Giving hybrids one more shot...

[Mr_Theoo]

 

Just picked up this SLDR hybrid head for $40. I have had issues with hybrids for quite sometime. I have moments where I can smoke them and others where I just top it and drive in 3 feet underground, but I figured for 40 bucks why not. If this one doesn't work I'm buying a 3 iron lol

[markb]

I'm trying out a Jetspeed hybrid 3 for the first time myself.   Hoping to replace my 5 wood and 3 iron with a club that will do the jobs of both.   It's sorta working out.   I can hit it more consistently now than at the start, it goes the same distance as the others.   But the trajectory is lowish, backspin nil.   I can hit it off the grass and rough, where I had a hard time with the 3 iron.  We'll see

[BIG STU]

Well if the hybrid experiment does not go well which I hope it does go well for you here is another suggestion. Try a 7 wood and/or a 9 wood I carry both. I have tried several hybrids and like you I cannot get consistant enough with them to have any confidence. I have had the 7 wood in the bag going on 8 years now. Recently a friend on another blog gave me a 9 wood to match the 7 wood. I actually blueprinted it with the same shaft and head weight as the 7 wood and it works great for me. FYI the 7 wood is 21* and the 9 wood is 24*

[Mr_Theoo]

Well if the hybrid experiment does not go well which I hope it does go well for you here is another suggestion. Try a 7 wood and/or a 9 wood I carry both. I have tried several hybrids and like you I cannot get consistant enough with them to have any confidence. I have had the 7 wood in the bag going on 8 years now. Recently a friend on another blog gave me a 9 wood to match the 7 wood. I actually blueprinted it with the same shaft and head weight as the 7 wood and it works great for me. FYI the 7 wood is 21* and the 9 wood is 24*

 

That may be my next move if it doesn't work. I'm partial to irons because for me when I catch it thin it at least goes towards my target lol

[Severtheties]

SLDR 3 Hybrid.jpg

 

Just picked up this SLDR hybrid head for $40. I have had issues with hybrids for quite sometime. I have moments where I can smoke them and others where I just top it and drive in 3 feet underground, but I figured for 40 bucks why not. If this one doesn't work I'm buying a 3 iron lol

 

I've tried hybrids and I just can't do it. I also hit a 3 iron pretty well though so I also don't have a ton of need.

[Kenny B]

Well if the hybrid experiment does not go well which I hope it does go well for you here is another suggestion. Try a 7 wood and/or a 9 wood I carry both. I have tried several hybrids and like you I cannot get consistant enough with them to have any confidence. I have had the 7 wood in the bag going on 8 years now. Recently a friend on another blog gave me a 9 wood to match the 7 wood. I actually blueprinted it with the same shaft and head weight as the 7 wood and it works great for me. FYI the 7 wood is 21* and the 9 wood is 24*

 

Stu,

I'm in the process of changing out my long clubs and want to go your route.  Currently have RBZ 3W, 3H, and 5H.  Before I got the RBZ, I could not hit a 3W.  Carried a 5W instead; I have always hit FW better than long hybrids.   I'm thinking a 17* 4W and a 7W might be a nice combo.  The 5H is gold, but the 3H is just OK.  I usually just use it for long par3's when yardage is right.  

 

I'm looking for used heads now, but don't know if I should get the RBZ or try something else.  What's a good 7W head?

[Mr_Theoo]

Stu,

I'm in the process of changing out my long clubs and want to go your route. Currently have RBZ 3W, 3H, and 5H. Before I got the RBZ, I could not hit a 3W. Carried a 5W instead; I have always hit FW better than long hybrids. I'm thinking a 17* 4W and a 7W might be a nice combo. The 5H is gold, but the 3H is just OK. I usually just use it for long par3's when yardage is right.

 

I'm looking for used heads now, but don't know if I should get the RBZ or try something else. What's a good 7W head?

I know Cally makes a 7 wood in the Bertha V series

[Kenny B]

I know Cally makes a 7 wood in the Bertha V series

 

I remember when they came out with the original Big Bertha driver and you could also get a "Heavenwood".  I bought the driver; haven't owned a Callaway since.  Not a good club for me.  I have tried them at my fitting a couple of years ago and they still didn't work for me.  I didn't like them waaay before I joined MGS!      I was looking for a good cheap used club to see if it will improve my long game.  If it does, then I might consider something new unless the used is just awesome.  I am willing to reshaft it.  It seems that most 7W's on the Bay are women's flex, so I might get one and pull the shaft.

[PlaidJacket]

I carry two HB's in my bag today. An old TN 3 Rescue and a 4-year old Cobra 4 HB. I bought them back in my OTR days. I also carry a 4i. I'm going to see my fitter in March for a new Driver. AT that time we're going to look into a new hybrid or two that actually fits me. I might get a 3w perhaps. Depends. I don't hit my 4i much. My course is fairly short at 6560' from the tips. I'm really thinking about a 3w and a 4hb but we'll see what shakes out in the fitting.

I'll tell ya. And it's been a real eye-opener for me lately. My driver distance is really short. I've been keeping accurate records the last few rounds and I'm olnly averaging 230!!! Carry and Roll. Good grief. And... it's winter with a lot of roll. I've been all over the club-face recently too. But... when summer comes and green grass I'm a dead man. BTW... I'm using the SLDR I reviewed last summer with the other guys here. Hopefully a new fitted driver will help me some. Better. LOL

[markb]

My 5 wood is a 5HL at 21 degrees, so it's essentially a 7 wood.  It goes 235 and VERY high trajectory and will stop.   This is great for shots when I have to get over a hazard at 220 and stay on a green -- a shot that comes up maybe once maybe every 5 rounds.   But it's not good for a must hit fairway tee shot or a shot when any wind is blowing, cause it can balloon or drift anywhere.   I find I use my 3 iron off the tee far more frequently, but the 3 iron is useless off the turf.   Can't get it up, can't make good contact.   Like Theo says, the 3iron will go straight and not drift, the 3H has a tendency to drift.   So far no perfect solution has presented itself.

[RookieBlue7]

I love my hybrids. One thing I'll say to make sure to do that people that usually struggle with hybrids don't do is the following. Don't play it like a fairway wood. Don't play it forward and swing flatter like you would a fairway. Swing it like what it's replacing, ie an iron. Play it more toward the middle of the stance and hit down on it like you would an iron. Iron swing for an iron replacement.

[Mr_Theoo]

Do you think I should cut the shafts down to match my iron lengths since they are iron replacements?

[jbil8802]

I just encountered this during my fitting. I love my hybrids but they go 20 yards further than my 5 iron. It was my first time on a launch monitor and I never paid attention to the shaft length only the loft so my fitter suggested more gap testing to make sure I'm on the right track.

[sp0rtsfan86]

Do you think I should cut the shafts down to match my iron lengths since they are iron replacements?

 

I just encountered this during my fitting. I love my hybrids but they go 20 yards further than my 5 iron. It was my first time on a launch monitor and I never paid attention to the shaft length only the loft so my fitter suggested more gap testing to make sure I'm on the right track.

Totally agree. Go to a fitter and see how the distance gap is. Shaft length and degrees mean nothing if you're hitting it 40 yards passed the club before it or only 5 yards more.

[westy]

I'm sure some of the problems people have with hybrids is the shaft length, they encourage people (myself included) to let the ball drift to far forward in the stance.

 

With a stock shaft Id always find myself choking down an inch when I was striking them well. With the RBZ stage 2 that was certainly the case.

 

I've got an Adams super XTD in the bag at the moment and even the white tie in that is a bit long, so I'm choking down an inch and trying to get the ball to where a 4 iron would be in my stance.....

 

If your going down the fairway route, then why not copy Miguel angel Jiminez? He's got a ping g30 7 wood in the bag, seems to work rather well.....

[Kenny B]

When I was fitted, my longest iron was a 5i and my next club to fit the gap was a 5H, not the 4H.  

 

I would also make sure that cutting down the shaft doesn't adversely affect your lie angle.

[BK in TEXAS]

Do you think I should cut the shafts down to match my iron lengths since they are iron replacements?

I did.  Mostly because I'm better with irons than woods.  The shorter length makes it feel more like an iron.  I'm also more consistent with shorter clubs in general, so shortening it to iron length was a no-brainer......for me. 

 

My suggestion....play it the length you are most comfortable and consistent with......find the distance.....then add/remove/bend your irons accordingly.

[jbil8802]

I was able to hit a Mizuno JPX Fli Hi hybrid during my fitting. Super easy to hit. What I liked most was that if I decide to get them they'll have the same shaft as my irons and can be bent upright to match my iron specs. The shaft also won't be 2" longer than my 5 iron. I haven't decided on them yet but I think they might fill my gaps better and I might get better results if they match my irons.

[BIG STU]

Kenny my 7 wood and 9 wood are both old TMAG V  Steels. From what I understand on other blogs they have a cult like following and I can see why. Another good 7 wood head is the Older Cally Steelhead design I do not think they called it the Heavenwood then. Even the clone version of those heads are pretty good. At one time I had a Titleist 7 wood and forgot the model in fact the old V-Steel replaced it and I sold it. There are plenty out there cheap especially as someone mentioned with ladies shafts.

[mr_divots]

Really, I don't know how people could be consistent with most stock setups in hybrids. The practice of using a 65 gram shaft in driver, fw, and hybrids for the OEM's is something I desperately wish they'd stop. How can you be consistent when your irons are anywhere from 85 to 130 gram shafts, and suddenly, you jumpt to an overlength 65 gram shaft? Not surprising many struggle with them.

[Kenny B]

I suppose it depends on what you have.  I don't feel like the swing weight between my irons and hybrids is all that different, but I'm playing graphite in my irons.

[wbealsd]

Really, I don't know how people could be consistent with most stock setups in hybrids. The practice of using a 65 gram shaft in driver, fw, and hybrids for the OEM's is something I desperately wish they'd stop. How can you be consistent when your irons are anywhere from 85 to 130 gram shafts, and suddenly, you jumpt to an overlength 65 gram shaft? Not surprising many struggle with them.

It took me a long time and a lot of experimentation for me to add a hybrid and I've got a 92g shaft in my 2h.  I think you're right on the OEM shafts, if they're too light or too long, people will try swinging them like fairway woods and not get the full benefit of the club.

[mr_divots]

It took me a long time and a lot of experimentation for me to add a hybrid and I've got a 92g shaft in my 2h.  I think you're right on the OEM shafts, if they're too light or too long, people will try swinging them like fairway woods and not get the full benefit of the club.

Yeah, weight and tempo are so intertwined. I think peoples' tempo gets goofed up with the difference in static weight between their longest iron and the hybrid. I like a little lighter in the hybrid, but still want it to feel much like an iron.

[Dhuck Whooker]

SLDR 3 Hybrid.jpg

 

Just picked up this SLDR hybrid head for $40. I have had issues with hybrids for quite sometime. I have moments where I can smoke them and others where I just top it and drive in 3 feet underground, but I figured for 40 bucks why not. If this one doesn't work I'm buying a 3 iron lol

I bought the same club for the same price, it was a demo, late last season, used a couple of times,  well, I got 4 hybrids now, all of them live in the kid's bag.  Like the wrench though.

 

Got a graphite iron shaft for my 3 iron and put it together in November.   Have been hitting it well in the dreaded dome of doom.  Maybe one day I will get to play golf outside a try it.  If I can get 210-220 out of it, that will work.

 

I found a old TM 5 wood at Salvation Army for $3, with an X-stiff bubble shaft, it worked better than any hybrid I have tried.

[Undershooter]

You could always go with a hybrid with the same shaft as your irons. Or the lighter version of that shaft. I think it would've helped me if the hybrid shafts were steel. I just never could get used to them.

[MattF]

I'm using the same shafts in my hybrids that I'm using in my irons as well as the same length as the irons they replace because they're iron replacements, so far so good.

[jpcgolf]

I'm trying out a Jetspeed hybrid 3 for the first time myself.   Hoping to replace my 5 wood and 3 iron with a club that will do the jobs of both.   It's sorta working out.   I can hit it more consistently now than at the start, it goes the same distance as the others.   But the trajectory is lowish, backspin nil.   I can hit it off the grass and rough, where I had a hard time with the 3 iron.  We'll see

I have the jetspeed hybrid and it is pretty good, but like you said, it is pretty low spinning.

[mbrodeur86]

I replaced my 5 wood with a 3 hybrid and I know most people recommend hitting them like a 7 iron but I really try to hit it lie a fairway wood. My hybrid is also a beast! I might even take my 4 iron out and replace it with a hybrid.

[Jmikecpa]

You could alway give something like an Adams DHY or Callaway UT a try if you struggle with hybrids. I carry one hybrid and replaced my 3 and 4 irons with DHYs. They are just easy to hit long irons with hybrid distance.

[Mr_Theoo]

You could alway give something like an Adams DHY or Callaway UT a try if you struggle with hybrids. I carry one hybrid and replaced my 3 and 4 irons with DHYs. They are just easy to hit long irons with hybrid distance.

I've considered that option too, and probably will go that route of this doesn't work. I hit the sldr hybrid today with mixed results. I think a shorter shaft will help