. Common. higher kick with control as far as north and south (height) and east and west (directional) Any id eas?

Wanna be a good golfer? Don't mess with hybrids yet.

[Chris223]

Wanna be a good golfer? Don't mess with hybrids yet.

Please enlighten us.  And don't use the cop out "if you have to resort to hybrids because you can't strike a 2 iron like Tiger Woods you suck at golf and should improve your game and not take the easy way out"  Enlighten me using REAL reasoning.

[mvmac]

Although ball position was a question to follow. I was actually referring to shaft setup and now realize my phrasing mistake

People tend to play their irons stiffer for tight dispersion and distance control and their woods softer for distance and working the ball. But a hybrid is exactly that...in the middle. So should a hybrid be shafted according to how your woods are shafted? Orrrr should be set up stiffer like an iron shaft.

Yeah I hear ya and why I recommended a shaft in the 80-90 gram category.  Most hybrid shafts are geared more towards accuracy rather than distance.  A distance hybrid shaft would be a light weighted shaft imo.  It's not common to play the same shaft in your hybrid as your irons.

[WUTiger]

Originally posted by handlez42

I've been playing for 4(ish) years and have set on my tour edge exotics Trilogy hybrid. Its a slightly larger profile TaylorMade Raylor. The shaft is a mid/low (mostly low) kick shaft. Tour ad60 accuracy and distance shaft made for exotics. A bit whippy and im not big on the lower kick feel.

I got the Exotics XRail (Trilogy follow-on) 4W and 7W with the R.flex 60 gr. Graphite Design G-Series 60 shaft (mid-high launch, 3.9 torque). Good reliable GI woods, gets the ball up but holds wind fairly well (low-spin shaft).

... People tend to play their irons stiffer for tight dispersion and distance control and their woods softer for distance and working the ball. But a hybrid is exactly that...in the middle. So should a hybrid be shafted according to how your woods are shafted? Orrrr should be set up stiffer like an iron shaft. ..

For hybrids, it depends on what you want out of them. I have an Adams Idea Tech V4 hybrid - 4H - with a 59 gr. Mitsu Rayon Bassara 60 x 5ct R.flex shaft. It's low-mid launch, and had 4.1 torque. It has a D1 swingweight (a little light). The shaft is light too (hybrids normally start at 65 grams), but I like the feel of the club. Despite an initial low launch, it reaches a decent peak height. It's very stable into the wind, or when dealing with a crosswind. And, it splits the distance pretty well between 7W and 4i.

One thing to be aware of: The shaft static weight (i.e., 59 grams) interacts with shaft flex to determine ball flight characteristics. In late 2008, I started dumping my S.flex shafted irons and woods for R.flex. My irons had TT Dynalite S300 stiff, and driver had Grafalloy ProLaunch 65 gr. stiff with low launch, stiff tip. I lost distance with the irons, and had a lot of low drive.

I went to R.flex, and things started working again more or less.

At recent demo days, I've tried the lightweight steel (sub-100 grams) and some of the lighter (sub-60 gram) graphites. With the NS Pro 8950 shafts S.flex, (about 95 grams) I can get through the ball with no trouble at all. Also, the lighter graphites in S.flex seem to work OK too, but feel a bit light at the top. Also, not all Stiff shafts have the same comparative stiffness. (Check out Frequency Coefficient Matching (FCM) comparisons across shafts).

[Always an 80]

Please enlighten us.  And don't use the cop out "if you have to resort to hybrids because you can't strike a 2 iron like Tiger Woods you suck at golf and should improve your game and not take the easy way out"  Enlighten me using REAL reasoning.

No reference to Tiger. Would never tell someone that they suck. No need for me to cop out for any reason. REAL reasoning? Don't you mean Logic? You don't speak for the forum. Enlighten Us is presumptious on your part. The qoute you made seems to be directed at yourself. I still contend that hybrids are for a more highly tuned game. I don't consider them an easy way out. Please do not respond to any of my posts. You and I are definetely on different levels of sportsmanship. Thank you.

[Chris223]

No reference to Tiger. Would never tell someone that they suck. No need for me to cop out for any reason.

REAL reasoning? Don't you mean Logic?

You don't speak for the forum. Enlighten Us is presumptious on your part. The qoute you made seems to be directed at yourself.

I still contend that hybrids are for a more highly tuned game. I don't consider them an easy way out.

Please do not respond to any of my posts. You and I are definetely on different levels of sportsmanship. Thank you.

I've gathered, in my time reading past posts, that many people share the opinion that hybrids are "an easy way" for a crappy player who can't hit a long iron, to play better.  And many of those same people seem to prefer giving the advice "why don't you learn to hit a 3 iron instead of taking the easy way out" because "a good player can strike a 3 iron pure" and "it doesn't take any skill to strike a hybrid".  All of those are relatively close to what I've read in the past.  I myself can't fathom why anyone would NOT want to take advantage of technology which just keeps improving, an helping the average weekend golfer (a person such as myself) play better, shoot better scores, and have more fun.  When you say "wanna be a good golfer... don't mess with hybrids" to me I read that as saying "Want to be a good golfer?  (Learn to hit your long irons) and don't mess with hybrids".  If you don't wish to reply or read anything else by me, heh, that's fine.  But I'll respond to any of your posts that I want.  And please don't assume my view of sportsmanship when you don't know the first thing about me.

[saevel25]

One, no shame in using a hybrid. Two, shaft flex is pretty much inconsequential, there is no truth to accuracy or distance gains that are substantial. Do what you feel gives you the best advantage, if you like hybrids use them.

[WUTiger]

Hybrids are an example of going with what works. I have a 4H which splits the distance between my 7W and 4i. The 4H has a lower initial launch than the FWs, but gets good height at the peak. The low launch encouraged me to drop the 3i, which I used mainly as a driving iron.

I volunteered at the Senior PGA Championship in May, and lots of players had a hybrid or two in the bag. Among the PGA Tour pros, some do and some don't. A sampling of GD's What's In My Bag bears this out: All five of these players carry a 3W and a 3i, split by the following club: Mark Leishmann, 2i; Russell Henley and Michael Thompson, 3H; Harris English and Michael Thompson, 5W.

Classifying what's a hybrid will get more challenging with the advent of driving irons such as the Callaway X Utility Prototypes.

BTW, the hybrid was not invented in the early 2000s, it was rediscovered. You history buffs can look up the bulldog , a hickory-shafted utility wood from the early 1900s that had a face the width of about two golf ballls. Bulldog's job was to chop the ball out of the rough on longer shots.

[Always an 80]

I've gathered, in my time reading past posts, that many people share the opinion that hybrids are "an easy way" for a crappy player who can't hit a long iron, to play better.  And many of those same people seem to prefer giving the advice "why don't you learn to hit a 3 iron instead of taking the easy way out" because "a good player can strike a 3 iron pure" and "it doesn't take any skill to strike a hybrid".  All of those are relatively close to what I've read in the past.  I myself can't fathom why anyone would NOT want to take advantage of technology which just keeps improving, an helping the average weekend golfer (a person such as myself) play better, shoot better scores, and have more fun.  When you say "wanna be a good golfer... don't mess with hybrids" to me I read that as saying "Want to be a good golfer?  (Learn to hit your long irons) and don't mess with hybrids".  If you don't wish to reply or read anything else by me, heh, that's fine.  But I'll respond to any of your posts that I want.  And please don't assume my view of sportsmanship when you don't know the first thing about me.

Based on your first response I assure you that I can tell a great deal about you. Drive your arm chair as much as you wish but again I request you not point it at me. And once again I conclude with Thank You.

[Mr. Desmond]

Based on your first response I assure you that I can tell a great deal about you. Drive your arm chair as much as you wish but again I request you not point it at me. And once again I conclude with Thank You.

Okay, guys, this tit-for-tat is not productive.

It jacks the thread.

Move forward, please.

As Mike pointed out in post #2, Aerotech makes a fine shaft for those who don't need much help getting the ball in the air. It is smooth and accurate.

It's not for me, because I need help. But I play i80 Aerotechs in my irons.

[Always an 80]

Okay, guys, this tit-for-tat is not productive. It jacks the thread. Move forward, please. As Mike pointed out in post #2, Aerotech makes a fine shaft for those who don't need much help getting the ball in the air. It is smooth and accurate. It's not for me, because I need help. But I play i80 Aerotechs in my irons.

I agree. Moderator notified for assistance.

[Mr. Desmond]

I'd probably stay in the 80-85g range to keep the swingweight at a reasonable level. If it's 60g now, you may need to shorten the length to get a swingweight you enjoy. The shorter length may also give you better consistency. The Motore seems a fit, the Aerotech, and Graphite Design typically makes a nice, smooth shaft.

[handlez42]

No reference to Tiger. Would never tell someone that they suck. No need for me to cop out for any reason. REAL reasoning? Don't you mean Logic? You don't speak for the forum. Enlighten Us is presumptious on your part. The qoute you made seems to be directed at yourself. I still contend that hybrids are for a more highly tuned game. I don't consider them an easy way out. Please do not respond to any of my posts. You and I are definetely on different levels of sportsmanship. Thank you.

To be fair, hybrids were built entirely for a high handicapper and anyone struggling to hit the long irons out of rough and struggling to get the ball up It wasn't till Adams where you could make a hybrid controllable and useful to a tour pro My game is good. my only purpose for this hybrid is utility out of the rough at distance from the green, and slightly higher flight for softer landings. Now i think reshaftjng this club for a more penetrating flight, this club won't have any issues with flight height in comparison to a 3 iron.