Hybrid Golf Club

by Gregg A. Johnson ~ Last Updated:

The hybrid golf club is also referred to as a utility club and is a relatively recent addition to the variety of golf clubs golfers can choose from. They are growing in popularity because they are designed to be easier to hit for recreational golfers. In fact, they are easier to hit for all golfers and most touring pros now carry hybrid golf clubs in their bags.

Hybrid golf clubs are a category of club that combines elements of both woods and irons into their design. This combination adds up to having technical features that aid in getting the ball airborne, that dampen the effects of miss hits, and many other pluses.

Most hybrid golf clubs are designed to replace long irons (2, 3, 4, and sometimes 5 irons) in a golfer's bag. When you hear it said that hybrid golf clubs are easier to hit, this is almost always meant in comparison to the long irons that these hybrids replace.

So why are hybrid golf clubs advantageous over regular irons?

A normal iron doesn't have much of a back on it.  You can make an iron that has perimeter weighting but you can't have it further back unless it has a bigger back side.  You can't move much weight back into the air?  Therefore, to make an iron easier to hit manufacturers have started to "fatten" the back of them.  So hybrid golf clubs that look more like an iron have what seems to be a bulge on back of them.  This is just moving the weight further back on the iron.  Now they can have weight along the outside of the club and further back. 

On the other hand, manufacturers who have made their Hybrid Golf Clubs look more like a fairway wood have been able to move the weight back a little more since the club is larger.  Not large enough to be the size of a harder to hit fairway wood but large enough to do the trick. 

Hybrid golf clubs also have a lower center of gravity. If you move the center of gravity down then the ball gets up in the air easier.  It helps increase the launch angle of the ball without having to increase the actual loft of the club.  This may not be visible but the result is. 

If you have a three iron that is 20 degrees and a hybrid golf club that is the same loft, but has the weight further back (perimeter weighted) and the center of gravity lower then the club will launch the ball higher.  That is why it is important to realize that when making a purchase of a hybrid golf club that the lofts are not directly comparable to the club you are replacing. 

There are some players who swear by hybrid golf clubs and others who think they are just junk. But the simple fact is that a hybrid golf club is easier to get into the air, down the fairway and onto the green

Golf Club In The News


 4 coyotes trapped and killed near Wheaton - Chicago Breaking News - Tribune

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:17:00 GMT

Officials said Tuesday professional trapper Rob Erickson caught the coyotes in an unincorporated area near the Chicago Golf Club. That is close to the neighborhoods where a string of deadly coyote attacks on pets have occurred in recent months.


 Leaders hope North Huntingdon rec center able to pay for itself - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:03:00 GMT

A proposed $18 million project to build a regional recreation center in North Huntingdon could be self-sustaining once it opens, but committee members from the township and two boroughs remain reluctant to pledge tax dollars toward it. All three ...


 Overnight News Digest: "Águas de Março" Edition - DAILY KOS

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:56:00 GMT

OND is a community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically ...


 Golf sales back in swing at Dick's - PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:03:00 GMT

Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. said sales of clubs and other golf equipment are starting to rebound, after a couple of tough years. "We are relatively optimistic about the golf business right now," CEO Edward W. Stack said Tuesday, during a conference ...


 Sports digest: SJSU golfer wins again - San Jose Mercury News

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:10:00 GMT

San Jose State golfer Cristina Corpus won her second consecutive tournament Tuesday, shooting a final-round 74 to capture the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational at Almaden Golf and Country Club. Corpus finished the three-round event at 217 to beat ...