I was out of golf for a while. Not to mean I didn’t play, but for a few years I didn’t play much and I wasn’t in a position to consider buying any clubs. But then I came back to the game I have loved for thirty years, and lo and behold, there was a new club kid on the block.

Hybrids.

What brought about the development of hybrids? Evidently like me, there are a lot of golfers who handle a two, three or four iron with fear and trepidation.  I have always done pretty well with my fairway woods, and I would rather use a fairway wood for a second shot on a par five, or an approach shot on a long par four than an iron. Hybrids feature the best characteristics of a long iron with the best characteristics of fairway woods. Club makers have differed in the characteristics they emphasize - you'll need to get  your hands on them to figure which are best for your game. Like all other clubs, there is a pretty wide range of prices between the various makers, which is also true for the designs.  Some are shaped like fairway woods but with a lower profile or not as deepfrom face to back. Some are shaped like irons, though they have perimeter weighting and a lower center of gravity, necessary for getting the ball up high enough to land softly on the green (or the bunker, water or fringe).  Some have the same kind of composite materials across the crown that drivers and fairway woods have had for a while, another strategy for getting the weight of the club lower behind the ball and increase backspin.  Some have adjustable weighting, allowing you to mechanically favor fade shots or draw shots.  And don’t forget the shafts!

One of the things I have noticed is in club sets.  Largely, if sets have one hybrid, the irons start with the five iron, but if they have two hybrids, the lowest iron is a six.

It’s enough to make your head spin, but the objective is simple.  These clubs are designed to help you lower your score, and for the average hacker, what reason could be better?