Hybrid Club Fitting – More Headcovers in the Bag Indicates a Smarter Golfer
Not long ago I was asked my opinion of what have been the most significant advances in golf club technology. Such a list has to include improvements such as steel shafts replacing hickory, perimeter weighted irons and metal woods replacing blades and wooden heads, titanium driver heads with their higher COR, and graphite shafts to lighten the total weight of golf clubs, just to name a few.
I believe an additional entry on such a list should include hybrid clubs, but only if the hybrids are correctly fit to golfers for the purpose of beneficially taking their place as a part of each golfer’s iron set. Far too many hybrids end up simply being an alternative to a fairway wood or a club which still leaves distances on the course for which the golfer doesn’t have a club or a club that is easier to hit.
What do I mean? The golf industry’s practice of ever decreasing the loft of irons over the past several decades has gotten to the point that the vast majority of golfers do not possess the ability to hit the 3-, 4- and even the 5-iron consistently enough to even merit having the clubs in their bag.
| Iron | Pre-1980 | Current |
| Average Loft | ||
| 2-iron | 20° | N/A |
| 3-iron | 24 | 18° |
| 4-iron | 28 | 21 |
| 5-iron | 32 | 25 |
| 6-iron | 36 | 29 |
| 7-iron | 40 | 33 |
| 8-iron | 44 | 37 |
| 9-iron | 48 | 41 |
| PW | 52 | 45 |
| GW/AW | N/A | 50 |
| SW | 56 | 56 |
| LW | N/A | 60 |
| Note: Current lofts represent an average of iron sets currently on the market | ||
This condition of “shrinking loft disease” in the irons most certainly is what has opened the door to allow hybrid clubs to step in to offer a truly positive solution for golfers who find the modern #3, 4 and 5 irons more difficult to hit consistently well.
Unfortunately, because hybrid clubs sold off the shelf run the gauntlet in terms of lengths and lofts, simply buying hybrid clubs off the shelf will not bring about the best possible results for all golfers in search of clubs that are easier to hit and hit the ball the same distance as the irons that are being replaced. Some hybrids are built the same length as fairway woods. Most are made to lengths in between the lengths of low number irons and fairway woods, while very few are offered in the same lengths as the low loft conventional irons that need to be replaced. Sadly it seems the mainstream of the golf industry prefers to focus chiefly on selling clubs to enable golfers to hit the ball longer rather than to offer clubs which play a beneficial role in the golfers’ set makeup.
The most effective way to custom fit every golfer for hybrid clubs is to start by finding the irons the golfer struggles to hit high and solid and then to fit the golfer for hybrids with the same length and the same loft as the irons the golfer finds difficult to hit consistently well. Most golfers will find it very helpful to replace the 5-iron with a hybrid as well because current game improvement 5-irons with lofts from 21.5 to 26 degrees (avg. 25 degrees) are just too low in loft to allow most average players to generate enough height and spin to make the ball carry as far as it should for the golfer’s clubhead speed.
When custom fitting the hybrids to the same length and loft as the irons being replaced, not only will the golfer have a club for each shot distance they may encounter, they will also have clubs that truly can eliminate the problems caused by “shrinking loft disease” in the irons.
Tom
I agree with your conclusion on how the hybrids do not match the distance of the irons they are to replace. My 6hy Sim Max goes the distance of the 5 iron. Rather than redo all my hybrids to match the length of the irons according to the lofts, my 6hy is the same loft as my 6i, wouldn’t it be better to just play it as my 5 iron?
Charles It’s impossible to make a valid comparison between clubs for distance unless you know the LOFT of both heads, as well as the lengths. My comment that hybrids can hit the ball longer is based on the assumption that the loft and length are the same for both clubs. In this case, the hybrid can hit the ball longer because it will almost always have a lower AND a more rear located center of gravity than the iron of the same loft. The lower and more rear located CG means the launch angle is usually higher, so is the… Read more »
As well as the Adams A7 5 hybrid. Until recently, he had no idea why he found the wood hybrids in the OS series harder for him to use. He grew up as a strong iron player, not as strong with his fairway woods. While his 17 degree 2 hybrid would be a 4 wood loft, it would be his 4 hybrid where he would appreciate an iron-based hybrid since 4 iron lofts are what our 3 iron lofts were…at least we’re led to believe. Now that I have shared this understanding with him, he has a better understanding of… Read more »
Thanks, Tom! I appreciate your insight from your experience! It’s always a pleasure hearing the difference between perception and reality. Loyalty branding is a definite concern…and a lot of it stems from marketing ploys. If we had a million dollars for every amateur who said they played a name brand because their favorite player played Nike irons, for instance, we could live off the interest. I enjoy Adams Golf clubs and Tiger plays Nike. We all need to find what fits our games…and not get caught up in the hoopla of what others are playing. It was nice to hear… Read more »
Thanks, Tom! Yeah this appears to be one of those misnomers or idiosyncrasies of golf. I can definitely see the ‘method for your madness.” Sadly the bigger companies like Taylor Made and Callaway, they don’t understand that one size doesn’t fit all! And sooner or later we will figure them out! Taylor Made has been known to bring out new technology as the flavor of the month…and that has put them in a precarious position…and it’s also why they should not try to compete for the market that Adams Golf had. Just my two cents worth…it didn’t take a rocket… Read more »
GERRY
It’s obvious you have the intelligence and common sense to figure this out and know it’s right, but sadly there are millions upon millions who are so brainwashed by the big companies’ image and hype marketing that they cannot fathom how full specs custom fitting could be more important than the name on the clubs they choose to put in their bag. It can be truly frustrating to try to convince golfers like this of the facts. thanks so much for your support and the very best to you in this great game!
TOM
Hello Tom! Until recently, I was unaware of the terms wood-based hybrids and iron-based hybrids. Does that account for a lot of the confusion surrounding how coaches and teachers explain how to play each hybrid?I’m thinking since I generally play a 5 iron in my set…an iron-based hybrid would be more ideal in terms of the added distance. What are your thoughts on wood-based versus iron-based hybrids? Thanks, Tom, for sharing your expertise in this!
GERRY The term you mention refers to whether the length of the hybrids is made to be the same as the irons of the same loft being replaced by the hybrids (iron based), or whether the hybrids are longer in length and approaching the normal length of fairway woods of the same or similar lofts (wood based). Golfers can do either one depending on what DISTANCE ROLE they want the hybrids to play in their set – if they dislike conventional fwy woods, then you can have hybrids made to close to fwy wood length and thus have the club… Read more »
Tom, I think something else that gets some amateur golfers confused is when a hybrid based wood, such as the Super S Adams hybrid is iron length. Would that still make it to be considered a wood based hybrid or an iron based hybrid? Thanks for clearing this confusion, Tom!
GERRY I probably need to apologize in advance for this, but now having 40+ yrs in this industry with a literal TON of knowledge and experience in golf club design, fitting, and business, I believe STRONGLY that the biggest thing that gets amateur golfers confused about equipment, whether it is hybrids or what, is their continued belief that they should buy their clubs in a big golf store or pro shop or on line and not from a competent, experienced independent custom clubmaker. It really is. This whole retail side of the golf equipment industry is so badly flawed when… Read more »
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Tom, Great post! I’ve been struggling to understand the proper approach to building hybrids for a long time! It makes tremendous sense that you would replace like spec clubs (e.g., 6H at 28* loft and 258 g replaces 5 iron at 27* and 257 g, etc.). But what about shafts and playing length? Assume you are using the same shaft as you use in your irons. First, because you are using like spec heads (6H for 5 iron), do you tip trim for your 28* hybrid the same as you would tip trim for your 27* iron? Second, how do… Read more »
CHRIS Three things chiefly control how far we hit any golf club. 1) Loft; 2) Length; 3) Face Design with respect to the COR (coefficient of restitution) of the face. One more can come into play with lower lofted clubs, which is the center of gravity position in the clubhead and how that matches with a golfer’s clubhead speed and angle of attack to generate a specific launch angle. For two clubheads of the same center of gravity and same face COR, loft becomes 80-85% of the distance while the length accounts for the other 15-20%. If the golfer has… Read more »
I wonder how much further these companies will keep going with these loft decreases. 🙂
The new TaylorMade RocketBallz are 3-17.5, 4-20, 5-23, 6-26.5, 7-30.5, 8-35, 9-40, P-45, A-50, S-55.
Hehe, Honma Golf has gone so far for 2012 they had to add a 10 and 11 iron…4-19.5, 5-22.5, 6-25.5, 7-28.5, 8-32.5, 9-36.5, 10-41.5, 11-46.5, A-51.5, S-56.
On a side note, that lead in was a pretty good one. You should write a future full blog post about the most significant advances in golf club technology.
Hi Jaacob!! That’s just ridiculous to take lofts of irons down that low. I know some golfers just don’t care and don’t see this as bordering on being a travesty as I do. What other possible reason could there be to keep lowering lofts to this point other than to entice golfers to buy the clubs because they will hit the ball longer? There is absolutely NO design feature on any iron that could justify lofts being additionally lowered to this point. At one point last year when I had seen an OEM set with a 24* 5-iron loft, I… Read more »
Hi Tom. As Jaacob said, How far will they go? There has to be a limit or eventually a 3 iron would be a hockey stick. The OEM’s would be better served to design sets 5 iron to PW and include Hybrids to replace the 3 & 4 irons. I recently bought a used set of GS Cavity back forged irons (3-PW) I already had the 2 iron. (which I assembled and always hit like gold!) The 3 & 4 iron look like they have never been hit! Was that head your design? Circa 2000? Thanks for the GR8 site… Read more »
Richard: FYI, I’ve been told by some who follow the business of the golf equipment industry that the reason the OEMs don’t pursue your idea of an 8 pc set that already includes the 3, 4 hybrids is because of two reasons – 1) hybrids cost more than irons so having 2 hybrids + 6 irons would cost the golfer more than 8 irons – they think this could turn some people to an 8 pc iron set for less money; 2) the fear offending the better player who thinks he doesn’t need any hybrids or thinks he only needs… Read more »
Thanks for the reply Tom.
Yes, indeed the clubs are your design. Best I’ve ever hit by a wide margin.
Rick.
RICK Thanks much and happy to hear you have liked these forged irons I did back then. I do remember them VERY WELL because they did end up being 100% right to my satisfaction. Many times when I have designed a model, when they are done there has always been something I look at that I think I would have liked to have done a little different. But I do recall very clearly that was not the case on the GS Tour Cavity forged irons. ( I still have a set unused that I have hung onto over the years… Read more »