A newer segment of the golf club market is utility clubs, also known as hybrids, iron-woods and wood-irons. These clubs are designed to take the place of long irons, which are among the hardest clubs to hit for recreational players. The goal is to make an easier-to-hit club that gets the golf ball airborne so the ball lands soft and stops, while still providing fairway wood or long iron distance.
Kasco's "Super Hyten" high-recoil clubface uses super-maraging steel that's twice as dense as titanium. Golf balls shoot off the face, but with greatly minimized spin. Very expensive by utility club standards, but the K2K E-Spec is top-of-the-line.
Integrated into the new Idea Irons set where most iron sets would feature long irons, the Adams i-Woods offer 27-percent more forgiveness than traditional long irons according to the manufacturer. A great feeling club.
With a shorter shaft and more weight in the clubhead, The Perfect Club provides excellent feel and more control. The manufacturer recommends it be played in the golfer's stance and swing as an 8-iron, but you'll get the distance of your best 3- or 4-iron.
The TaylorMade Rescue was one of the first utility clubs to gain acceptance on pro tours. The Rescue Mid continues the tradition. TaylorMade says the Rescue Mid provides 5.5 mph more ball speed and 7 yards more distance over its long-iron counterpart. Comes in a series of four, numbered 2-, 3-, 4- and 5- to correspond to the iron it replaces.
A non-offset version of its Iron-Wood, the Tour Iron-Wood is the result of demand from better players for this Tour Edge utility club. Has a slightly smaller head and allows better players to work the ball more easily. One of the less-common utility clubs that bears more resemblance in appearance to an iron than to a fairway wood.
