18* hybrid

I recently purchased on ebay an 18* Ram FX "recovery" hybrid for $25. I already own an inexpensive 22* hybrid, which I can hit 180 yards or so from the fairway.

I don't hit a really long ball off the tee. If I use my driver and am lucky enough to get a straight shot, my best drive is 250, but usually I'm short of that. Usually I use the 3W about 220 yards.

So I wanted a club that I might be able to hit 200 yards or so on the fairway, and I thought the 17* Ram hybrid might be it. So far, however, I'm finding I don't hit any farther with it than I do with the 22* hybrid: about 180.

So, unless this situation changes, I'll probably put the club back on ebay.

But it raises a more general question. Although I occasionally drive the ball 250 yards, more commonly I don't drive it much farther than I can hit it with the 3W. Seeing the same thing repeated with the different lofted hybrids, I'm wondering if, below a certain loft, you need a certain minimum (but faster than mine) club head speed to get any advantage out of lesser lofted clubs.

I've read in more than one source that many amateurs don't hit any farther with the driver than they do with the 3W, because they don't hit the ball hard enough to keep the ball in the air long enough to take advantage of the driver's lower trajectory. That tells me that people who swing below a certain speed probably shouldn't even carry a driver. Maybe the same thing is true for fairway clubs? Maybe 180 yards is my maximum fairway distance because when I use a less lofted club my swing isn't fast enough to give the ball sufficient flight time to go farther.

It seems that this would be worth knowing, and it also seems to me that the answer would be well known by now.

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Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

You're on to something here.

The average golfer - to maximise distance - should be hitting a driver of ~ 14º loft.

This is very well the reason why your 3W (probably 15º) goes as far as your 10º driver. If your swing speed is in the low 90's, that's when you'll witness the phenomenon you're describing.

The other thing that effects the driver distance is the kill it instinct. I don't know of anyone who grabs their 3 wood and tries to kill it. So you put a nice swing on it, and away it goes.

Then you put a tense swing on the driver, and the ball goes away.

It's a good point you make.

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True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

Of course, the place where they can measure your swing speed is very likely also a place where they'd love to sell you a nice expensive driver, so they're not likely to say, "93 mph... Don't bother getting a driver."

No, but they will tell you your launch angle. You are looking for a 14-15 degree launch angle. This will create the most distance for those craving extra yards.

What they can do for you is match a shaft and driver head up for you to get you to 14* with your driver. At this point, you will notice you are consistantly outhitting your 3 wood. Best advice, visit your local PCS http://www.proclubmakers.org/ and they will get you matched up properly for your swing.

Played 18 holes today and tried to test out the new hybrid when possible. On at least one occasion I did hit 200 yds with it on the fairway, maybe more than once. I found it a bit difficult to control--more slice-prone than my 22* hybrid. Presumably that's due to the lower loft. But I did get some good straight hits with it.

The Ram FX hybrid has a stainless steel head. This is good in one way because the weight of it cuts through the rough pretty well, as I found out. The feel at impact is not as pleasing as it is with my other hybrid; it's a bit more jarring for some reason.

The grip is cheesy and if I decide to keep it I'll want to change the grip.

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Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

I used to use a 12% driver and hit it 200 yards, where my 10.5% would only go 190 yards. My club speed is now a lot faster and drive through the ball instead of to the ball. My 12% goes 245 yards, My 10.5 Goes 250 yards. and I now use a 7.5% and it goes 270 yards.

Maybe I'll hold onto the 18* hybrid in the hope that I'll grow into it. I'll know I'm striking the ball better when I can consistently hit the ball farther with the 18* hybrid than with the 22* hybrid, and when I can consistently hit with the 3W farther than either.