Best hybrid loft for greenside chipping

[jobin]

Played with a bloke recently who pulled out the hybrid any time near the green.  He did well with it too.  Said keeping the ball close to the ground was much safer than using lofted irons and he learned his technique on links courses.

But i failed to inquire the loft of his hybrid.  I've got a 24* and a 18* degree.

Anyone have an opinion.  And advice on how much down the shaft to grip, any special ball placement, etc appreciated.

[BigTreble]

So my feeble uneducated mind would wonder if the Length  and lie angle would negate the lower loft angle by increasing potential mis hits to the left or right when choosing  a hybrid  vs an iron? 

[pinhigh27]

Don't see the allure personally. The COR of the club and the length make it impractical IMO. Not sure why you wouldn't just use a 7 iron or a putter. 

[596]

I don't chip much with my hybrids, but, I'd guess my 32* K15 6 hybrid would be really good.  Same loft as my JPX800 7 iron.  I'd guess gripping all the way down to the shaft with a normal chipping stance and you'd be good to go.  Probably wouldn't need to swing very hard at all.  That things coming off hot 🔥

[MPAndreassi]

It’s going to be dependent on the shot. Either will do the intended purpose. If it needs to fly a little higher, or carry further (i.e. out of the green side rough) use the 24* if you’re on the fringe you can use the 18*. You should stand pretty close to the ball, and you’ll likely be gripped down all the way to the end of the grip. It’s basically like using a putter stroke with the hybrid. Start with the ball in the middle of your stance and work around from there. 

[Bob M]

I am a fan of using a hybrid to chip because I find it a low risk shot.....with practice! The stroke is more like a putt which combined with the wide sole, reduces the chance that you will skull the ball across the green or stub it way short.  

 

You can find lots of video content covering this technique: Monte talks about it in his "Use the Bounce" videos, Stan Utley shows something pretty similar with a 9-wood, etc. Back in the day, Tiger would occasionally chip with a 3-wood.

 

I use a 5 hybrid (26*) and can always get the ball on the green. I tend to use this shot, rather than putting from off the green, if I have a lot of fringe to cover and/or the fringe is pretty uneven. The best way to determine the right loft is to take your hybrids to the putting green, try both and see which works best. 

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

Hybrids are very practical for little chips around the green, IMO.  Lie and situation dependent like everything else.

 

I used to use my 24 degree, but when I replaced it and also got a companion 27 degree I switched to the 27 degree for those chips, mostly because the length is just right.

 

Gotta practice with 'em though, to me they need a bit of a "hit" if you do the heel up, hit off the toe method, that doesn't really work for me. Seems more natural to me to hit it out of the sweet spot.

 

A little shot that just needs to get on the green and then softly rolling downhill you need to get up and rolling out of some green side grass (again depending on the lie)?  It's perfect, IMO, for lots of little touch shots in addition to those you just want to get rolling and keep rolling.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[huskydawg]

On 3/27/2021 at 10:14 PM, jobin said:

Played with a bloke recently who pulled out the hybrid any time near the green.  He did well with it too.  Said keeping the ball close to the ground was much safer than using lofted irons and he learned his technique on links courses.

But i failed to inquire the loft of his hybrid.  I've got a 24* and a 18* degree.

Anyone have an opinion.  And advice on how much down the shaft to grip, any special ball placement, etc appreciated.

 

I use a 5 wood, but you should experiment with both hybrids.  It's most effective from tight lies off hardpan or fairway, especially uphill shots or if there is lots of fairway to run through where a putter would not generate enough power (34 inch club won't do it) and where an iron might snag on the turf.  Don't recommend doing it from the rough or a quick, downhill green. 

 

Grip down to the shaft, stand closer to the ball, play off your right foot in a narrow stance, set up for a toe down strike with heel off the ground.  Now hit it like a putt, no wrist.  If you divide the green into quadrants, the near quadrant will have a shorter swing, far quadrant will have a longer swing, you can fine tune how hard you hit it. 

 

Good luck!  I'm pretty good with the shot, but just have to make those setup changes and use it in the right situations.  Since the leading edge is rounded off, the club won't snag on the turf as bad as an iron. It's a pretty safe option.

[Dan Drake]

I love the shot, and it’s one that I teach to every single junior that comes to see me, including my son!
 

Once you have the (your) basics of hitting the shot down, I highly recommend doing a “Pepsi challenge.” Take all your fairway woods and all your hybrids out to the practice green and pit them against each other. Then pick out the one that best “translates” the shot you see into the shot you hit.

 

Then use that club for 99% of these types of shots that you hit.  For me, it is my fairway wood.  On an older set it was my 3 hybrid.  It is very individual, so find yours and then learn to love the “bumpy hybrid” shot!

[Aviador Naval]

I use the hybrid chip on occasion - predominantly from poor lies and rarely more than a few yards from the green.  I choke down to bottom of grip, grip it like a putter (e.g., reverse overlap), and ‘putt’ the ball so that it just carries onto the green and rolls like a putt.

 

My two hybrids are 38-1/4” and 39” and my putter is just shy of 36” and in the D3 range - both of which likely help.  I typically use the 22 degree.

 

I’m in the ‘use the center of the club’ camp vice the hit it with the toe technique.  I can understand those that pass on the hybrid chip due to shaft length and swingweight concerns - especially if they subscribe to the current fad of the ridiculously heavy putter.  However, the COR argument is a complete red herring.  If, while chipping, one is activating the spring face feature of any club, they need to find a new sport/hobby...

 

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Aviador Naval

[me05501]

I love putting with my hybrid from off the green. Yeah, the face is a little hotter than other clubs, but that’s not much of a factor at the speeds we’re talking about. I find it very easy to adjust my brain to account for the difference between a hybrid and putter.

 

I’ll use it when the fringe is shaggy or there’s light rough around the collar. I definitely prefer it if the lie is tight or downhill. 
 

It’s a huge lifesaver when faced with an uphill shot to a short pin. You can just bang the ball into the hill with a hybrid and usually it’ll scoot on up to the green.

[badpokerbadgolf]

I just bought a ladies 9 wood (30degrees) and ladies 7 hybrid (34 degree) for this shot.  Gonna cut the shafts down to 33" or 35" and use it strictly for shots around the green when a bit of loft is needed.  I might do the same with an old 4 wood as well for longer chips where I want to get the ball rolling quickly.

 

The hybrids and woods are great for chipping and I think the hot face is a positive since it requires a shorter stroke.  But the length of the club can make it tricky at times.  Looking forward to seeing how it goes.