Could this 'Fairway Hybrid' be the holy grail of senior golf clubs?

Whether you're as spritely as Gary Player or the average player who's starting to slow down a bit, the fact remains that time and age start to catch up with every golfer at some stage.

As such, the question of how to help the growing number of senior golfers out there keep the distance they once had in their youth is one that the world's largest manufacturers have spent decades trying to answer. The introduction of metal-faced woods was a huge leap forward, while graphite shafts are now ubiquitous among senior players. 

However, the emphasis in club manufacturing still remains very much on helping younger players gain distance, rather than helping older golfers keep it—particularly when the driver isn't in play.

The answer to this may lie in a new club developed by American company Performance Golf. It's called the 357, and is what they deem a 'Fairway Hybrid'. If this sounds confusing, allow us to clarify.

The role of a fairway hybrid, the company claims, is to bridge the gap between the all three conventional lofts of fairway wood in one fell swoop, producing a shot that launches higher than a 4-hybrid but travels as far as a 3-wood. The result, naturally, is a perfect blend between distance, forgiveness and stopping power.

To do this, Performance Golf uses a number of technologies that give the club, which sits at a loft of 21 degrees, the launch and consistency of a 7-wood. 

The first is what they call a 'progressed face, which helps clear dirt and rough from behind the ball to create a rescue-like quality on poorer lies. Its larger size also results in a huge sweet spot, while the crown of the club is actually concave to help push the club's centre of gravity as low as possible.

A dual system of rails along the sole of the club, meanwhile, helps control the club's path along the ground, minimising fat and thin shots.

There is, of course, a temptation after reading all that to dismiss this as gimmickery. However there are a few factors that might the minds of curious golfers at ease. Firstly, unlike many clubs marketed as game-changers by shadowy brands, the 357 is fully legal. It was also developed by Chris McGinley, who spent over two decades at Titleist and worked to develop clubs for players like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Curious to try one out for yourself? You can do so at the link below.