Brad Cursio: High-lofted clubs work better in tight lies

[Moecat]

http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20120420/OFFSIXTYEIGHT10/120417032

 

While on the lesson tee, I tend to begin by asking this question: “So what do you want to work on today?” I often cringe when I hear the answer: “I just can't seem to hit this 3 wood and hybrid!”

 

I say cringe because that's how my body is about to react when I walk over to their bag and take off head covers to inspect the loft of these fairway metals and hybrids. Generally, it's never a surprise. Pull off the head cover and unleash the enviable, low-lofted fairway metals and hybrids. My initial response is never with words, only with action. I go to my bag and take out my fairway metal and hybrid, which both are high in loft and BOTH very easy to hit.

 

Let's also get some terminology down. By now you have noticed me reference the 3 wood as a fairway metal. That is because fairway woods are no longer made of wood, persimmon or persimmon laminate. I know, everyone and their brother calls them 3 and 5 woods, but I would like to liberate our fellow ball smashers by referring to them in their evolved state as “fairway metals,” or, if you must, “metal woods.”

 

Now, the No. 1 reason these fairway metals are hard to hit has much to do with their loft. In my opinion, it's tough to hit low-lofted long clubs off of tight lies, like you would do for your second shot on par 5s and long par 4s. This is why I am a huge fan of high-lofted fairway metals like 7 woods and 9 woods. A standard 7 wood is about 22-23 degrees and a standard 9 wood is about 24-26 degrees. Compare that to 3 and 5 fairway metals that come in standard at 13-15 degrees for the 3 and 16-19 degrees for the 5. I know it might not be the “coolest” to carry a 7 or 9 metal wood, but neither is topping your second shot on every par 5 you play. Do yourself a favor: Sacrifice a little distance for loft and consistency. You might also be surprised when you hit the 7 farther than the 3 due to its accessibility off of tight lies.

 

Now onto hybrids. If I uncover another 15-19 degree hybrid from the bag of a golfer who has only been playing for two years, I am going to SCREAM! I believe the original hybrids were called “Rescues,” and there is nothing about a 17-degree club that is going to “rescue” you when your ball is nestled in the rough or sitting on a tight lie.

 

Low-lofted hybrids are “top machines” out of such lies. If you want to make rounds easier and more fun, I suggest higher-lofted hybrids, such as a 22-degree or like the one I use that is 24 degrees and has been bent to 25.5. I hit this hybrid a variety of distances, never less than 170 yards and never more than 190 yards. I feel confident stepping up to a tight lie or a ball sitting down in the rough with the high loft, because I know I can slip the face of the club under the ball and don't have to worry about thin shots or topping. I am willing to sacrifice a little distance to pick up some consistency and confidence.

 

I know what you're thinking. “What number iron will my hybrid replace?” Please don't go into panic mode. I would prefer you to think of your hybrid or fairway metal as a distance, not a club number or place holder in your golf bag. I think many times golfers get wrapped up in the symmetry of lofts in their golf bags, trying to have the perfect balance of loft separation in between clubs. For example, I see some golfers carrying a 52-, 56- and 60-degree wedge selection, purposely separating the wedges by four degrees of loft for symmetry. I feel golfers often try to do this with hybrids and metal woods because they're concerned with keeping a “balance of lofts” between club selections.

 

It's OK to have large variations in loft between clubs, if those lofts make the clubs easier to hit and the scores go down. As stated before, you might end up hitting a 4 hybrid farther than a 3 hybrid, or a 7 metal farther than a 3 metal. Again, this would be due to the clubs being higher in loft, making them more “user-friendly.”

 

Obviously, I am an advocate of high-lofted hybrids and fairway metals. Not only do I think it will help your game, but I know it has improved my own. I have carried the same 7 metal since the late '90s, and anyone who has ever played with me knows of its infamy and has witnessed some sweet shots with it. So, if you can identify with the problems described in this column, check your ego at the door, go try some high-lofted clubs and start having more fun on the course.

 

Keep it down the middle!

 

» Brad Cursio is the PGA Class A director of instruction at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch and can be reached at brad@montereybay

golfacademy.com or 831-915-0527.

[JMiller]

Great read, something that I completely agree with for a change.

[Phana24JG]

http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20120420/OFFSIXTYEIGHT10/120417032

 

....................It's OK to have large variations in loft between clubs, if those lofts make the clubs easier to hit and the scores go down. As stated before, you might end up hitting a 4 hybrid farther than a 3 hybrid, or a 7 metal farther than a 3 metal. Again, this would be due to the clubs being higher in loft, making them more “user-friendly.”

 

Obviously, I am an advocate of high-lofted hybrids and fairway metals. Not only do I think it will help your game, but I know it has improved my own. I have carried the same 7 metal since the late '90s, and anyone who has ever played with me knows of its infamy and has witnessed some sweet shots with it. So, if you can identify with the problems described in this column, check your ego at the door, go try some high-lofted clubs and start having more fun on the course.

 

Keep it down the middle!

 

» Brad Cursio is the PGA Class A director of instruction at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch and can be reached at brad@montereybay

golfacademy.com or 831-915-0527.

 

While the specifics of the article do not really apply to me, for some weird reason I do not hit hybrids well (while pounding the hybrid-like RBZ and Ping 4 irons ), I think the central idea of the article is excellent. What should be in your bag is what works best for YOU. What makes me cringe is when I see or hear golfers choosing clubs be it brand or style based on what is popular "on tour." What the f*** does what those guys have to do with me and 95% of the people who play this game? OK, there a few folks here who have tour quality swing speeds. However, they obviously do not have neither tour-like repeatabilty nor a tour quality iron/short game or they would not have handicaps.

 

When I hear someone recommending (especially a rep or salesman) a club because it is "hot on the Tour," my reply is that since I am nowhere near a tour quality golfer that is probably not for me. I recall last year playing with a relatively new golfer and this guy is walking around with 3K + of the finest equipment money can buy and he shot 55 for nine holes. He would take 3 minutes to select which wedge he was going to hit and proceed to chunk or thin it every time.

[Flv02]

Great article. I read this article before my round yesterday and laughed (I'm starting my third year of golf and carry a 19 degree hybrid haha .) Anyway, I thought about this article during my round yesterday. I was playing a par 5 and had 215 to the middle of the green on a tight lie in the fairway. It was a back pin, so usually I would take my 19 degree 3Hybrid which I hit around 225. I have had problems topping the ball on the same course with the 19 degree, so I took what you said and decided to use my 4 Hybrid, which is a 22 degree. Well, I did not top it, and it ended up pin high in the right rough. At my stage in golf, I will be happy with that ANYDAY. It seemed so easy and it dramatically increased my confidence throughout the round. Thanks for the article!

[Phana24JG]

Great article. I read this article before my round yesterday and laughed (I'm starting my third year of golf and carry a 19 degree hybrid haha .) Anyway, I thought about this article during my round yesterday. I was playing a par 5 and had 215 to the middle of the green on a tight lie in the fairway. It was a back pin, so usually I would take my 19 degree 3Hybrid which I hit around 225. I have had problems topping the ball on the same course with the 19 degree, so I took what you said and decided to use my 4 Hybrid, which is a 22 degree. Well, I did not top it, and it ended up pin high in the right rough. At my stage in golf, I will be happy with that ANYDAY. It seemed so easy and it dramatically increased my confidence throughout the round. Thanks for the article!

 

FLV, it is all about results. If you have trouble hitting the 3 hybrid, why keep in your bag, unless you have success with it off the tee. One of the courses I play has a very tight par-5 that I have decided does not warrant the driver. Since I rarely had the opportunity to hit the green in two, and was frequently forced to hit a rescue shot from tough fairway bunker, behind "my tree" or some equally ugly scenario, I realized that two five irons left me with a very nice approach shot. Is it weird hitting four or five iron off the tee on a par 5?? Damn right, but I would rather appear weird than have to enter a 6 or worse on a birdie hole.

[Flv02]

FLV, it is all about results. If you have trouble hitting the 3 hybrid, why keep in your bag, unless you have success with it off the tee. One of the courses I play has a very tight par-5 that I have decided does not warrant the driver. Since I rarely had the opportunity to hit the green in two, and was frequently forced to hit a rescue shot from tough fairway bunker, behind "my tree" or some equally ugly scenario, I realized that two five irons left me with a very nice approach shot. Is it weird hitting four or five iron off the tee on a par 5?? Damn right, but I would rather appear weird than have to enter a 6 or worse on a birdie hole.

 

I agree and that is something I have learned now that I have had some experience under my belt. The same thing would happen to me on an uphill reachable par-4 on one of my favorite courses. I used to always go for the green and get into trouble on the right. I actually hit an 8 iron off the tee (which felt EXTREMELY weird) and 2 putt for par. Again, I'm still learning. I just love being able to read an article on the forum that opens my eyes to different things I haven't tried yet.

[Tyk]

Mr. Cursio: When your student asks you how to hit a 3-wood, they probably want to know how to properly hit a 3-wood, not how to go buy what you hit.

 

I think everyone knows that as the lofts decrease the shot gets more difficult and results are less consistent. That is why hybrids were invented in the first place, to replace low lofted, hard to hit irons. Instead of teaching a student that they shouldn't try to learn to hit a club or a shot, why not teach them how to hit it and also teach them a little course management so they know when and more importantly when NOT to attempt it?

[Shambles]

I disagree with much of this article.

 

The reason higher lofted woods, be they persimmon or metal, work better on tight lies is because they can be swung more steeply and therefore you have a better chance of getting at the ball rather than on the ground behind it and bouncing the flange over the ball or on top of the ball. The same holds true for irons. The steeper swings allowed by higher lofted clubs give a less skilled player a better chance of applying the face of the club to the ball.

 

Every club has a role to play and, in reality, more than one if the player gets to know the club better and his personal weaknesses. Fairways and hybrids, even the higher lofted ones, are chancy choices when the ball lies in broad leafed grass deep enough to interfere with the approach of the club face. It's not impossible, but if your skill level is not all that high you will enjoy more success by choosing the iron regardless that the green is far away. You will more often be able to send the ball to a friendlier location than topping it and needing to try again still in the tall grass. That's because players don't always appreciate how steep a swing they need to apply to be able to cut through that broad leafed grass and that grass can actually make a wood or a hybrid float over the ball or on it. Again, because of the large flange on woods.

 

Many conditions in tall grass allow the use of lower lofted clubs and fairways, but there are limits to everything. Knowing your objective is to apply the face of the club to the ball before the flange of that club hits the ground will help you make a better decision as to which club to choose. There is nothing automatic in Golf and choosing a club that your plan can handle needs very clear thinking and a very realistic assessment of your personal skill level.

 

Bag composition is more important these days when club availability is so prolific. Every type of club has a preferred use and conditions where they work more easily. If your ambition is to explore your limits, you need to examine and truly try every club type in as many conditions as possible and do the painful thing. You really need to keep looking when you screw up a shot. There are lessons to be learned there and you can learn them later when you have the time and solitude to think it through carefully. If you are new to self analysis you will probably be wrong many times about what your mistake was and what the solution should be. However, all beginnings are clumsy, like in learning to walk. Keep at it and it becomes easier to be right.

 

 

Shambles