
Fairway woods and hybrids have blossomed technologically in the last few years. I would expect that trend to level off, but if your long game clubs are more than three or four years old, you should check out the new stuff. Irons
When should you use hybrid golf clubs?
If you are in the medium or even deep rough, the hybrid allows you to get the ball out of trouble, get it on track and do it on a consistent basis. Use hybrid clubs to replace long and medium irons. They can also be used to replace the 3-wood and 5-wood, but that's only for golfers who reject their fairway woods.
Can hybrid golf irons replace long irons?
While they were originally designed to replace long irons, they can be helpful as middle iron replacements, and even around the greens. First, hybrids have made 1-irons, 2-irons, and 3-irons almost extinct in the game of golf.
When should you replace your golf clubs?
If a club is no longer performing the way you want because it’s worn out, it should be replaced. Similarly, you don’t want to be swinging persimmon when everyone else in your group has titanium.
Should I get a hybrid golf swing speed?
While losing a little swing speed isn’t earth shattering, hybrids will be more convenient as your speed decreases. The slower your swing speed, the less ball speed you can achieve, and the flatter the ball will launch; all bad things if you need to stop the ball on the green.

When should I replace my hybrid golf clubs?
Checking in every two to three years is plenty. Similar to drivers, it's unlikely you'll wear out a fairway wood or hybrid head. However, if you use one of these clubs multiple times per round, you might take shaft wear into account after several years.
How long does a golf hybrid last?
approximately 10 yearsHow Long will a Hybrid Golf Club Last? The average hybrid club will last approximately 10 years. Hybrid clubs represent a mix of fairway woods and wedges. This is a little longer than a fairway wood but shorter than irons.
How often should you replace your golf clubs?
every three to four yearsGenerally for club golfers changing your irons every year is going to be overkill and looking at new options every three to four years is a better time frame. The research says you can get a good 300 rounds out of irons before you need to start looking at replacements.
How long should you hit a hybrid?
The 4-iron and 4-hybrid estimates are 160 to 210 yards for men and 120 to 170 yards for women. The 5-iron and 5-hybrid ranges are 150 to 200 yards for men and 115 to 160 yards for women, while the 6-iron or 6-hybrid ranges are 140 to 190 yards for men and 110 to 150 yards for women.
Are 30 year old golf clubs still good?
There is no evidence that golf clubs deteriorate over time. Well maintained clubs will last a lifetime. 10+ year old clubs should be checked for better options but clubs less than 5 years old do not need replacing except for wear and tear issues to which wedges and forged irons are most vulnerable.
How many rounds of golf do you need to replace irons?
A good estimation is for low handicap and regular golfers to replace the set of irons after approximately three hundred rounds or around four to five years. This will prevent the clubs from wearing out in places where you regularly strike the ball and keep you abreast of technological advances.
How do I know when I need new golf clubs?
If you experience an unexplained change in your game, it could be due to worn out clubs. A sudden change in ball trajectory, driving distance or score could all be signs that your clubs need replacing. A gradually increasing handicap could be the result of an old set of golf clubs.
How do you know when golf clubs are worn out?
If the crown of your driver is literred with dents, or the face of your irons/wedges have no grooves because of so much wear, then it's time for new equipment. McKee says that when irons and wedges lose their grooves, the ball will lose spin going into the green.
Do golf clubs lose their pop?
A golf driver can go dead and lose its pop when there is a crack, or defect, in the club face. This can be caused by faulty manufacturing or weakness in the driver head, and affects distance and performance.
Why do hybrids go left?
Alternatively, hybrids with too flat or upright lies also produce hooks. A large angle between the shaft and the top of the club head of the hybrid also results in hooks because this causes the club to rotate more than what is needed. As a result, the ball moves from right to left and produces a hook.
Why do I struggle to hit a hybrid?
Letting the ball creep too far forward in your stance makes it difficult to hit down on the ball. Place the toe of the hybrid against your left heel, with the clubface pointing toward your body, and set the ball opposite the hosel. This is the perfect ball position for a hybrid.
What does a 4 hybrid club replace?
A hybrid with a loft of 21 degrees is considered a 4 hybrid and is a great replacement for a 3 iron. The slightly longer shaft, lower center of gravity, and increased forgiveness make up for the loft difference and will hit the ball at a very similar distance.
How often should you change your wedges?
In my experience, the average recreational golfer is wasting their money changing wedges annually. Unless you’re a regular in the short game area, your wedges should last two or three years before you see much loss of spin.
How often should I check my wedge tech?
If you want a modern cavity back wedge with more MOI and precise CG, it’s worth checking in every three to five years.
How long do irons last?
Unless you play a ton and shut down the range nightly, there’s no reason a set of irons shouldn’t last five to ten years. In terms of tech, it depends what you want in your irons. If you play traditional forged irons, nothing substantial has changed in decades. However, if you’re looking for the new thin-faced, low spinning, high MOI super game improvement clubs, you’re likely to see changes every three to five years.
Why do I want to get new clubs?
While there are no “bad” reasons to get new clubs, I would suggest that you ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” If you’re chasing improved performance and not getting fit, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. However, if you’re honest with yourself about your reasons for changing and the process you’re using, you’re unlikely to make a mistake.
Do fitters tell you what clubs to fit?
This is one more reason why we’re such ardent proponents of club fitting. If your current clubs are performing as well as any new options, a good fitter will tell you that. If you’re missing out on ten yards of driver carry, they’ll tell you that, too.
Can you wear out a golf club shaft?
However, if you use one of these clubs multiple times per round, you might take shaft wear into account after several years.
Can you get rid of a putter?
Never. If you have a putter that works, never get rid of it. It won’t wear out (barring abuse), and while there have been improvements in putter design over the years, boatloads of money is still being won on Tour with putter designs that are decades old.
What About Replacing Shorter Irons With Hybrids?
This is where it gets tricky, there comes a point where the benefit of hybrids disappear and as we get to the mid-irons we hit that point.
What Percentage Of Pros Use Hybrids?
This is a difficult one to answer because pros change their equipment so often, wouldn’t you if you had tour trucks on hand every week? The choice of carrying a hybrid or not often comes down to the course that the tour is visiting that week.
Do Any Pros Replace Short Irons With Hybrids?
It is probably more common than you think for tour pros to play hybrids. These clubs are especially common in the Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour where most of the pros have hybrids in the bag. However, many PGA Tour players are using them too.
Are There Many Full Hybrid Sets Available?
Cleveland make a great full hybrid set, the Launcher HB set, these look fantastic and are perfect for those looking for unparalleled forgiveness. This is a set of clubs that will help you fall in love with golf or fall back in love with golf.
What Is Our Favourite Hybrid Set?
Since they invented the club, it is very difficult not to choose Cobras here. The Cobra T Rail set still has a nod to that very first “Baffler” as it has the rails on the soles of the clubs. This helps the club reduce friction with the turf as it goes through impact.
Are There Hybrids To Replace Wedges?
There are some out there, like the Orlimar Stratos wedge. Another more subtle offering is the Cleveland Smart Sole wedge, this is more like a normal wedge but with a chunkier sole and more hybrid-like performance. This style of wedge can be great for certain golfers out there.
Should I Replace My 4 Iron With A Hybrid?
If you struggle to get height and consistent strikes on a 4 iron, then yes, this is absolutely a club to consider replacing with a hybrid.
What is a 5-hybrid golf club?
The 5-hybrid is an outstanding rescue club. If you are in the medium or even deep rough, the hybrid allows you to get the ball out of trouble, get it on track and do it on a consistent basis. Advertisement.
How many yards does a 3-hybrid golf shot fly?
The 3-hybrid gives you much greater loft and helps keep the ball straight. A well-struck 3-hybrid shot will fly higher and at least 10 yard s straighter than the 2- or 3-iron. Take the hybrid to the range and practice with it twice a week in addition to using it when you play a round of golf. Advertisement.
What clubs can replace long irons?
Use hybrid clubs to replace long and medium irons. They can also be used to replace the 3-wood and 5-wood, but that's only for golfers who reject their fairway woods. The hybrid woods will not give you greater distance if that is what you are looking for. If you want accuracy, try hybrids to replace the clubs that are giving you the most trouble.
What is the advantage of a 4 hybrid?
A 4-hybrid will get the ball up in the air significantly higher and can also cut through the rough and allow you to hit a productive shot. The ability to hit the ball up in the air from a poor lie gives the 4-hybrid a big advantage.
Do hybrid irons have a sweet spot?
That knowledge adds to the tension that many golfers feel when they are playing competitively. Hybrid irons have a bigger sweet spot and are easier for most golfers--not just medium- and high-handicappers--to hit consistently.
Can you replace a 3-wood with a 5-wood?
They can also be used to replace the 3-wood and 5-wood, but that's only for golfers who reject their fairway woods. The hybrid woods will not give you greater distance if that is what you are looking for. If you want accuracy, try hybrids to replace the clubs that are giving you the most trouble. Advertisement.
Why are hybrid golf clubs so popular?
Hybrid Golf clubs have become so popular because they provide the distance of fairway woods with the accuracy and control of Irons. While many golfers tend to favor fairway woods over long irons due to their larger sweet spot on the face, the longer and heavier shaft of a fairway wood can be difficult to master.
Why does a hybrid golf ball launch higher?
If you’ve ever wondered why a hybrid seems to launch the ball with higher ball flight trajectory compared to a fairway wood or iron from the rough and fairway lies, it’s due to the center of gravity placement in the club head.
What is hybrid club?
Hybrids provide similar club head size and shaping as fairway woods to give golfers that added sweet spot confidence while mixing in similar shaft length and weight as irons to help hit shots with easier control than woods.
How much loft can you increase with hybrid golf clubs?
Many top hybrid clubs are now adjustable meaning you can increase or decrease the amount of loft on your club by about 3-5 degrees +/-.
Which is easier to hit, a hybrid or a fairway wood?
It depends on the golfer but most golfers find that the hybrid is easier to hit than the fairway wood. They find it has better control and more forgiving to keep the ball flying straighter.
Can hybrid golf clubs replace fairway woods?
While it might seem like Hybrid clubs should come along and replace all of the fairway woods in your bag, it is important to note that both of these clubs provide different characteristics and benefits that suit shots from different lies, different distances and shots that need different trajectories, so don’t go throwing out your fairway woods just yet.
Is the Taylormade M2 hybrid a hybrid?
The TaylorMade M2 hybrid is still one of the most popular golf hybrids for beginners despite TaylorMade releasing new series of clubs like the M4 and the M6.
When did hybrid golf clubs come out?
The hybrid was introduced to the golf marketplace in the early 2000s and quickly grew in popularity. Its original intent was to replace long irons. Instead of having a 3-iron, you would have a 3-hybrid. While this continues to be the most popular loft of hybrids, you can now find entire sets of clubs that are more hybrid than conventional irons.
What is a hybrid club?
The hybrid is a combination of iron and wood design elements, thus the name. A simple description – it sort of looks like a small fairway wood, but it offered in much higher lofts. The hybrid was introduced to the golf marketplace in the early 2000s and quickly grew in popularity.
Why is hybrid design important?
The hybrid design is so versatile and provides the golfer with more options on the course. All players should think about which clubs in their bag might be holding them back and determine if a hybrid is the correct answer.
Why use hybrid irons?
Why use a hybrid? Quite simply – they are easier to hit. While they were originally designed to replace long irons, they can be helpful as middle iron replacements, and even around the greens. First, hybrids have made 1-irons, 2-irons, and 3-irons almost extinct in the game of golf.
Can you swap out a 6 iron club for a hybrid?
If you can already hit nice, high 6-irons on to the green, you probably do not want to swap out that club for a hybrid. From our perspective, only beginners or high handicappers want to replace their middle irons with hybrid style clubs.
Should I use hybrids in golf?
The question for amateur golfer is not “should I use a hybrid?”, it is “how many hybrids should I use”? They make the game easier and will allow you play a variety of shots that will help improve your scores.
Can you use a hybrid iron in bunkers?
Finally, the hybrid can be an alternative if you struggle chipping around the green. They cannot be used out of greenside bunkers or if you need to hit a flop shot, but they are great for little bump and run shots. Any shot that you might use a 7-iron to chip with or if you ever putt from off the green, try your hybrid. The ball will come off the face with nice over spin and roll true.
What is hybrid golf?
As discussed, hybrids are designed with this in mind: they have a wider sole, a lower and further back center of gravity, plus bulge/roll on their faces, which aids gear effect. These are all great designs that help the average player with impact and control. From a psychological standpoint, if you think something is easier to hit, you will make more relaxed golf swings. Relaxed swings are usually better, and most importantly, lead to shots that are findable!
Why do hybrids help in golf?
There’s three reason why hybrids help to eliminate this miss: The center of gravity is farther back and lower, which helps lift the ball into the air.
Why do golfers use hybrid irons?
Higher handicap golfers must use hybrids because, generally speaking, they don’t have the club head and ball speed to use long irons effectively . Shots with long irons that don’t have ample speed will come out too low, have too little spin, and run off the back of greens.
Why do tour pros use driving irons?
Tour pros use driving irons (which are basically part long iron/part hybrid) because they have a touch more versatility than hybrids when it comes to shaping shots and changing trajectory. The tour pros don’t need the forgiveness, they need the control — but we aren’t tour pros.
What effect does vertical gear have on golf?
Vertical gear effect, will help increase spin on shots hit low on the face.
Why is my golf ball coming in higher?
Therefore, a golf ball coming in higher will help offset the negative effects of the slope on your approach, and the ball stop quicker on the green.
Why are long irons good for golf?
However, if you play in hard and windy conditions, then it might be a good idea to have the long irons handy, because if it gets too blustery, a high and spinning shot will balloon. Approach shots are all about controlling angle of descent.

Is It Time For New Clubs?
The Guidelines
- Let’s start with the two most cut-and-dried parts of the equipment replacement decision: club wear and technological advancement. If a club is no longer performing the way you want because it’s worn out, it should be replaced. Similarly, you don’t want to be swinging persimmon when everyone else in your group has titanium. Of course, all these sugg...
The Big Question
- If I were going to simplify the new equipment decision down to one simple question, it would be, “Is the new stuff better?” This is one more reason why we’re such ardent proponents of club fitting. If your current clubs are performing as well as any new options, a good fitter will tell you that. If you’re missing out on ten yards of driver carry, they’ll tell you that, too. A good club fitter …
Other Reasons to Change
- It’s worth acknowledging that there are reasons besides improved performance for changing clubs. Sometimes, especially with a putter, you just want a fresh look. If you’ve lost confidence in a club, there’s nothing wrong with trying something new. There’s also no denying that new clubs are fun. If changing equipment is part of the fun of golf for you, by all means, play three differen…