Hybrid clubs continue to remain hot this summer
By Chuck Stogel
GolfWeb Equipment Correspondent
The weather may be especially hot everywhere this summer, but nothing seems to be as hot as hybrids.
Also called utilities, iTilities, iron-woods, wood-irons, Rescues and more, hybrids are specialty clubs designed to offer golfers an alternative to long irons along with greater versatility from a variety of on-course situations.
“Hybrid clubs are easier to hit and to control without sacrificing distance,” said Dan Murphy, Bridgestone Golf director of marketing. “They can be used from the fairway, rough, out of fairway bunkers, even for chipping from off the green, and by players of all levels.”
On the major tours, the hybrid count has risen dramatically in the last two seasons. At the retail level, hybrids now account for 16 percent of all metalwoods sold.
Typically, hybrids have heads that are smaller than fairway metals but, with hollow bodies, wider than irons. Likewise, shaft lengths are shorter than fairway clubs but longer than irons.
In demo sessions conducted by GolfWeb among a variety of golfers, positive reviews were registered for many of the hybrids available today. But, surprisingly perhaps, relatively little-known Kasco stood out above all with its iTility series in test sessions. The Japanese-based company makes its own proprietary heads and shafts, and reviewers gave the clubs high praise for their ease of swinging through the ball; solid feel at impact; loft, trajectory and distance achieved; and most of all, for their forgiveness.
Here's a selected canvass of the latest in hybrid clubs.
ADAMS: Featuring the company’s patented upside down head design, Adams Golf’s Idea i-Woods come in Nos. 3, 4 and 5 with lofts of 17, 21 and 25 degrees. They are designed to provide a 27 percent higher moment of inertia (MOI) for more forgiveness than counterpart traditional irons. Suggested retail price is $169 with graphite shaft.
BEN HOGAN: Nos. 1h, 2h, 3h, 4h and 5h represent lofts of 17, 19, 21, 24 and 27 degrees in the Edge C-F-T hybrid series. The clubs, about half the size of a fairway wood, have a two-tone, wood/metal finish with a low, deep center of gravity, and trailing edge sole relief. Forged titanium face insert in steel body. List price is $140 with steel shaft, $165 with graphite.
BOBBY JONES: New products designed by Jesse Ortiz are numbered H2, H3, H4 and H5, with lofts of 19, 21, 25 and 30 degrees. These hybrids look more like metalwoods, but have a low and deep center of gravity and versatile, contoured sole. Suggested retail price is $180.
BRIDGESTONE: New J33 Utility Woods won’t be available until October, but received positive reviews in early testing conducted by GolfWeb. Stainless steel heads contain elastomer compound insert inside to help deaden vibration at impact and provide more solid contact. Will be available in lofts of 15, 18 and 21 degrees. Suggested retail price is $249.
CALLAWAY: Lineup of Big Bertha Heavenwood hybrids 1H to 5H boasts lofts of 14, 17, 20, 23 and 26 degrees. The clubs have an elongated, low-profile face and modified War Bird sole. Suggested retail price is $225 with graphite shaft.
Wilson's Hb5 series have a list price of $199.99 with steel shaft, $249.99 with graphite.
CLEVELAND: Halo Hybrid Utility is designed to be five to 10 yards longer than counterpart long iron. Halo stands for high angle lift off. Low profile head with contoured sole in lofts of 16, 19, 22 and 25 degrees. More wood like in design. Suggested retail price of $183 with graphite shaft.
COBRA: Four Baffler Utility Metals offer lofts of 18, 20, 23 and 26 degrees for men, and 23, 26, 29 and 32 degrees for women. Head features maraging steel face insert in stainless steel body. There’s a unique contoured soleplate and brushed steel topline to help alignment. Suggested retail price is $180 with graphite shaft
HIPPO: ITX2 Utility clubs, in lofts of 17, 20 and 23 degrees, feature carbon composite (graphite) crown and maraging steel in head. With a shape that is more wood like, list price is $99.
KASCO: Wide range of lofts in six models of K2K iTility clubs, from 17 to 35 degrees. High-tech club features Super Hyten high-recoil steel head, round sole, bore-through shaft and rudder weighting. Head is not as deep as predecessor K2K Utility clubs. Graphite shaft was judged “very responsive.” Suggested retail price of $260.
MIZUNO: The new Fli-Hi CLK series, in lofts of 17, 20 and 23 degrees, has quickly gained wide popularity. The clubs feature a graphite composite crown, steel face and body, and low, deep center of gravity. Cortech technology provides three variable face thicknesses and the sole design, with variable weighting, has a blunt leading edge with dramatic heel and toe relief areas. Suggested retail price is $279 with graphite shaft.
NICKENT: The Genex 3DX Ironwood name for Nickent’s hybrids derives from a three-dimensional weighting system. Weight is low and deep, and toward the heel and toe, and plays more like a fairway wood. Multiple lofts in increments of 1.5 degrees from 14 to 29 degrees. List price $129 with graphite shaft.
NICKLAUS: IronMax HiMax hybrids come in lofts of 18, 21, 24 and 27 degrees. Clubs feature cryogenic Supersteel heads, backweighting and wide soles for easier launch. Suggested retail price is $160 with graphite shafts.
NIKE: CPR Iron Woods have lofts of 18, 21 and 24 degrees. They are designed as scoopback, low profile hybrids with a mid-size hitting area, and feature a low center of gravity for high lofted shots. Suggested retail price is $149 with graphite shafts.
SONARTEC: A popular club among PGA TOUR players, Sonartec’s Md hybrids come in six lofts, ranging from 15 to 25 degrees. The unique naming system, such as 2i/5W helps golfers know which long iron or fairway wood the hybrid would be comparable to. Suggested retail price is $199.
SRIXON: Company’s first foray into the category offers AD Hybrids in lofts of 18, 21 and 24 degrees. The clubs feature Srixon’s Autoturn design, which helps lower the center of gravity. List price is $199.
TAYLORMADE: Two models of hybrids comprise the new Rescue series, the Dual and the Dual TP. Both have two ports for changing weighted cartridges, plus a small, permanent swingweight plug. The Rescue Dual is geared for the average player, the Dual TP for the advanced golfer. Number of cartridges supplied varies. Suggested retail prices with graphite shafts are $275 for the Resscue Dual and $375 for the Rescure Dual TP.
TITLEIST: The two clubs in Titleist’s H 503 portfolio, with lofts of 19 and 22 degrees, look and play much more like irons, with some added hybrid benefits. A thin face design is complemented by a lightweight carbon fiber composite core to help dampen vibration and provide support. There’s a high density tungsten sole plug, traditional face profile, sandblasted topline and wide sole. Suggested retail price is $225 with graphite shaft.
TOUR EDGE: Bazooka J-Max Iron-Woods, like Titleist, are more similar to an iron than a wood. Yet, they feature hollow steelheads, with considerable weight in the sole. Lofts offered are 16, 19, 22 and 24.5. List price is $119 with graphite shaft.
WILSON: New high-tech Wilson Staff Hb5 hybrid clubs are offered in lofts of 17, 21, 25 and 29 degrees. The head design features a deep center of gravity with a long and low profile. The Nano Tech graphite shaft is tuned for stability, especially on off-center hits. Suggested retail price is $249.99 with graphite shaft.
By Chuck Stogel
GolfWeb Equipment Correspondent
The weather may be especially hot everywhere this summer, but nothing seems to be as hot as hybrids.
Also called utilities, iTilities, iron-woods, wood-irons, Rescues and more, hybrids are specialty clubs designed to offer golfers an alternative to long irons along with greater versatility from a variety of on-course situations.
“Hybrid clubs are easier to hit and to control without sacrificing distance,” said Dan Murphy, Bridgestone Golf director of marketing. “They can be used from the fairway, rough, out of fairway bunkers, even for chipping from off the green, and by players of all levels.”
On the major tours, the hybrid count has risen dramatically in the last two seasons. At the retail level, hybrids now account for 16 percent of all metalwoods sold.
Typically, hybrids have heads that are smaller than fairway metals but, with hollow bodies, wider than irons. Likewise, shaft lengths are shorter than fairway clubs but longer than irons.
In demo sessions conducted by GolfWeb among a variety of golfers, positive reviews were registered for many of the hybrids available today. But, surprisingly perhaps, relatively little-known Kasco stood out above all with its iTility series in test sessions. The Japanese-based company makes its own proprietary heads and shafts, and reviewers gave the clubs high praise for their ease of swinging through the ball; solid feel at impact; loft, trajectory and distance achieved; and most of all, for their forgiveness.
Here's a selected canvass of the latest in hybrid clubs.
ADAMS: Featuring the company’s patented upside down head design, Adams Golf’s Idea i-Woods come in Nos. 3, 4 and 5 with lofts of 17, 21 and 25 degrees. They are designed to provide a 27 percent higher moment of inertia (MOI) for more forgiveness than counterpart traditional irons. Suggested retail price is $169 with graphite shaft.
BEN HOGAN: Nos. 1h, 2h, 3h, 4h and 5h represent lofts of 17, 19, 21, 24 and 27 degrees in the Edge C-F-T hybrid series. The clubs, about half the size of a fairway wood, have a two-tone, wood/metal finish with a low, deep center of gravity, and trailing edge sole relief. Forged titanium face insert in steel body. List price is $140 with steel shaft, $165 with graphite.
BOBBY JONES: New products designed by Jesse Ortiz are numbered H2, H3, H4 and H5, with lofts of 19, 21, 25 and 30 degrees. These hybrids look more like metalwoods, but have a low and deep center of gravity and versatile, contoured sole. Suggested retail price is $180.
BRIDGESTONE: New J33 Utility Woods won’t be available until October, but received positive reviews in early testing conducted by GolfWeb. Stainless steel heads contain elastomer compound insert inside to help deaden vibration at impact and provide more solid contact. Will be available in lofts of 15, 18 and 21 degrees. Suggested retail price is $249.
CALLAWAY: Lineup of Big Bertha Heavenwood hybrids 1H to 5H boasts lofts of 14, 17, 20, 23 and 26 degrees. The clubs have an elongated, low-profile face and modified War Bird sole. Suggested retail price is $225 with graphite shaft.
Wilson's Hb5 series have a list price of $199.99 with steel shaft, $249.99 with graphite.
COBRA: Four Baffler Utility Metals offer lofts of 18, 20, 23 and 26 degrees for men, and 23, 26, 29 and 32 degrees for women. Head features maraging steel face insert in stainless steel body. There’s a unique contoured soleplate and brushed steel topline to help alignment. Suggested retail price is $180 with graphite shaft
HIPPO: ITX2 Utility clubs, in lofts of 17, 20 and 23 degrees, feature carbon composite (graphite) crown and maraging steel in head. With a shape that is more wood like, list price is $99.
KASCO: Wide range of lofts in six models of K2K iTility clubs, from 17 to 35 degrees. High-tech club features Super Hyten high-recoil steel head, round sole, bore-through shaft and rudder weighting. Head is not as deep as predecessor K2K Utility clubs. Graphite shaft was judged “very responsive.” Suggested retail price of $260.
MIZUNO: The new Fli-Hi CLK series, in lofts of 17, 20 and 23 degrees, has quickly gained wide popularity. The clubs feature a graphite composite crown, steel face and body, and low, deep center of gravity. Cortech technology provides three variable face thicknesses and the sole design, with variable weighting, has a blunt leading edge with dramatic heel and toe relief areas. Suggested retail price is $279 with graphite shaft.
NICKENT: The Genex 3DX Ironwood name for Nickent’s hybrids derives from a three-dimensional weighting system. Weight is low and deep, and toward the heel and toe, and plays more like a fairway wood. Multiple lofts in increments of 1.5 degrees from 14 to 29 degrees. List price $129 with graphite shaft.
NICKLAUS: IronMax HiMax hybrids come in lofts of 18, 21, 24 and 27 degrees. Clubs feature cryogenic Supersteel heads, backweighting and wide soles for easier launch. Suggested retail price is $160 with graphite shafts.
NIKE: CPR Iron Woods have lofts of 18, 21 and 24 degrees. They are designed as scoopback, low profile hybrids with a mid-size hitting area, and feature a low center of gravity for high lofted shots. Suggested retail price is $149 with graphite shafts.
SONARTEC: A popular club among PGA TOUR players, Sonartec’s Md hybrids come in six lofts, ranging from 15 to 25 degrees. The unique naming system, such as 2i/5W helps golfers know which long iron or fairway wood the hybrid would be comparable to. Suggested retail price is $199.
SRIXON: Company’s first foray into the category offers AD Hybrids in lofts of 18, 21 and 24 degrees. The clubs feature Srixon’s Autoturn design, which helps lower the center of gravity. List price is $199.
TAYLORMADE: Two models of hybrids comprise the new Rescue series, the Dual and the Dual TP. Both have two ports for changing weighted cartridges, plus a small, permanent swingweight plug. The Rescue Dual is geared for the average player, the Dual TP for the advanced golfer. Number of cartridges supplied varies. Suggested retail prices with graphite shafts are $275 for the Resscue Dual and $375 for the Rescure Dual TP.
TITLEIST: The two clubs in Titleist’s H 503 portfolio, with lofts of 19 and 22 degrees, look and play much more like irons, with some added hybrid benefits. A thin face design is complemented by a lightweight carbon fiber composite core to help dampen vibration and provide support. There’s a high density tungsten sole plug, traditional face profile, sandblasted topline and wide sole. Suggested retail price is $225 with graphite shaft.
TOUR EDGE: Bazooka J-Max Iron-Woods, like Titleist, are more similar to an iron than a wood. Yet, they feature hollow steelheads, with considerable weight in the sole. Lofts offered are 16, 19, 22 and 24.5. List price is $119 with graphite shaft.
WILSON: New high-tech Wilson Staff Hb5 hybrid clubs are offered in lofts of 17, 21, 25 and 29 degrees. The head design features a deep center of gravity with a long and low profile. The Nano Tech graphite shaft is tuned for stability, especially on off-center hits. Suggested retail price is $249.99 with graphite shaft.
