Fourteen Hybrid

I've heard alot about the Fourteen Hybrids from several people and have seen them on here a fair share. Anyone playing these??? And if so how are they and where can you get them from???

I'm playing the Fourteen HI 858 and it's probably been in the bag the longest of all my clubs. It's very easy to hit. It's got a lot more offest compared the the newer 860, but I don't have a problem moving it either way. It's easily taken the place of my 2 iron and if anything is more in the distance of a 5 wood.

I get them here locally but we have a lot more access to import stuff then most other States. They come up at least once a month on Ebay along with the wedges and irons. It's really a great club and from it's presence this week at the Sony on the range, hopefully they'll be in more stores throughout the States.

I personally prefer the Hi-660 to the Hi-858 for the 18* 2-iron version. It is by easier to hit well consistently. The SYB MC-707T 18* 2-iron is another altermative to the 858. It plays identically, but features less offset. (In fact, the SYB MC-707T was preferred over the 858 on the Japanese Tour because of that). All (3) of the clubs above were designed by the same Japanese designer with the Hi-660 being the newest design.

All (3) clubs are quite good as driving irons go, but the Hi-660 is a bit more versatile. It features a higher trajectory and lands softer on the greens and with the lowest COG of the (3), it is definitely easiest to launch from off the deck. (Just imagine a much-improved Fli-Hi).

I actually still own (2) Hi-660's, (a primary and a backup), plus an 18* SYB. These aren't seeing a lot of bag time, but from time-to-time the Hi-660 or the SYB makes an appearance there. (One of the courses I play regularly has a very long par-3 that just begs for the 18* Hi-660 from the back tees).

If you are interested in acquiring a brand new Hi- 858, the SYB, or a Hi-660 I can point you to an on-line source for these clubs here in the USA. Just PM me if you want the site's address. I can also offer my virtually brand new backup Hi-660, (with a factory installed Rifle 5.5). I haven't listed it for sale anywhere yet, but I can live with owning just one 18* Hi-660. Just PM me for details.

You can buy any Fourteen clubs from

www.eagleusagolf.com

They sell everything

So does max5sports.com. In fact you can actually buy the SYB Concept MC707T as a head only there. The SYB plays identically to the Hi-858 but sets up better because it features much less offset. Same Japanese designer as the 858, and the SYHB was actually more popular on the Japanese Tour. Fourteen eventually did announce a "version 2" of the 858 to compete with it that had less offset but those were Tour issues only, so you won't find the version 2's anywhere. IMO, the SYB looks much so better anyway!.

If you don't mind offset and want something in 18* that is a bit easier to hit off the deck, the HI-660 is the ticket. It is a much newer design from Fourteen than the Hi-858 and the best looking club of the three mentioned. It launches higher and lands softer. The Hi-660 plays very much like the Mizuno Fli-Hi/Fli-Hi II, but looks 1000% better than those..

One last tip: For those of you who love the Tourstage 202 irons and often wished a 2-iron was offered, the 18* SYB is definitely the club for you. The rear cavity finish matches the TS-202 set extremely well cosmetically and the even the number "2" stamped on the sole perfectly matchesperfectly with the numbers on the 202's. Makes a nice driving iron addition to the TS-202 set and actually appears to be a matching hybrid when seen in the bag with 202 irons. :)