2013 hybrid buyer's guide

In the market for a new hybrid? Our 2013 hybrid buyer's guide will give you all the hybrid tips you need to make the right choice

Bob Warters's picture
Bob Warters
Tue, 28 May 2013
2013 hybrid buyer's guide


Check out any top Tour pro's golf bag and you'll find a hybrid in there - a small-headed cross between a long iron and a fairway metal. It's a highly versatile club designed to replace the 2-, 3- or even the 4-iron, offering more forgiveness from difficult lies and high-flying accuracy into par-5s.

But for the regular golfer, the hybrid - also known as the utility or rescue club - can deliver much more. It's the go-to club when you can't rely on the difficult-to-hit longer iron from a tight lie or need to reach those longer par-3s with more precision than a fairway metal might offer.

I've seen two or even three hybrid-type clubs in many a club golfer's bag - and they're more than just a fashionable accessory. These clubs help build consistency in a player's game and as part of a family of clubs, build a loft bridge between fairway metals and the irons.

Hybrid golf clubs are a trend that started with pros on the Senior Tours around the world when even legends of the game needed help to get the ball airborne and to reach the appropriate distance when their power receded with age.

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Check out any top Tour pro's golf bag, such as newly-crowned Open champion Phil Mickelson, and you'll find a hybrid in there - a small-headed cross between a long iron and a fairway metal. It's a highly versatile club designed to replace the 2-, 3- or even the 4-iron, offering more forgiveness from difficult lies and high-flying accuracy into par-5s.

But for the regular golfer, the hybrid - also known as the utility or rescue club - can deliver much more. It's the go-to club when you can't rely on the difficult-to-hit longer iron from a tight lie or need to reach those longer par-3s with more precision than a fairway metal might offer.

I've seen two or even three hybrid-type clubs in many a club golfer's bag - and they're more than just a fashionable accessory. These clubs help build consistency in a player's game and as part of a family of clubs, build a loft bridge between fairway metals and the irons.

Hybrid golf clubs are a trend that started with pros on the Senior Tours around the world when even legends of the game needed help to get the ball airborne and to reach the appropriate distance when their power receded with age.

They also wanted clubs that would retain accuracy and land softly at well protected, longer par-4s and shorter par-5s when long irons became to tough to handle.

A good idea quickly caught on with regular Tour pros who discovered that a couple of these 'rescue clubs' in their bag, could replace a bunch of woods and long irons enabling them to fit an extra wedge or two into their 14-club allocation.

Suddenly it allowed them to turn three shots into two from 100 yards in - or even into one - and the game became much easier.

Though Cobra had produced a Baffler nearly 30 years earlier, it was the innovative Barnie Adams who introduced small, square headed Adams Tight Lies clubs with 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-iron lofts and in the hands of players like Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer have been delivering high floating trajectory and soft landing shots with great dexterity. Hybrids have also proved ideal for the odd chip from the fringe of the green.

As a consequence every leading manufacturer has included a family of hybrids into their ranges of equipment to compliment their irons and woods bridging the loft gap to ensure there's a clubs in the bag from a player's favoured brand to suit every eventuality.

So let's discuss the design of a hybrid, what it's meant to do, how it achieves it and what you might have to pay to have one in your bag.

5 golf hybrid buying tips

1HYBRID DESIGN - Choose a design you're happy with

2HYBRID ROLE - Decide what role your hybrid will perform

3WHICH CLUB TO REPLACE -  Choose which club your hybrid will replace

4. HYBRID LOFT - Choose a suitable loft for your game 

5. HYBRID PRICE - Decide how much money you want to spend

Hybrid design

On the face of it, the hybrid has a long to mid-iron loft, usually between 14-27 degrees, such as the 18-degree Cleveland Classic, with a more bulbous head resembling a small fairway metal offering more forgiveness across the width of the face and more opportunity to get the ball airborne more quickly than an iron might provide. 

Hybrid golf shafts tend to have a graphite rather than a metal shaft to assist the softer feel and produce a little more explosive kick at impact, assisting those looking for a little more distance with trajectory.

Most hybrids are quite significantly offset as they're aimed at mid-handicap golfers who need a little help getting the ball airborne. However, some models are designed with no offset for the better player who likes to work the ball through the air.

Hybrid role

For many of us, the rescue-type hybrid club can be a real shot-saver - more versatile than a longer iron because its wider sole helps extract the ball better from semi-rough where a long iron tends to smother the ball at impact. With its centre of gravity set low and deep, the hybrid lifts the ball out on a higher trajectory.

Its versatility is seen when a shot demands 3-iron length, with 5- or 7-wood ball flight. A shorter shaft than a normal fairway wood makes it easier to control and therefore more accurate for lay-ups or landing softly on longer par-3s.

Hybrid loft

Many people get hung up on hyrbid lofts and whether they can replace their 3-iron, 5-wood or 4-iron with a hybrid. A hybrid is more forgiving than an iron but if you want to think of it purely in distance terms then here are some figures.

Distance is normally dictated by the loft which can be anything from 14-16 degrees (replacing 2-iron or 4-wood) to 24-27 degrees (5-iron/7-wood). So, for example if you hit a 4-iron on average 170 yards, the 23-degree version should give you that and upto an extra 15-20 yards through the air but with a softer landing No.4 hybrid because of its higher trajectory.

Looking at a loft and distance chart or a loft conversion guide can help you undertstand the comparison between hybrids and irons in terms of distance. 


Which club to replace?

First you might consider replacing both the 3-and/or 4-irons with hybrids then go with a driver, a traditional 3 wood, and 4-iron to sand wedge, lob and gap wedge and putter.

It's a combination likely to be popular all round, with maybe even an extra hybrid or two for seniors and women golfers.

Some manufacturers produce a set of hybrid-iron clubs. A hybrid/iron loft equivalent would be: No.1 hybrid (1-iron; 14-16 degrees)' No.2 (17-19), No.3 (19-21), No.4 (22-23), No.5 (24-27), No.6 (29-32), No.7 (32+).

Hybrid Price

The best hybrid price will be around £30 which can buy a budget brand of hybrid or a second hand club that three or four years old, to see how you can develop your skills before moving on to pay £100-£160 for one of the major brands. For instance if you want to get an industry leader such as Adams, yo will be paying top-dollar. We recommended to find a local PGA pro who will custom-fit you to see how best these versatile clubs can be adapted within your bag of clubs. Take a look at out Ten of the Best: Hybrids test to get a feeling for the prices of the best premium hybrids.

Hybrids under £100

Cleveland Mashie (ultralight graphite shaft): With its retro looks, glide-rail sole, and lightweight shaft the club is superbly versatile and available in five different lofts between 18 and 26 degrees. RRP: £85

Mizuno JPX Fli-Hi 2012 (steel shaft): Replaces the traditional long iron, easy to launch and harnesses the same distance-generating technology used in JPX 800 HD irons, without sacrificing forgiveness. Available in right and left-handed models in five lofts between 19and 32-degrees. RRP: £79.95

PING G15 (graphite shaft): Engineered to be long, high-launching and more forgiving. Stainless steel shape features might not to everyone's taste but hosel design positions the centre of gravity closer to the face help reduce spin. Available RH and LH from 17-31 degrees. RRP: £94.99


Hybrids between £100 and £150

Wilson Staff D-100: Easy-to-swing lightweight design with rounded sole for shot control and confidence from all course lies. Progressive head size optimised across each loft for improved distance and accuracy. Available in four loft (17-25 degrees). RRP £119 

Nike VR_S Covert:By incorporating hidden geometry into its fairway woods and hybrids - hence the Covert term - Nike claims its engineers have been able to move the weight of the club to the corners, to increase distance from miss-hit shots. Available in four lofts from 17 to 26. RRP: £129.

TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Rescues: Engineered to be faster and longer than first-generation RocketBallz Rescues. Available in two versions - the single shaft model (£149) and the adjustable. Tour version with a Matrix RocketFuel 70 shaft will have an RRP of £229.

Hybrids between £150 and £200

Ping G25: Progressive centre of gravity positions achieve improved trajectories and ensure distance gaps. CG is lower and farther back in the lower-lofted hybrids and slightly forward in higher lofts to minimise spin and prevent ballooning. Dark, non-glare finish with five lefts (17-31). RRP: £170

Titleist 913H: Part of the latest titleist 913 family of drivers, fairway woods and utility clubs, the 913H and 913H.d is available is available in respective lofts of 17,19,2124 and 27 degrees and 18,20 and 23 degrees. RRP: £197.


Cobra AMP CELL: Along with Cobra AMP CELL fairways, the hybrids are available in both right and left handed models with a ten loft spread (19-24 degrees) and includes three draw models (18, 21 and 23) between three clubs for effective distance gapping. Like the AMP Cell driver, the hybrids are fuelled with SmartPad and E9 face technology. RRP £159.

What hybrids do the professionals use?

Rickie Fowler - Cobra Amp Cell

Sergio Garcia -  TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2 Tour

Fred Couples - TaylorMade Rescue 11

Phil Mickelson - PING Anser

Zach Johnson - Titleist 910 H Hybrid