To Hybrid or not to Hybrid?

[DL400]

Hello,

I was hoping to get some advice about my clubs upgrade.

I played less than 5 times in 2014 but wanting to set it up and plays at least twice a month in 2015.

I am usually in the 100-110 range.  Live up in the Seattle area.

My current setup:

Driver TaylorMade r580
No name 3w / 5w
TaylorMade LCG Burner. 3-PW
TaylorMade 56* sand wedge
TaylorMade Nubbins Putter

I am considering hybrids.... also add a 60* LW?

Option A Purchase:
TaylorMade SLDR 3 Wood / 5 Wood / 4H

Option B:
TaylorMade SLDR Driver / 3 Wood / 3H

Option C:
TaylorMade SLDR 3 Wood / 3H / 60* LW

other options to consider?

Thanks!!

[Jeremie Boop]

Pretty standard answer you'll get is to go try out the clubs you are interested in. The best investments I ever made was the time to get fitted for my hybrid and driver. If you can find a place that will allow you to get the gapping between you clubs it will be the best way to figure out which of those options or unknown option is best. I will say, don't lock yourself into one manufacturer. I went into my driver fitting focused on getting the ping g30 and finding out that the cobra biocell+ was by far the best fit for me.

[WUTiger]

25 HDCP? Take a spring warm-up lesson, and then follow Jeremie's advice.

Pretty standard answer you'll get is to go try out the clubs you are interested in. The best investments I ever made was the time to get fitted for my hybrid and driver. ...

[RussUK]

Its all down to personal preference, the course you are playing and confidence in each club. For myself, i have  Driver, 5w then 4h and 5h. My hybrids are my go to club and use them for everything from tee shots to bump and runs around the green.

You just need to experiment to find a setup you like and think about whether you actually need a certain club. I personally think if you dont normally hit  certain club in a round then take it out if the bag a save weight.

[inthehole]

I like hybrids for the 2 iron/5 wood & sometimes the 3 iron slots in my bag. I see no reason to use a 4 or 5 hybrid, as I play modern game improvement long irons.

[5ironkid]

i personally love my hybrids/rescue clubs. it probably depends how you hit them and your approach to them. sometimes people struggle when they start with them because they are not sure whether to hit them like irons or fairway woods. i hit mine like irons and they work great. i especially love them for if i get stuck in the woods as they are easy to hit low, and even with a half swing you can get a good amount of distance out of them

[westcyderydin]

Hybrids are great, much easier to hit than long irons (at least for most people).

Just make sure you try some out before you buy them.  I think hybrids, more than any other club, need to fit your eye...or you will mistakenly form the opinion that you hate hybrids.

Go somewhere where you can hit a variety of different hybrid clubs, notice the ones you like and the ones you don't...notice which ones you hit better than others....notice what you like and don't like in a hybrid club.

Also make sure you know the distance you want the club to go.  If you are looking to cover the distance of your 3 iron...lets say 200 yards...then make sure you get the correct club.  What I have noticed, at least in the hybrids I've used, the hybrid club will go about a club length farther than the same number iron.  Don't take that as gospel, maybe just as a guide for which club to try out first.  So if you want to cover your 3 iron distance, try out the 4 hybrid first.  They are making the clubs go further now because of shaft length, face hotness, and weight placement so like I said, make sure you try before you buy.

[Rip62]

Most everyone I play with has a hybrid cars in their bag and they all like playing them. But like has been suggested before try several to find the one for you.

[Mr. Desmond]

At a 25 hc, avoid the SLDR -- it is best in the hands of speed players who make center contact.

You may think old TM Burner, Jetspeed, Callaway X2Hot, Big Bertha, etc.

Ditch any ego and the 3,4, 5 irons

and get a combo of 7 wd, 11 wd, 22 HY, 25 Hy.

Forget the 60 for now -- a 58 will serve you better if that works in your lofts.

[westcyderydin]

Most everyone I play with has a hybrid cars in their bag ...

Where do you play?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

At a 25 hc, avoid the SLDR -- it is best in the hands of speed players who make center contact.

You may think old TM Burner, Jetspeed, Callaway X2Hot, Big Bertha, etc.

Ditch any ego and the 3,4, 5 irons

and get a combo of 7 wd, 11 wd, 22 HY, 25 Hy.

Forget the 60 for now -- a 58 will serve you better if that works in your lofts.

Great advice all around, here.  It is definitely worth checking out the higher lofted fairway woods, too.  I wish 7, 9, and 11 woods were more common....

[NuckandCup]

As someone that's been playing for 45 years....I remember how hard this game really was back in the 70s...technology is a wonderful thing.

I am elated to not have to hit Apex 2 1 & 2 irons off the deck anymore.

I have gone full Senior Tour/LPGA. LOL

Driver, 2 fairway woods, 3 hybrids, 3 irons and 4 wedges. it's about getting the ball in the hole...and long irons are not the way to do that(personally speaking)...UNLESS you play this game for a living or you have the ability to practice for many, many hours a day, I believe most of us should go the hybrid direction.

I've recently came off shoulder injuries which have plagued me for 6+ years, and have lost some clubhead speed, so the days of over powering golf courses are over. It's dot to dot golf now. Helluva lot less stress, I'll tell you.

[Lastpick]

I say buy a couple of used hybrids at a place such as TGW and a couple of wedges.  I find the 60* wedge difficult for me to be consistent with.  Most importantly, go get a few lessons to help you understand the golf swing and how it affects ball flight patterns.  You should probably should get a lesson and talk to your teaching pro about additional club selection prior to investing in the wrong clubs.

[ItsaSandTrap]

I say buy a couple of used hybrids at a place such as TGW and a couple of wedges.

I found a used RBZ rescue 4 hybrid at Golf Galaxy for $29. For that price, just about anything is worth taking a flyer on, and if it turns out to not be something you'll use, you're only out a third of what it would have cost new. CL is great for getting some of that money back, too.

[joekelly]

Don't think the 60* will please you, OP.  At your skill level it is a difficult club to master. And, entirely un-needed.  I have a 52* and a 56* sand which totally satisfies my needs.  Why spend time working on clubs you might hit only once per round.  Sure, good players can't live without, but we sure can.

[Mac62]

As others have said, it all comes down to personal preference/what works for you.  I carry a 3 and 5 hybrid, use them often.  A friend of mine (around a 15 hcp) took his hybrids out of the bag because he hit wicked snap hooks with them.  His default shot shape is a slight draw and the hybrids were the only clubs in his bag that he hooked like that.  OTOH, he carries a 64 degree wedge and is deadly with it from about 75 yards in.  It's by far his favorite club in the bag.  I can't hit a 64 much further than about 40 yards and am so inconsistent with it that it's not worth having in my bag.  I either hit it fat and it goes 3 yards, or I thin it and a 40 yd shot becomes a 120 yd screamer which has people on the next tee box ducking for cover.

IMO, the best advice would be to demo the clubs if possible, or pick up some cheap used ones to see if/how they work for you before paying the big bucks for brand new clubs which you may quickly come to hate.  As in the example between my friend and I (and what others have said in the thread already), what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

[tomvk77]

i carry 3iron and a stronger lofted 3 hybrid in my bag. i will select the iron only when i need a lower trajectory or in heavy wind.

the hybrid is just easier to hit off the fairway you will get more distance out off a mishit with the hybrid.

[dave s]

As someone that's been playing for 45 years....I remember how hard this game really was back in the 70s...technology is a wonderful thing.

I am elated to not have to hit Apex 2 1 & 2 irons off the deck anymore.

I have gone full Senior Tour/LPGA. LOL

Driver, 2 fairway woods, 3 hybrids, 3 irons and 4 wedges. it's about getting the ball in the hole...and long irons are not the way to do that(personally speaking)...UNLESS you play this game for a living or you have the ability to practice for many, many hours a day, I believe most of us should go the hybrid direction.

I've recently came off shoulder injuries which have plagued me for 6+ years, and have lost some clubhead speed, so the days of over powering golf courses are over. It's dot to dot golf now. Helluva lot less stress, I'll tell you.

This answer (above) for sure.  Hybrids are one of the more recent tools that make hitting a golf ball EASIER.  The question is why would you NOT incorporate hybrids into the set.

My setup is similar to NuckandCup:  Driver, 3- and 5-woods, 4- and 5-hybrids, 6-9 iron, PW, GW, 54 and 58* wedges.  Works for me. Easy to hit.  All clubs have correct distance spacing as well.

dave

[WUTiger]

This answer (above) for sure.  Hybrids are one of the more recent tools that make hitting a golf ball EASIER.  The question is why would you NOT incorporate hybrids into the set.

Some golfers find higher-lofted FWs easier to hit than hybrids, or long irons. Some people feel they get more clout out of a 5 - 7 - 9W mix, than with hybrids.

I personally mix FWs and hybrids, though differently than dave s. I carry a 4W + 7W + 4H during warm weather, and swap out the 7W for a 3H in the fall, when winds are higher and rough thinner. (I find 7W works better than hybrid for exiting lush summer rough).