Benefits of a Hybrid Golf Club: Should I Use One?

Most golfers should consider a hybrid golf club for these benefits:

Better out of the rough
Easier to hit higher and further

Versatility

The technology in golf club design continues to get better with every season.

Golfers of all ability levels have a wide range of options when it comes to golf clubs. Since every golfer has 14 golf clubs they can carry in their bag, we all have some decisions to make when selecting our clubs.

There are some givens of course that every golfer will want to carry: the driver, the putter, at least 4 irons and several wedges.

But what about when it comes to the hybrids, fairway woods and long irons?

This is where there are plenty of options and today we help sort out why someone would choose to use a hybrid golf club.

Benefits of a Hybrid Golf Club

Update: Way too many golfers have way too few of hybrids in their bag. If your swing speed is less than 90 miles per hour with the driver, you should have around 3 hybrids in your bag. Give it a shot and see the difference in your own score!

Irons can be hard to hit, especially the 3 and 4 iron. Look to add at least one hybrid to your game!

Benefits #1: Easier to hit higher and the further

The first true evolution in fairway woods and hybrids started with a club called the Adams Tight Lies. If you are old enough, you probably remember the infomercial. Golfers were able to launch this club high and far from many different lies on the golf course. It truly was an easy club to hit.

This started the evolution and led to the creation of the hybrid or rescue club. These clubs look like something between a fairway wood and an iron. One of the issues many high handicappers have with the fairway wood is hitting it off of the fairway and many golfers struggle with the long irons overall.

The main goal and purpose of these clubs is to be easy to hit high and far. They are lightweight and the head is designed to maximize distance and launch angle. The reason many golfers struggle with long irons is they struggle to launch them high enough due to a lack of swing speed.

The design of the hybrid allows golfers of all swing speeds to launch the ball. The graphite shaft found in most hybrids, as well as the lightweight hybrid head, allows the golfer to gain some additional swing speed.

Of course, not every golfers wants what the hybrid provides and prefers the ball control of a long iron, but these golfers are usually low single digit handicap players who want the precision that a long iron offers, not the height and distance that a hybrid does.

Benefit #2: Better out of the rough

If you play a high quality golf course, when you get into the rough, chances are the grass is long and thick. This creates issues if you lack swing speed. Enter the hybrid once again. The ability for the hybrid to not twist and turn through the thick rough makes it appealing to many golfers when they are stuck in the rough.

The hybrid or rescue clubs provide the ability to once again launch it out of the rough and send it advancing down the fairway. The golfer is no longer stuck trying to hit a 3 iron or 4 iron out of the rough and instead has a viable option and can gain confidence when standing over the shot.

The hybrid is an amazing club for beginners, juniors, seniors and women golfers. Those that lack speed or skill will highly benefit from the ability to launch the ball high and far out of various lies they are faced with on a golf course.

Benefit #3: Versatility

Whether you have a shot from any of the following:

Fairway
Rough

Fairway bunker
Tee shot

You can use your hybrid.

Many mid to high handicappers struggle with the fairway wood from the fairway. With the shortness of the grassa and the overall tightness in the conditions, a fairway wood is often a better option even from the fairway. The golfer can look down and have confidence that they will get the ball in the air. Too many topped shots happen with fairway woods with mid to high handicappers.

From the rough, see above. It is a wonderful club and gets through the thick grass.

As far as fairway bunkers, on these shots the golfer only wants to take a slight divot from the sand, after they strike the ball. The hybrid provides the forgiveness needed out of a fairway bunker.

And finally with a tee shot. With the ball teed up slightly the golfer can have that same ability to launch the ball high and far on a difficult or narrow par 4 or long par 3. Many courses have at least one par 3 that plays over 180 yards. This is another great place for the hybrid to be utilized to help the golfer shoot lower scores.

The long iron can be hard to hit and provide trouble on par 3 holes above 180 yards for most golfer. Give yourself the advantage you need with the right technology to make the game fun!

The more difficult the course, the more you will more than likely need a hybrid! They are excellent out of fairway bunkers and provide plenty of versatility!

Should I Use A Hybrid?

Yes, the majority of golfers would benefit from putting at least one hybrid into their bag. Unless you are a high end player with a low single digit handicap with a driver swing speed over over 105 miles per hour, a hybrid will benefit your game.

There are many different options on the market, but at a minimum the majority of golfers should look to replace their 3 and 4 iron with a hybrid and if you are a senior golfer maybe even the 5 or 6 iron depending on your current swing speed.

Next Steps: Test Out A Hybrid

If you have a friend who has a hybrid, give it a swing or five at the driving range the next time you are both there. Or head to your local sporting goods store and hit several options into the simulator.

Ulatimey, the golfer has to decide on a 3, 5 or 7 hybrid or maybe adding all three options and replacing several irons in the bag. We have written several posts on this very topics. Here are some worth checking out to match your current needs:

When to use a hybrid

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions: