PRGR EGG Hybrid

[TwoSolitudes]

Today at lunch I was cruising through the local golf mall here (something I do weekly) and spotted something interesting in the corner of one of the new used shops.

 

It was a PRGR 4i+ EGG Hybrid! The grip was worn through but other than that it was in really nice shape. The club sells for 11000 baht (350 bucks) new so I was prepared to just put it away but I asked the price....I don't know if it was because the owners were out to lunch or just didn't know the club or what, but they asked for 3000 baht and settled for 2000 baht after I pointed out the grip issues. About 65 bucks US for a 300 dollar club. Sweet. It even had the original headcover. Bought it on the spot.

 

But what if it's a fake? PRGR clubs are rarely faked, but just to be sure I walked over to the PRGR shop to check it and ask about a new grip. It's for real. I picked up a Win Xi7 grip for it and will throw it on tonight. I'll post a few picks as well.

 

This is supposed to be one of the longest and most forgiving hybrids ever made. The 4i+ is 21* and will go up against my Cally FTiz 3H. Can't wait.

 

Full comparison review will follow as soon as I get the grip replaced.

 

Here are the specs from the website (http://www.prgr-golf.com/en/product/utility/Utility-egg-i-plus.html)

[fsav]

Great price and good luck with the club. BUT......You want to talk fugly this club is off the charts FUGLY! then again if it hits the ball straight for $65 sign me up.

[TwoSolitudes]

Pics with come comparisons to the FTiz.

 

 

 

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's unique, like an old Hibore on steroids, but up close it looks pretty cool.

[Firstkart]

Nice.

 

AJ

[GolfSpy WD]

I like it. Sounds like a fantastic deal too!

[Super Tuna]

Curses!

 

I'm trying to get my mitts on two of them now. The $350 per is the balking point plus the reshaft. If you happen to come across anymore I can make it worth your while

[Walkerjames]

I like the look of it. Nice find.

[TwoSolitudes]

Well, the good news is that the new grip is on and the club is ready to go! The bad news is I sliced open my finger with the hook knife while doing the work. Have to wait a few days before swinging.

 

Tuna, ill keep looking. If this one performs I'll want a 6+ (*25) as well and ill keep a look out for others for you. 65 bucks is a fluke, but they do turn up in great shape for under 200 occasionally. I'll let you know.

 

If it doesn't perform for me, Ill sell you this one.

[Amsterdamed]

65 bucks for a club like that. You lucky...

Sorry to hear about your finger though.

[GolfSpy WD]

Slicing open your hand with a hook knife is a right of passage

 

It's also a nice lesson to cut away from your body, I have a scar that reminds me of that every day

[TwoSolitudes]

Never cut towards yourself and you will never cut yourself- is exactly what my Mother used to tell me. And I was actually thinking exactly that when it happened.

 

Anyway I took a few few swings with the club this morning in comparison with the FTiz and came away unhappy. My hand still hurts and I really wasn't swinging anything very well so I may have just been trying to early. My expectation was that the Egg 4+ would get me more distance than my 3H, a higher trajectory and be more forgiving.

 

First impressions however are that the distance of the Egg 4+ is on par with the FTiz 3H. That makes sense since they are both 21* and both seem to be about the same length.

 

At address the Egg appears very a square without any offset- that is a striking difference to the FTiz. My favourite hybrid in terms of set up and accuracy is the Bobby Jones Players series - also square without offset, so I like looking down on the Egg.

 

The Egg also appears larger when you first look at it, though when you look at both carefully, I think the FTiz is actually a bigger headed club. The strange appearance of the Egg may just make it seem bigger.

 

The Egg also feels much lighter than the FTiz both holding and swinging. Swing weight is officially D0 on the Egg and D1 on the FTiz, doesn't sound like much difference, but I really feel it and I am not sure I like the swing weight that light. Putting on (carefully) an ultra-lite grip might be in order to get that head weight feel back up.

 

The sound and feel isn't really like a iron or a hybird. The face is fitted in margining steel. If you have never hit a club with a margining steel face you should try it. My irons have that and I find them super hot, but very constant across the face with a nice little click sound at impact. But while I find it blends nicely in an iron, the feel and sound is quite an adjustment on a hybrid. You are used to hearing the reassuring ting of the FTiz or even the nice thwack of something like the Bobby Jones Players to know you hit it well. The little click take some getting used to.

 

And finally I was bit uncertain about how to approach the swing with the Egg. Despite the big head shape, you start to forget about the big wing at the back and only see the topline. That makes me start to set up like I am making an iron shot, instead of my usual hybrid shot (which for me has the ball a bit further back and a bit more of a sweep than with an iron).

 

No conclusions yet. I will keep the bandage on my finger for a few more days and then try again when I am back in the groove with my other clubs.

[cycleguy55]

Your experience is a big reason why I blow off grips, though some of them can be damned difficult to remove with air, and you need to put a tube or a piece of pipe over them so they don't balloon.

[TwoSolitudes]

The End of the Egg

 

Well I gave it every possible opportunity, but in the end the simple truth was that it did not outperform the FT-iz. This is not to say it is a bad hybrid. It's not and in the right hands it can be a great hybrid, but it just didn't work for me. Maybe my expectations were just too high? (for the list price of this thing I was expecting something pretty special).

 

I could never get comfortable the feel. And the extremely low swing weight made my swing path feel uncertain. I should have been able to consistently swing faster, but the uncertainty actually made me slow down. As a result the major distance increase that was promised never materialized. The 4H was about the same as my current 4H despite the extra loft. Dispersion, distance and consistency were all better with the Callaway.

 

So I am very glad I didn't pay full price. But still very surprised at the results because the EGG Woods I have tried have been very very easy and very very long (and very very expensive!). I have also had great success with irons (Shuttles) and wedges (Niblicks) using a similar design and materials. You just never know......

 

Last weekend I was playing with it in the bag and found I was actually trying to avoid using it. Not a good sign. However the guy I was playing with was very excited about it and after hitting it a few times offered to trade me his Cobra Baffler T-Rail 5 wood and a box of ProV-1's.

 

I made the trade.

 

Farewell EGG.....