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I am new to forum. Ive been playing golf for 6 years and have watched to ton of the golf channel academy plus have googled golf instruction big time. For the most part the techniques have NOT been contradictory except -Hitting a Hybrid about half say you should not hit down like a iron but sweep like a wood. The other half say hit down like a iron one even says 3.5 negative degrees. What do you all think. My mid to long fairway is the worst part of my game for sure. 

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Play it like a long iron.  Place it a bit forward in your stance, off the logo of your shirt or your left ear, and swing smoothly.    Allow me to rephrase that, as I'm sure others will chime in with a different way.....that's how I play them and it works well for me.

Edit:  Don't try to kill them.  Swing the club rather than hit the ball.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite  TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright

Wedges: Edison 53* and  57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright

Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft

Ball:  Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

My Photography can be seen at Smugmug

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I remember the very first TaylorMade FireSole Rescue.

It was a copper orange color, had a titanium head with a rail sole, and the very best way to play it was to leave it in the trunk.

Then I tried Cleveland Halos which were a little bit better but not much. For me, anyway.

Eventually I discovered that while hybrids were a godsend for some, in my case, they were an answer to a question never asked.

 

Curiously, I had better luck with utility driving irons..

PRGR made an excellent one early on, and then Dunlop made a blatant knockoff of it for a lot less money.

The Mizuno Fli Hi II could have stayed in my bag forever, but I wanted a touch more loft as I got older.

Now I've got an Epon.   I also got a couple of matching fairway long irons, but that was an expensive and stupid  mistake on my part.

From the tee, driving irons really take the fear out of tight driving holes if you hit them well.

Hybrids, on the other hand, are great for those who hit them better than long irons or high loft woods.

That didn't turn out to be me. 

 

 

 

Louisville Golf Persimmon___2, 4, 5, 7-woods;    Epon AF-906___driving iron;   Titleist T100 5, 6, 7, 8, 9-irons; 

Titleist T100S___48°;     Edison 2.0___53º;     Titleist SM-9 (T)___58º;   Tad Moore Otto Hackbarth___putter;   

Titleist Pro V1x___ball

 

 

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1 hour ago, 9 holes is enough for me said:

thanks for replies but I do not have any irons lower than a 6 just hybrid 3 4 5 and 3 wood . still looking for answer to my question on how many degrees I should hit hybrid down or sweep like a wood. I am a mid-high handicapper and having trouble getting good loft on anything under a 7. Thanks 

Unless the ball is teed up, you should hit down on it like you would your 6 -7 irons. Personally, there is not a direct answer to your question. You can't go by the degrees on the club, it depends on how the ball is sitting. On a tee, don't hit down. In the fairway, hit down like your 6-7 iron.

Driver: :titelist-small: TSI3 - 10*, Hzrdus Smoke 6.0 Stiff

Driver: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus - 10.5*, Oban Kiyoshi Purple O4Flex-65 Grams Purred
3 Wood: :taylormade-small: SIM - 15*, Graphite Design Tour AD DJ5 Stiff
Hybrid: :titelist-small: TS3 - 19*, Hzrdus Smoke 6.0 Stiff
Irons: :titelist-small:  5 - PW T150, with Nippon Zelos 7 Reg, 4 iron - U505 with Project X HZRDUS Black Stiff

Wedges: :titelist-small: Vokey SM 8 - 50*, 60* Standard Wedge Shafts

Wedge: :taylormade-small: Milled Grind 3 MG3 56* S200 shaft

Putter:  :scotty-cameron-1: Studio Select Newport 1.5        
Putter:  :scotty-cameron-1: Phantom X 5.5
Ball: :titelist-small: Pro V1x

 

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1 hour ago, Riverboat said:

Sounds like you would have trouble with an iron swing if you can't get launch on anything longer than a 7, so I would try to sweep them like fairway woods. If that doesn't work, they may not work for you... either check out other hybrids or go the 7, 9, 11 wood route. 

Definitely nothing wrong with the 7, 9, and maybe even 11 wood route.  I have played 7 and 9 woods often over the years.

WITB:

Taylormade SIM2 Max 9° w/ UST ProForce V2 5F3 @ 45"

Callaway Epic Speed 4wd w/ AccuFLEX Evolution Reg

Dynacraft Genesis 3 hybrid w/ Steelfiber i95r

Srixon ZX5 4-6 and ZX7 7-GW w/ UST Recoil 95 F4 soft stepped once

Cleveland RTX Zipcore 54/10 w/ Recoil 95 F4 shaft

Cleveland RTX-4 58/03 w/ Recoil 95 F4 9i shaft

Odyssey SL EXO Marxman

Pondering:

Nothing at the moment

In the locker:

Too much to list

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2 hours ago, 9 holes is enough for me said:

thanks for replies but I do not have any irons lower than a 6 just hybrid 3 4 5 and 3 wood . still looking for answer to my question on how many degrees I should hit hybrid down or sweep like a wood. I am a mid-high handicapper and having trouble getting good loft on anything under a 7. Thanks 

Let's say 3.5 - 4 degrees down; bur you also need to realize that most players actually hit down with a wood as well.    I'm assuming that you are on a launch monitor measuring this so it is probably just better to work on launch angle to get better at hitting the club.  

https://blog.trackmangolf.com/trackman-average-tour-stats/

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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I think the best answer to your question is to experiment. Take a hybrid to the range and try different ball positions. Middle of the stance will encourage a slightly downward strike. Putting the ball closer to your front foot will encourage a sweeping strike.

As mentioned above, some hybrids respond better to a downward strike. Some perform better when you sweep it. So much depends on the design of the hybrid. If you hit fairway woods well off the turf, you may be better off sweeping hybrids. If you take a divot with your longer irons, you may hit hybrids better with a downward strife IF the hybrid is designed for that. In general, smaller headed hybrids respond better to a downward strike and large headed hybrids are good for sweepers.

Bottom line:  find a hybrid that suits your swing. Don’t try to change your swing to suit the hybrid. 

14 of the following:

Ping G430 Max 10.5 degree

Callaway 2023 Big Bertha 3 wood set to 17 degrees

Cobra F9 Speedback 7/8 wood set at 23.5 degrees

Callaway Epic Max 11 wood

Ping Eye 2 BeCu 2-SW

Mizuno 923 JPX HM HL 6-GW

Hogan sand wedge 56 degree bent to 53

Maltby M Series+ 54 degree

Ping Glide 3.0 Eye2 58 degree

Ping Glide 3.0 60 degree

Evnroll ER2

Ping Sigma 2 Anser

Cheap Top Flite mallet putter from Dick's, currently holding down first place in the bag

TaylorMade Mini Spider

Bridgestone XS

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As previously stated, its sort of situation specific. But for the most part my 3h i hit more like a fairway and my 5h more like and iron. At least thats my swing thought. Im not a great hybrid player, but its still more consistent than a 3i or 5i for me. 

Mavrik Max Driver

M2 5W

818 hybrids

Steelhead XR Irons

ZipCore wedges

SeeMore PR M7X

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I have a tendency to hit hybrids with a sweeping strike or slightly down on them. However, it really depends on your swing and the hybrid. There are no solid rules in golf that one must swing up or down with any club. Sure, hitting down on the driver may not give optimal results but it can be done. Hitting up or down on a hybrid will give you different results and different situations may require different types of strikes. Off the tee vs. off the fairway into a green are two different situations. Off the tee you may be going for distance and want to strike the ball in a way that maximizes distance while going for the green may necessitate a higher trajectory or higher spinning shot to hold the green. So it really just depends on the shot at hand and as noted above, you just have to experiment a little. 

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Generally speaking I found that there are 2 types of hybrids, smaller heads more like a driving iron and larger heads more like a fairway wood and they are each more successful when swung like their counterparts.  It took me a long time to find hybrids that I could consistently hit well, most were snap hook or worm burners, but once I found my current gamers which I swing down on like irons they have been great and far easier than a 3 or 4 iron to hit into greens.

 

  • Driver-  Ping G410 Plus 9*
  • Fairway- Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 3 Wood 16.5*
  • Hybrid- Tour Edge Hot Launch C521 19* & 22* 
  • Irons-PXG 0211 DC, 5-GW
  • Wedges-  Sub70 286 54* & Sub70 JB 58*
  • Putter- Ping Sigma G Tyne (Superstroke grip)
  • Ball- Snell MTB-X Maxfli Tour X
  • Grips- Golf Pride CP2 Wrap Midsize
  • Bag- Ping Hoofer USA Edition 
  • Arccos 
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thanks for replies. They say hybrids are easier to hit for the mid-high handicapper and can get more loft. Like a few of you said I would probably struggle with a low iron. I struggle with the ball position forward of center. Will have more questions and start a new topic sometime on something else but if any of you have any sayings about compressing the ball please let me know . Like for example hitting a long distance out of a fairway bunker "Stand tall top of the ball" that works. Or Gary player in a greenside bunker "light a match"  I need one like that for compression on the fairway. 

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On 8/29/2021 at 11:44 AM, CarlH said:

Swing the club rather than hit the ball.

This tip single handedly removed 3 strokes off my handicap. 

But for the question asked, I hit my hybrids more like a wood.  Usually forward in stance and not hitting down on it.  Never come close to taking any earth up when swinging.

Driver: :callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub-Zero  Project X HZRDUS Smoke

3 Wood: image.jpeg.693c1038c87ba93f656427286d5ff6c6.jpeg M6 UST Mamiya Proforce V2

3 Hybrid: image.jpeg.693c1038c87ba93f656427286d5ff6c6.jpeg M6 UST Mamiya Proforce V2

4 Hybrid : image.jpeg.693c1038c87ba93f656427286d5ff6c6.jpeg M4 Stock Stiff Shaft

Irons: image.jpeg.693c1038c87ba93f656427286d5ff6c6.jpeg P790 (5I-AW) - 2 deg strong - Nippon Modus3 105 Gram/Stiff 

60 Degree Wedge: :titelist-small: Vokey SM7 - AMT Black/Stiff

54 Degree Wedge: :cleveland-small: RTX Zip Core

Putter: :ping-small:  Sigma G Tyne Putter

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x

Tracked by: :Arccos:

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10 minutes ago, den748 said:

This tip single handedly removed 3 strokes off my handicap. 

But for the question asked, I hit my hybrids more like a wood.  Usually forward in stance and not hitting down on it.  Never come close to taking any earth up when swinging.

Have you been on a launch monitor to confirm you aren’t swinging down?   Having the low point above the ground doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t swinging down.  

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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1 minute ago, cnosil said:

Have you been on a launch monitor to confirm you aren’t swinging down?   Having the low point above the ground doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t swinging down.  

I am not.  So it is certainly a possibility.  I just feel the same and set up the same as I do with my 3 wood.  I also have a very high ball flight which I think is due to me swinging up/setting up too far forward in my stance (or one of a million other things wrong with my swing)

Driver: :callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub-Zero  Project X HZRDUS Smoke

3 Wood: image.jpeg.693c1038c87ba93f656427286d5ff6c6.jpeg M6 UST Mamiya Proforce V2

3 Hybrid: image.jpeg.693c1038c87ba93f656427286d5ff6c6.jpeg M6 UST Mamiya Proforce V2

4 Hybrid : image.jpeg.693c1038c87ba93f656427286d5ff6c6.jpeg M4 Stock Stiff Shaft

Irons: image.jpeg.693c1038c87ba93f656427286d5ff6c6.jpeg P790 (5I-AW) - 2 deg strong - Nippon Modus3 105 Gram/Stiff 

60 Degree Wedge: :titelist-small: Vokey SM7 - AMT Black/Stiff

54 Degree Wedge: :cleveland-small: RTX Zip Core

Putter: :ping-small:  Sigma G Tyne Putter

Ball: :titelist-small: ProV1x

Tracked by: :Arccos:

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14 hours ago, 9 holes is enough for me said:

They say hybrids are easier to hit for the mid-high handicapper and can get more loft.

Generally speaking, the bigger the club head, the more forgiving it can be. With hybrids, you get a much larger clubhead than with an iron. This generally means that club designers will pull the center of gravity (COG) back and lower to promote higher launch and use more perimeter weighting on the edge (on an already wider club) to have a much higher MOI than a normal iron. The key thing with forgiving clubs is that they just aren't for higher handicaps, everyone can benefit from additional forgiveness. However, not everyone needs an ultra high launching hybrid, so that is why you see hybrids in every size from a driving iron to near fairway wood size. It's just a matter of finding what works best for you. I will say the key phrase is "what works best" because it's rather rare that a club absolutely doesn't work for someone unless you're using a senior flex shaft and swinging fast enough to hit a 300 yard drive. 

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I understand that long irons have always been the most difficult clubs to hit consistently well.

My question is this:

What makes hybrids preferable to, say, seven and nine woods?

I have 21 and 25º metalwoods that are very effective [except that I can't keep them down in wind]. 

 

Louisville Golf Persimmon___2, 4, 5, 7-woods;    Epon AF-906___driving iron;   Titleist T100 5, 6, 7, 8, 9-irons; 

Titleist T100S___48°;     Edison 2.0___53º;     Titleist SM-9 (T)___58º;   Tad Moore Otto Hackbarth___putter;   

Titleist Pro V1x___ball

 

 

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10 minutes ago, BostonSal said:

I understand that long irons have always been the most difficult clubs to hit consistently well.

My question is this:

What makes hybrids preferable to, say, seven and nine woods?

I have 21 and 25º metalwoods that are very effective [except that I can't keep them down in wind]. 

 

I think it comes to personal preference and which one, hybrid or 7 wood you're most comfortable hitting.  I've always used hybrids but hit a guys heavenwood (7 wood) a couple times last round and am rethinking it now.  going to pick up a mavrik 7 wood and see how it goes.    

TM Sim2 Max  10.5

Ping G410 5 wood

Ping G410 7 & 9 woods 

PXG Gen 5 0311P  5-gap

PXG forged 54 & 58 wedges

PXG Operator H w/ BGT Stability shaft

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37 minutes ago, Larryd3 said:

I think it comes to personal preference and which one, hybrid or 7 wood you're most comfortable hitting.  I've always used hybrids but hit a guys heavenwood (7 wood) a couple times last round and am rethinking it now.  going to pick up a mavrik 7 wood and see how it goes.    

It's great to have multiple choices at that end of the bag. I'm a Heavenwood fan, and have been for years. I play one of those over a hybrid, as I never really found one that I got along with. I will also say that my swing has improved since my last hybrid attempts, so there's that to keep in mind. But no matter what, the option of going wood/hybrid/iron/driving iron in the longer clubs opens up a lot of options. 

In my  :wilson_staff_small:  carry bag:
:mizuno-small: ST-X 10.5* Kai'li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 15* Kai/li Blue R Flex
:mizuno-small: ST-Z 4h Linq Blue R Flex
:cleveland-small: Launcher 5h
:cleveland-small: Launcher CBX 6i-PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 54* & 58*
:cleveland-small: Huntington Beach #10
:bridgestone-small: e12 Contact
CURRENTLY TESTING - Mizuno Long Game

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1 hour ago, BostonSal said:

I understand that long irons have always been the most difficult clubs to hit consistently well.

My question is this:

What makes hybrids preferable to, say, seven and nine woods?

I have 21 and 25º metalwoods that are very effective [except that I can't keep them down in wind]. 

 

Comparable irons, hybrids, and woods have different characteristics.   Generally Irons launch lower, fairway woods launch higher.   Spin characteristics are different as well.    You also have to look at how well you hit the different clubs in differing lies.   Which works best in long rough?  How about wind; which you mentioned.   
 

selecting any club for you bag is about fulfilling a purpose….distance, launch, spin, etc.

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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On 8/29/2021 at 4:34 PM, 9 holes is enough for me said:

Hitting a Hybrid about half say you should not hit down like a iron but sweep like a wood. The other half say hit down like a iron one even says 3.5 negative degrees. What do you all think. 

I've found my best consistency with my 5 Hybrid (that gaps with from my 5 iron to my u510) with placing it in just slightly forward of my stance and approaching it like an iron. The only time I ever feel the sensation of "sweeping" the club is hitting it off of the tee. 

If I'm in two minds about hitting the hybrid and I end up topping it, I tend to fix this by moving the ball back in my stance as it shows I'm releasing way too early and trying to sweep it too much. Try hitting the ball in the middle of your stance with your hybrid the next time you're at the range and work your way forward to find the best position for you!

  • Driver: Cobra RadSpeed XB
  • Woods: Wilson FG Tour 3 Wood 
  • Hybrid: Wilson D350 Hybrid
  • Optional Utility: Titleist U510 4 Iron
  • Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour - Black Pearl/Ping Eye 2 BeCu's (Red Dot)
  • Wedges: Cleveland Tour Action - 53* - Cleveland Byron Nelson BeCu Wedges - 56*, 60*
  • Putter: Cleveland Smart Square - EVNRoll Gravity Grip
  • Ball: Honma D1
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