Hybrid golf clubs combine the best features of woods and irons, allowing players to hit powerful shots that are also highly accurate. Hybrid clubs are relatively new inventions that show how much technology has improved the game of golf. Many players are able to successfully use their hybrid clubs, and according to the Ottawa Citizen, 65% of PGA Tour golfers carried hybrids in their bags during tournaments in 2008. (See Reference 1)
History of Hybrid Clubs
Traditionally, golfers have used low-numbered irons that resembled regular irons but had longer shafts and steeper club head angles. But many golfers found these clubs were difficult to hit and didn't provide enough distance to compensate for the loss of accuracy. Hybrid clubs were invented to address these concerns. Allowing players to hit these hybrid clubs for distance and still maintain the feel of irons is a huge asset to many golfer's games.
Appearance of Hybrid Clubs
A hybrid club resembles a wood more than it does an iron. The face of the club head is angled the same way as an iron would be, but with a large piece protruding from the back of the club head. This extra piece gives the club additional weight, which can give your swing an added kick resulting in greater distance. The grip and shaft of hybrid clubs are similar to woods, particularly in that hybrid club shafts are often made of lighter materials such as graphite.
Types of Hybrid Clubs
Though hybrid irons are available to replace all of the traditional iron clubs--some manufacturers sell iron sets consisting exclusively of hybrids--hybrid clubs are intended to replace the long irons in many golfers' bags. The most popular hybrid clubs are hybrid 3-irons, 4-irons and 5-irons. Most starter sets of golf clubs, which are intended for beginners, include hybrid 3- and 4-irons.
Benefits of Hybrid Clubs
For most golfers, the biggest benefit of hybrid irons is that they're easy to swing. Golfers are able to take a slower swing with a hybrid than they'd take with a traditional iron and get similar, if not increased distance. Some golfers consider hybrid irons to be preferable to fairway woods because they allow golfers to get more of a soft touch on the ball, which can help keep the ball from rolling off the green. The combination of distance and accuracy make hybrid irons essential for many players.
Popularity of Hybrid Clubs
Many golfers, even those who were able to hit traditional low-numbered irons well, have raved about the ways hybrid irons have improved their games. In fact, the benefits of hybrids are so well-known that TaylorMade, a leading golf club manufacturer, brands its hybrid irons as "Rescue" clubs because they can be used to get golfers out of many difficult situations. Hybrids are part of virtually all new club sets and appear to be here to stay for the foreseeable future.
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