Question: Why are Hybrids Easier to Hit Than Traditional Long Irons?
(Editor's Note: Hybrids, a k a utility clubs, have exploded in popularity of the past few years. More and more golfers are removing the long irons from their bags and replacing them with hybrids. Why? Because, as you've surely heard, hybrids are so much easier to hit than long irons. But why? What makes hybrids easier than long irons to master? Here is Tom's answer.)
Answer: There is a very true statement in clubfitting: the lower the loft, the more difficult it is to hit the ball high.
When you watch the PGA Tour pros hit 2-, 3-, or 4-irons, you can see that these players have the swing skills to hit their conventional long irons almost as high as regular golfers hit their wedges. Average golfers cannot generate enough height with their long irons because, one, they have a much lower swing speed than pros; and, two, the recreational golfer does not have the swing skill to be able to consistently hit down and through the ball and keep their head behind the ball at impact with low-lofted irons.
Properly designed hybrid clubs that have the same loft as their long iron counterparts make it much easier to get the ball up in the air to fly because hybrids are much "thicker" than conventional long irons.
This greater face-to-back dimension of the hybrid long-iron replacement heads allows the center of gravity to be positioned much farther back from the face. This, in turn, results in a much higher trajectory for a shot off a hybrid club compared to a traditional long iron of the same loft. In other words, at equal lofts the hybrid - with its center of gravity farther back from the clubface - will help the golfer get the ball up into the air on a higher trajectory than a long iron (whose center of gravity is much closer to the clubface).
Return to Golf Clubs FAQ index
About the Author
Tom Wishon is one of the most highly respected members of the golf equipment industry. He specializes in clubhead design, shaft analysis, and clubfitting research and development, and is the owner of his own golf equipment company, Tom Wishon Golf Technology. Tom is a member of the Golf Digest Technical Panel, and is the Technical Advisor to PGA.com, the website of the PGA of America.
