Hybrids.

I'm curious, who has a #1 hybrid in their bag ( 14-15 degree ) and what set up do you use with it, also advantages / disadvantages.

I used to play with a 16° Ashton Xbrid (until a buddy fell in love with it).

I prefered it to a 3 wood at the time, as my swing was (and still has a tendency to get) really steep.

The smaller footprint allowed for an iron-type swing (vs the sweeping style of a FW wood).

Now I play a Wishon 515GRT 3 wood (with a 78g nRAGE 'S') that I absolutely love. It jives well with my current swing.

I hit about 10 balls the other day with the Cobra Baffler PRO 1i (16*). I have never hit anything under 16* in a hybrid.

Had a great feel and control. The shorter shaft makes it a bit easier to make solid contact. I actually still tried to "pinch" it off the turf, which worked well. I could hit some nice fades with it. Got a bit hooky when trying to draw. All in all, a good replacement for a 4 or 5 wood. Not sure if I would take a 3 wood out of the bag for a hybrid.

I said in an earlier post, there are many pros ditching 5 woods and picking up these stronger lofted hybrids and pairing it with a strong 3 wood. Some of these guys hit a 17-18* hybrid 240 yards! What the heck do you need a 5 wood for?

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What's in my bag....
Cleveland VP 2 Blade Putter
Ping Tour Wedges, 54 & 60
TaylorMade rac LT2, 4i thru PW
Tour Edge Exotics Iron-Wood 21* 3i - Aldila NV 90 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 18* 5 Wood - ProLaunch Blue 75 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 15* 3 Wood - Aldila NV 75 Stiff Shaft
Cleveland HiBore XL 9.5* - Fujikura Fit-On Red Stiff Shaft

I have used hybrids for a few years and I love them. I will NEVER go back to traditional long irons.

To give you some idea: about a third of the pro's on the PGA Tour have a hybrid in their bag all the time and in some weeks about half of them use them.

They are generally easier to hit and much easier to control.
If there is anyone out there who is thinking about hybrids, stop thinking and get some!

hi teachingpro
nice to see you back
one question where should ball position be with hybrids?
i have cobra 4r and 5r bafflers and seem to hook a lot of shots playing from middle of stance

It's good to be back!

I think the ball position for long iron hybrids should be the same as long irons, they're designed that way. Try moving the ball position forward a little, it may help you get through the impact zone a little squarer.

I have a 2 iron hybrid, I guess it would be close to the same use. Of the tee on some par 4's, punch out of trees, great for keeping the ball low and still get some decent yardage. Used to carry a 2 iron for a while, I really liked it for the simple reason that I found it gave me great feedback on my swing swing.

Does a hybrid hit further than a long iron with the same loft? My question is heading towards working out what lofts of hybrid to choose to replace my 3 & 4I.

Thanks

Potentially, yes, a hybrid may go further (and higher) than a regular iron with the same loft. It depends somewhat on how you hit the long irons. I suggest you get a 4 hybird and play with it for awhile to see where it fits in. If you find the distance "replaces" your 4 iron, then you can get a 3 hybrid to replace the 3 iron. If the 4 hybrid goes further than the 4 iron and the distance "replaces" your 3 iron, then you can get a 5 hybrid to replace your 4 iron.