Hybrids.. buy now or wait for the new ones?

[rwhitlock]

I'd like to pick up a new hybrid, more than likely a 2 hybrid or 3 hybrid that I can as a 2nd shot into par 5's and off the tee if needed.  I currently have an older Titleist 818 21* and like it.  I've noticed that the TS2's have dropped in price, so my question is..  should I pick one up now, or wait until the new TSi hybrids are out, and pay more?   Will they really be *that* much better?

 

Thanks,

 

Rod

[Stetson]

You can probably get a good deal on a 818 19* and would allow you to have some consistency. I would imagine looking down and seeing a similar head would be a plus. 

[third-times-a-charm]

Good a time as any.

[rufus mangler]

7 hours ago, Stetson said:

You can probably get a good deal on a 818 19* and would allow you to have some consistency. I would imagine looking down and seeing a similar head would be a plus. 

This.

[MattyO1984]

Unless having the latest in greatest is something which is important to you, I would go for it now. Given the timing of the last Titleist hybrid release, I would suspect that you will be waiting longer than you might think.

[Stetson]

True, they won’t be released with the woods next month. 
 

the 818’s are still widely used on tour for a reason

[Stetson]

Delete

Edited September 14, 2020 by Stetson

[MattM97]

I'd wait a little bit for the new ones to come out and then buy an old one as the price will drop a bit more. Also depends what you're looking for in a hybrid, for me I need flat so sometimes there are options and sometimes there isn't. 

[Warrick]

I had been working on a 4i replacement last season, tried several things, the found a F9 4H cheap. I play the F9 Tour fairways, love the rails, love it. This year I have tracked my success with 5 iron, and not that good, found a place to order a custom F9 5H.

 

These are the best I have played, hands down

[NoTalentLefty]

My tendency? Buy hybrids on sell.

[ChipNRun]

Unless there's a big jump in technology, there's only two reasons to buy new:

• You have unusual swing characteristics that dictate a custom build to get what you need.
• A demo-day or golf expo price special that saves you some $$ on buy.

The golf OEMs are tightening their supply chains, and sometimes last cycle's model is no longer available in what I want. In the case of Callaway MD4 wedges, about the only thing left last Thanksgiving were 58* and 60* LWs. Pretty much everything else was gone.

 

Fairway woods and hybrids seem to have the most to offer in slightly used.

[TourSpoon]

My prediction is that there will be no huge jump in technology. But this is from a guy who still plays an Adams Idea Pro Gold with the Matrix Ozik Altus shaft. 

[scooterhd2]

i thought you was going to be having a Cleveland mashie or something. You have an 818. Get another one. They are under 100 bucks right now and as good as anything. 

[Taylormadehunter1]

13 minutes ago, scooterhd2 said:

i thought you was going to be having a Cleveland mashie or something. You have an 818. Get another one. They are under 100 bucks right now and as good as anything. 

Hahaha, I was expecting the same thing when I saw the title. 

[mx-20]

Cobra dropped their prices today on hybrids. 

[llewol007]

Old stuff is still as good as the new stuff. It is all in different designs. Grab the older one or look on here. Lots of great offerings. 

[Stetson]

Aside from your driver every other club in the bag is about hitting as close to a target as possible. If new technology makes you more accurate than great if not it seems silly

[Tree Levino]

Hybrids are about strictly about gapping and finding a suitable flight window. Most players (pros included) are not good enough to consistently strike a bladed 2, 3, and even 4 iron and achieve the right mix of ball speed (consistency included), height, and spin (also meaning keeping spin down). As handicap goes up and or speed goes down, hybrids become more and more useful. 

 

The long and short of it is technology means nothing. I actually think the original 2016 cally apex hybrid is better than the newest version. I'm realizing how little I hit my 4 iron because any miss hit results in it dropping back to my 5 iron distance. For me, 5 iron is a 200-205 carry. I'm going to drop the 4 and put in a 22-23 hybrid to consistently hit the 215-220 number I need, then go 3 hybrid or 5 wood for 230-235 and then finally 3w at 250. Those numbers may be different for you but figuring out what yardages you need to hit is the key. 

[artica]

I just did a hybrid “fitting”, have a ping g30 19* that carries 212-215. Tried about 4 different models newly released for 2020 only one carried further by 1.7 yards. Similar profile shafts for each, currently gaming a blue even flow 85g stiff. 
 

I can’t imagine the hybrid tec gets better at the same rate that drivers do and even drivers barely are able to squeeze a couple more yards at most year over year. 
 

point is, buy whenever unless like above mention of needing the newest and shiniest model. 

[Stetson]

 

15 minutes ago, TigerInTheWoods said:

Hybrids are about strictly about gapping and finding a suitable flight window. Most players (pros included) are not good enough to consistently strike a bladed 2, 3, and even 4 iron and achieve the right mix of ball speed (consistency included), height, and spin (also meaning keeping spin down). As handicap goes up and or speed goes down, hybrids become more and more useful. 

 

The long and short of it is technology means nothing. I actually think the original 2016 cally apex hybrid is better than the newest version. I'm realizing how little I hit my 4 iron because any miss hit results in it dropping back to my 5 iron distance. For me, 5 iron is a 200-205 carry. I'm going to drop the 4 and put in a 22-23 hybrid to consistently hit the 215-220 number I need, then go 3 hybrid or 5 wood for 230-235 and then finally 3w at 250. Those numbers may be different for you but figuring out what yardages you need to hit is the key. 

Bingo. Find the number you need (target) and use whichever tool gets you closest to that most often

[Drivingrangehero]

Agreed with the hybrid being a gapping club unless............ you are looking to ditch your 3 wood and are looking for the longest one off the tee. If you are looking for a 2 or 3 as stated, I’d look to find the type of hybrid you prefer. Do you like the more iron like hybrids, or something more like a small wood? 
 

 

 

[Tiptx1122]

You need to look at the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 as I have the 2H and just order the 3H as you can get them at a good price and there is nothing new coming out that is going to out preform it. They are hard to find so they don't get all the attention that PING, TM, Callaway and the rest get.

[Taylormadehunter1]

1 hour ago, Tiptx1122 said:

You need to look at the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 as I have the 2H and just order the 3H as you can get them at a good price and there is nothing new coming out that is going to out preform it. They are hard to find so they don't get all the attention that PING, TM, Callaway and the rest get.

I was looking at those EXS 220 hybrids the other day. Any feedback you can give on them?  They look good but I don’t know anyone who has them or who has even demod them. 

[Hougz79]

I prefer the 818 to the TS line.  818H1 21* turned down to 20.25.  Does everything I need it to do.  Kicked it out for an Apex 19 (#marketing) and quickly went back to the 818.  It’s firmly in my bag until TM makes an adjustable SIM Hybrid lol.

[BogeyParBogey]

1 hour ago, Hougz79 said:

I prefer the 818 to the TS line.  818H1 21* turned down to 20.25.  Does everything I need it to do.  Kicked it out for an Apex 19 (#marketing) and quickly went back to the 818.  It’s firmly in my bag until TM makes an adjustable SIM Hybrid lol.

818s should adjust in full degree increments if you have the shaft that came with the club.  I think that started with the 816s, everything prior was 0.75*.

 

Dave

[Hougz79]

Sure, looking at an old chart apparently.  

[bluedot]

I went to a 2 hybrid as my second longest club back in the spring of 2019 after spending the winter proving to myself that I couldn't hit a 3W off the deck anymore.  That went so well that this past spring I replaced the 5W I still carried with a 3 hybrid, so no fairway woods for me anymore, and absolutely no regrets.  I would suspect that if you're even asking the question about your bag, you already know the answer.

 

The tougher question, at least to me, is whether to buy now or to wait.  The problem with waiting is that you have no idea how long the wait will be.  I think we're all assuming that a ton of new stuff will come out in January at the PGA show and then start hitting the fitting carts and stores immediately.  I see two trapdoors in front of that scenario; one is "pent up demand", in which orders for new stuff, after a year of waiting, are extremely high, and lots of stuff gets backordered.  The other possibility is that in the fall and winter the pandemic worsens, and the factories shut down again.  In THAT scenario, the waits become really extreme.  I waited nearly 3 months for ONE club that I ordered from Ping 10 days before they shut down in March, and it wasn't a new product or a complicated order or anything like that. 

 

So all of that considered, I think I'd lean toward getting the 2H now, even if that means some buyers remorse after the first of the year when the new stuff comes out.  I'm going to do a fitting for irons when the new stuff comes out, but I'm assuming that it'll be at least April, and probably even later, before I have the clubs in hand.  That's fine; I still have and like my current irons.  But you're looking to make a significant change, and will play a LOT of golf in the meantime.

 

Easy for me to spend your money, but I'd go for it now.

[dmeeksDC]

The Titleists are great and so are the Cobras and Pings, of the OEMs. If you like a direct-to-consumer model, look at the Sub 70 939x. They adjust for lie angle only, so a small sleeve, which I like. High quality, low price. 

[Tiptx1122]

16 hours ago, Taylormadehunter1 said:

I was looking at those EXS 220 hybrids the other day. Any feedback you can give on them?  They look good but I don’t know anyone who has them or who has even demod them. 

I wouldn't be concerned with who plays them. I think there might be some place where you can try them out for 30 days or something as they don't seem to mass produce them.  The play as good as they look for me so good luck in your search

[ChipNRun]

16 hours ago, Taylormadehunter1 said:

I was looking at those EXS 220 hybrids the other day. Any feedback you can give on them?  They look good but I don’t know anyone who has them or who has even demod them. 

Tour Edge is top notch for customer service. They have a 30-day money back guarantee if you don't like the product, and a lifetime warranty on the club if if you keep it. TE also pioneered the cup-face technology in modern FWs.

 

As for hybrids, if you want something "hook-proof", look at TE's CBX line.

 

This fall I snapped the shaft on an XRail 7 wood from 2013. I shipped the club to TE ($20 UPS), and TE put in a new shaft and new grip and had it back to me in 10 days.