Hybrids and driver for high handicapper

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I'm fairly new to golf and have a pretty high handicap. I have heard that hybrids are a good idea for us lesser skilled golfers. I hit my long irons alright in comparison to my short irons, but there is little difference between 3, 4, and 5 in terms of average distance. Also it can be a bit of a crapshoot for the each of them. For example I might hit my 3 iron 190 yards one time and 170 the next (yes I'm a pretty high and short hitter) . I'm not talking about obvious mishits. Both can feel pretty similar to me but with different results. I can take out my 5 iron on one hole for a 170 yard shot and hit it 10 yards off the back of the green, and on the next hole take out my 3 iron for a 190 yards shot and hit it 20 yards from the front with neither of them feeling like an obvious mishit to me. Are hybrids a good option for solving this problem or is it more likely my swing speed varying or something like that? In other words is this a common problem for high handicappers with long irons or is this my own special problem. Do hybrids in general give more consistent distances for high handicappers? Also are there "more forgiving" vs "more control" hybrids like there are with irons? Maybe those two questions are contradictory? I really don't know anything about this but am trying to eliminate clubs that are causing me strokes and find something new.

On the flip side my 3 iron off the tee is one of my favorite shots. I leave my driver and 3 wood at home because I can't hit either of them worth a darn. Ironically I have an ancient 7 wood given to me by my grandfather that is one of my best clubs of the ground. Go figure.

So TL;DR

1. Are hybrids better than long irons in general for high handicappers?

2. Are there hybrids/woods/drivers that are better for high handicappers or is it more you pay for what you get and the "better" hybrids and drivers are better across the board instead of some being good for scratch golfers and some being good for high handicappers?

I hope I have posted this in the correct forum. I am new here and the best I could tell, this was the place to ask this.

[dkolo]

I'm fairly new to golf and have a pretty high handicap. I have heard that hybrids are a good idea for us lesser skilled golfers. I hit my long irons alright in comparison to my short irons, but there is little difference between 3, 4, and 5 in terms of average distance. Also it can be a bit of a crapshoot for the each of them. For example I might hit my 3 iron 190 yards one time and 170 the next (yes I'm a pretty high and short hitter) . I'm not talking about obvious mishits. Both can feel pretty similar to me but with different results. I can take out my 5 iron on one hole for a 170 yard shot and hit it 10 yards off the back of the green, and on the next hole take out my 3 iron for a 190 yards shot and hit it 20 yards from the front with neither of them feeling like an obvious mishit to me. Are hybrids a good option for solving this problem or is it more likely my swing speed varying or something like that? In other words is this a common problem for high handicappers with long irons or is this my own special problem. Do hybrids in general give more consistent distances for high handicappers? Also are there "more forgiving" vs "more control" hybrids like there are with irons? Maybe those two questions are contradictory? I really don't know anything about this but am trying to eliminate clubs that are causing me strokes and find something new.

On the flip side my 3 iron off the tee is one of my favorite shots. I leave my driver and 3 wood at home because I can't hit either of them worth a darn. Ironically I have an ancient 7 wood given to me by my grandfather that is one of my best clubs of the ground. Go figure.

So TL;DR

1. Are hybrids better than long irons in general for high handicappers?

2. Are there hybrids/woods/drivers that are better for high handicappers or is it more you pay for what you get and the "better" hybrids and drivers are better across the board instead of some being good for scratch golfers and some being good for high handicappers?

I hope I have posted this in the correct forum. I am new here and the best I could tell, this was the place to ask this.

I wouldn't call results like that all right in terms of your long irons, haha. I think what you described is pretty normal for higher handicap players. If you're not making good strikes, the lack of loft makes it hard to get the ball up in the air and you get very erratic shots long and short.

You say you're a 32 HC, and (very generally; lots of caveats to this) the general rule of thumb is that most double digit handicappers really don't need any iron longer than a 5. One you're into the 4 and longer, it's tough to get the ball up in the air. Hybrids help to solve that problem because they by their design launch the ball up high and, with the hot faces, longer graphite shafts, etc, tend to allow for an easier swing at the ball to achieve the same distance. So you don't have to feel you need to kills the ball with the 4 hybrid to get it out there like you would with a 4 iron.

I'll give you two answers to your second question. The first is the better answers, but you'll hate it. The first answer is you need to go and try a bunch of different hybrids with different combinations of shaft and loft and just see what you hit better. Anything I say in the second part of my answer won't trump what you find through your own experience. But to give you something to look at, I'd say that Callaway is pretty much the leader in hybrids right now. You can probably get a deal on the X Hot hybrids (2013 models) that aren't a big difference from the X2 Hot or the current XR. Taylormade's Jetspeed hybrids (and woods and drivers) are going for nothing these days. They were a product line that was actually fine, but tanked commercially and there's a glut of them. Nike Covert hybrids are also cheap these days but good. There's plenty of others. As for the scratch vs. HC divide, you'll see some clubs marketed as Pro or Tour or TP that are generally designed for better players, but it depends on what you find you hit better. The club doesn't know who's hitting it. If you like an X2 Hot Pro hybrid, go for it. I play at Tour 3-wood and I love it. Has a sweet black face and is adjustable in loft and I prefer the shape of it. Wouldn't trade it for the regular model even if you gave me the trade for free. It's personal preference. Anyway, try some previous year's models and consider buying used. Taylormade and Callaway both have great Preowned websites.

As for your 7W, it makes sense. 7W has a lot of loft and it's easy to get up into the air off of the ground.

[mvmac]

1. Are hybrids better than long irons in general for high handicappers?

2. Are there hybrids/woods/drivers that are better for high handicappers or is it more you pay for what you get and the "better" hybrids and drivers are better across the board instead of some being good for scratch golfers and some being good for high handicappers?

1. Yes, easier to get up in the air and better on off-center hits.

2. Yes there are clubs that are designed for moderate to higher handicappers. PING SF Tec driver, Callaway XR, TaylorMade AeroBurner.

[WatchOutLeft]

I wouldn't call results like that all right in terms of your long irons, haha. I think what you described is pretty normal for higher handicap players. If you're not making good strikes, the lack of loft makes it hard to get the ball up in the air and you get very erratic shots long and short.

You say you're a 32 HC, and (very generally; lots of caveats to this) the general rule of thumb is that most double digit handicappers really don't need any iron longer than a 5. One you're into the 4 and longer, it's tough to get the ball up in the air. Hybrids help to solve that problem because they by their design launch the ball up high and, with the hot faces, longer graphite shafts, etc, tend to allow for an easier swing at the ball to achieve the same distance. So you don't have to feel you need to kills the ball with the 4 hybrid to get it out there like you would with a 4 iron.

I'll give you two answers to your second question. The first is the better answers, but you'll hate it. The first answer is you need to go and try a bunch of different hybrids with different combinations of shaft and loft and just see what you hit better. Anything I say in the second part of my answer won't trump what you find through your own experience. But to give you something to look at, I'd say that Callaway is pretty much the leader in hybrids right now. You can probably get a deal on the X Hot hybrids (2013 models) that aren't a big difference from the X2 Hot or the current XR. Taylormade's Jetspeed hybrids (and woods and drivers) are going for nothing these days. They were a product line that was actually fine, but tanked commercially and there's a glut of them. Nike Covert hybrids are also cheap these days but good. There's plenty of others. As for the scratch vs. HC divide, you'll see some clubs marketed as Pro or Tour or TP that are generally designed for better players, but it depends on what you find you hit better. The club doesn't know who's hitting it. If you like an X2 Hot Pro hybrid, go for it. I play at Tour 3-wood and I love it. Has a sweet black face and is adjustable in loft and I prefer the shape of it. Wouldn't trade it for the regular model even if you gave me the trade for free. It's personal preference. Anyway, try some previous year's models and consider buying used. Taylormade and Callaway both have great Preowned websites.

As for your 7W, it makes sense. 7W has a lot of loft and it's easy to get up into the air off of the ground.

Thanks a lot for the advice! Yeah maybe "all right" wasn't really the best wording. I have pretty low standards right now, but even then it's probably not an adequate description. I guess what I meant to say is that I don't really have any problems that are specific to my long irons, other than the distance being a question.

I'll try to find a shop near me that will allow me to try out some different hybrids. Its going to be a stressful process because I hate hitting in front of people, but I would rather get the right clubs if I am going to spend the money then just guess at something and end up hating it.