Golf Tips: Hitting Hybrids

Hybrids have been one of the biggest developments in golf over the last decade.  They've replaced long irons in 95% (estimate) of the amateur's golf bags and many pros swear by them.   Hybrids are a cross between an iron and a fairway wood.  They have the large sole and head of a fairway wood, but the loft and face of an iron.  The shafts for hybrids are usually shorter than fairways and longer than irons.  Once again, a cross between woods and irons. Not So Fast By all accounts hybrids are supposed to be far easier to hit than long irons but not so fast.  A bad swing or improper setup with a hybrid can be just as bad as with any club in the bag, in fact even possibly worse. Setup/Swing The swing for a hybrid is itself a cross, or hybrid, of the iron and fairway wood swing.  With irons the player should hit "down" on the ball, producing a divot.  With fairway woods the strike should be more of a sweep across the grass and no divot.  With an iron, the ball is placed in the middle of the stance compared to a fairway wood which is played toward the front.   Hybrid ball placement is in the middle of the stance, like an iron.  The swing however, is the sweeping swing of a fairway wood. Conclusion Experiment with your hybrids and your ball placement.  The ball will fly higher and straighter as you hone in the ball position.  Try not to be too steep with the downswing.  Sweep the grass and let the center of gravity of the club launch the ball high and soft!