5 Iron v. 5 Hybrid Showdown ... It Wasn't Close

[Sam217]

How are you guys getting hybrids down to iron length and keeping the SW from getting way to light?

[Drivingrangehero]

1 hour ago, Sam217 said:

How are you guys getting hybrids down to iron length and keeping the SW from getting way to light?

I used to play the same shaft as my irons, (Modus 105s)and I didn’t require any additional head weight, but now I’m playing them with 85g graphite shafts, so after testing, I added lead tape in order to add weight to the head, but planned on buying aftermarket or heavier OEM headweights. Since my hybrids are older model Adams, I couldn’t find heavier headweights, so  I opted to add weight inside the weight port with tungsten powder, which I had to add very little in increments, then weigh the total weight of the club, repeat until I hit my goal weight of grams (6 on one and 8 on another) but I prefer a heavier swingweight, so you may not to add weight at all if you perform well with a lower swing weight 

 

 

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Edited January 31 by Drivingrangehero
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[VA_Astra]

1 hour ago, Sam217 said:

How are you guys getting hybrids down to iron length and keeping the SW from getting way to light?

If you want to play same length, buy a cobra one length. I bought a 5, restarted with steelfiber fc80 1 inch long...it was money. 

I now play regular length hybrids.

[animalgolfs]

1 hour ago, Sam217 said:

How are you guys getting hybrids down to iron length and keeping the SW from getting way to light?

Up in shaft weight - 85g to 100g & using a heavier weight 10g to 16g

[DaveGoodrich]

8 hours ago, Sam217 said:

How are you guys getting hybrids down to iron length and keeping the SW from getting way to light?

 

I use 95g (graphite) shafts in my Adams Pro Minis, which was enough to get the swing weights to D1/D2.  Using your iron shafts can also work.  Depending on what head you are using, there may be changeable weights available, or use tip weights, lead tape, yarn stuffed inside, etc.  

[iBanesto]

Is there any reason hybrids can be prone to big left miss? Everything being equal.

 

Roll and bulge? Upright?

[ChaosTheory]

2 hours ago, iBanesto said:

Is there any reason hybrids can be prone to big left miss? Everything being equal.

 

Roll and bulge? Upright?

 

A lot of them have the face set back a little.  Not truly offset but not as much onset as a fairway wood.  The COG of the head always tries to line up with the shaft during the downswing.  The way it can do that is by turning left.

 

I think that has to have at least something to do with it.  If it is still happening with hybrids with more onset, then I dunno.

[carcharodon1977]

Funny thing for me is I can hit my 4 iron really well.  But the 5 iron is very inconsistent.  So I have a 5H in it's place.  Suits me well because the 4 iron is usually just for Par 3's.  The 5H is awesome on approach shots and tee shots.  I'm able to hit with with regular and choked down grips, so it's very versatile for me.  

[vonbonds]

Are there any tips or tricks on flighting a hybrid? Sometimes I wish I had an iron equivalent in it’s spot when it’s really windy out or I’ve boned myself under some tree limbs and I still want to hit it further 

[KarstenK]

4 minutes ago, vonbonds said:

Are there any tips or tricks on flighting a hybrid? Sometimes I wish I had an iron equivalent in it’s spot when it’s really windy out or I’ve boned myself under some tree limbs and I still want to hit it further 

I shorten my follow though like an iron or any club really. Sometimes that and moving the ball forward in your stance helps also. Practice getting out of danger with a hybrid and it really does help save strokes or give me options when I don’t want to use a iron for whatever reason.

[RacineBoxer]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:49 AM, iBanesto said:

Is there any reason hybrids can be prone to big left miss? Everything being equal.

 

Roll and bulge? Upright?

 

This isn't an a-hole response so don't read it that way but it's technique. Think of it this way- damn near every LPGA player on tour hits a hybrid and many of them play a draw as a preferred tee shot yet they aren't hooking them off the planet all day. Probably a ton of youtube videos on this. I'm not an instructor but I think much of it has to do with people seeing a club that looks more like a fairway wood so they play it up in their stance and try to sweep it which causes their path & face both to go left which results in a pull draw. Said differently, I don't think many people have the problem where they tee it up on a tight par 4 and they start it 10-15 yards over the right rough but it hooks all the way back across into the deep left rough. It's more of a: starts left and goes left. Which means face & path. Lastly, a lot of good hybrid players have no problem fading them. So think about that for a bit. Wesley Bryan has a ton of content on youtube and he smashes hybrid 240-250 at times with a gentle little fade. At the end of the day it all comes down to face & path.  

[RacineBoxer]

17 hours ago, KarstenK said:

I shorten my follow though like an iron or any club really. Sometimes that and moving the ball forward in your stance helps also. Practice getting out of danger with a hybrid and it really does help save strokes or give me options when I don’t want to use a iron for whatever reason.

 

Yeah, this is good advice for any club. I have a tendency when I'm swinging poorly (with driver down to wedge) to hit high spinny shots out to the right. When I'm struggling with that miss I start hitting balls with a punch out type of swing and abbreviated follow through. They come out way too low for standard shots on the course, and a lot of misses to the left, but the point is to overexaggerate in the opposite direction of what you're trying to fix. I'll hit maybe 10-20 balls trying to ingrain that feel and then start swinging bigger and flighting it higher until I'm quite neutral (which is my preference, I try to hit it pretty straight). 

[sm_watts]

On 1/31/2024 at 7:12 AM, Sam217 said:

How are you guys getting hybrids down to iron length and keeping the SW from getting way to light?

The Mizuno JPX*** Fli-Hi series of hybrids are designed to be heavier to play at roughly the same length as the iron they are replacing.

[dpark]

On 1/21/2024 at 5:17 PM, animalgolfs said:

You can either play the shot required or be a single dimensional hybrid player. Your statement is incorrect....hitting knockdowns with my 6h is one of my favorite shots

Thanks for the insult. I am a scratch golfer and a club champ and have played in my state amateur. I can work shots thank you very much but I cannot work a hybrid anywhere near as well as I can a 716MB and I don't think anyone who has the ability to play a classic MB could either. You may think you can hit a low 6h knockdown, but it will never be as low as a 6 iron MB knockdown. Physics say it isn't possible. Not with how hybrids are designed. 

[dpark]

On 1/21/2024 at 4:18 PM, uglande said:

That is one of the things that surprised me the most. The five hybrid was actually quite easy to shape both vertically and horizontally. (Playing TSr2 5H w/ AD DI 9x).

I've hit the Titleist hybrids back to back with the iron equivalents. Not even close (for me) in both directions. I hit the hybrid higher than I can an equivalent iron, and I hit an iron knockdown lower than I can with a hybrid. 

 

Not saying it is impossible to "work" a hybrid, but they just aren't designed to be worked as much as an iron, but they are WAY easier to hit (again, designed to do so)

[dpark]

On 1/21/2024 at 2:12 PM, Obee said:

A solid player can definitely shape the ball with a 5-hybrid and also hit a knockdown. I can do both.

 

You seem like a very solid player who probably has high ball speed and has no trouble hitting a 4i high and softish. Good for you. You are not the player who lofted hybrids will help much, if at all.

 

the "workability" of a hybrid just can't compare to an iron. At least the hybrids I have hit. And no, I don't hit an iron higher than a hybrid. I need to be able to flight my shots due to wind and I can't do it as well with a hybrid as I can with an iron. I carry a 3H and a 4I. When I play Bandon, I dump my LW and bring the butter knife (1-iron) because I can keep that thing super low for the into the wind shots that you have on the Oregon Coast. 

[animalgolfs]

4 hours ago, dpark said:

Thanks for the insult. I am a scratch golfer and a club champ and have played in my state amateur. I can work shots thank you very much but I cannot work a hybrid anywhere near as well as I can a 716MB and I don't think anyone who has the ability to play a classic MB could either. You may think you can hit a low 6h knockdown, but it will never be as low as a 6 iron MB knockdown. Physics say it isn't possible. Not with how hybrids are designed. 

[Obee]

6 hours ago, dpark said:

 

the "workability" of a hybrid just can't compare to an iron. At least the hybrids I have hit. And no, I don't hit an iron higher than a hybrid. I need to be able to flight my shots due to wind and I can't do it as well with a hybrid as I can with an iron. I carry a 3H and a 4I. When I play Bandon, I dump my LW and bring the butter knife (1-iron) because I can keep that thing super low for the into the wind shots that you have on the Oregon Coast. 

I didn't say you hit them "higher," I said you can probably hit them high. Some golfers, especially as they age, simply cannot get their 3, 4, 5-irons in the air with any regularity. This problem can be especially acute in the winter when lies can be tighter in some areas of the country.

As for "workability," most golfers are happy to get solid, repeatable shot patterns with whatever clubs fill the 3, 4, 5 slot in their bags. Workability is not the chief concern for most golfers.

Personally, I "work" my hybrids all the time, on virtually every shot, because that's just the way I play golf. I also have chosen "player" hybrids with minimal to no offset and shafts that fit my game for exactly that reason.

The last thing (virtually) any decent player should do is get a hybrid with offset paired with a too-soft and too-torquey shaft. That's a recipe for "High hook city."

[bgfgolf]

On 3/15/2024 at 2:02 AM, dpark said:

Thanks for the insult. I am a scratch golfer and a club champ and have played in my state amateur. I can work shots thank you very much but I cannot work a hybrid anywhere near as well as I can a 716MB and I don't think anyone who has the ability to play a classic MB could either. You may think you can hit a low 6h knockdown, but it will never be as low as a 6 iron MB knockdown. Physics say it isn't possible. Not with how hybrids are designed. 

You just can’t be as aggressive with the hybrid. You can really attack the ball to hit it low with a blade because of the higher center of gravity, but with a hybrid you have to swing slower. If you swing too fast with the hybrid while trying to knock it low it’s going to go higher than you want.

 

no different than any other pitch shot. For example, if you’re behind a tree 130 yards out you may “want” to hit a knock down 8/7 iron, but if the clearance is just too low you’ll have to pull a 5/6 iron and swing slowly to keep it under even though this is a tougher shot because it’s hard to control all the roll out.

Edited March 17 by bgfgolf

[jas904]

Am I the only one who finds it funny that a discussion is held about comparing a hybrid to a 716MB?

[GolfTurkey]

I just compared my strokes gained in Arccos for my 5i and 5h and they were identical. 

 

My SG for 4h is way better than my 4i so it seems that 5i/h is my crossover point between irons and hybrids where I can play whatever depending on conditions and then definitely play 6i.

[RoyalMustang]

I've never found a 4 or 5 hybrid that I could hit. Maybe my G400 19H with Kuro 85X, 3/4" short, weighted to D3 is a unicorn, but I can't seem to replicate the feel with any other hybrid I've tried. They all have a less consistent, higher spin, high flight that I don't want in that club.  

 

when I'm playing well, I'm pretty darn accurate with a 5-iron. I've made plenty of ill-advised hero shots with it; one was 210 to the pin, tight window to cut between two trees, and I stuck it to within 15 feet of the hole. Again, if I'm playing well (caveat) I can get that 5-iron to do what I want it to do: low/high/fade/draw. I can get my 3H to act the same, but haven't had success elsewhere on the hybrid spectrum. 

[RoyalMustang]

On 3/17/2024 at 9:51 AM, jas904 said:

Am I the only one who finds it funny that a discussion is held about comparing a hybrid to a 716MB?

 

yeah-like debating the merits of a custom built Porsche 911 Dakar with a GT3RS. Same idea but completely different applications and buyers. 

[Obee]

1 hour ago, RoyalMustang said:

I've never found a 4 or 5 hybrid that I could hit. Maybe my G400 19H with Kuro 85X, 3/4" short, weighted to D3 is a unicorn, but I can't seem to replicate the feel with any other hybrid I've tried. They all have a less consistent, higher spin, high flight that I don't want in that club.  

 

when I'm playing well, I'm pretty darn accurate with a 5-iron. I've made plenty of ill-advised hero shots with it; one was 210 to the pin, tight window to cut between two trees, and I stuck it to within 15 feet of the hole. Again, if I'm playing well (caveat) I can get that 5-iron to do what I want it to do: low/high/fade/draw. I can get my 3H to act the same, but haven't had success elsewhere on the hybrid spectrum. 

Completely understandable. Lofted hybrids/fairway woods are not for everyone. Do you tend to hit the ball on the higher side? I am a very low-ball hitter, so they really compliment my game.

Lofted hybrids/fairway woods are best for those with a natural ball flight that is low and penetrating. Think Dustin Johnson or Joaquin Niemann vs, say, Colin Montgomerie (in his prime). Of course Dustin can do whatever he wants with the ball when he's on, but there's a reason he went with a 7-wood: Guys who have a strong grip and are a bit shut at the top and tend to launch the ball lower find the rearward CG(?) of lofted hybrids and fairway woods to be helpful in slightly bring their ball flight up for softer landing.

Monty probably may have rocked a 2h back in the day, but I doubt he would have played a 3h or 4h, and zero chance of a 7wood. Today, since he's aged, it wouldn't surprise me if he has one or two in the bag.

Edited March 18 by Obee

[Obee]

On 3/17/2024 at 7:51 AM, jas904 said:

Am I the only one who finds it funny that a discussion is held about comparing a hybrid to a 716MB?

It is NOT funny!









😉

[klharper]

Picked up a used Maltby STh2 24* 5H for $30, and it's single handedly the best club purchase I've ever made.

 

I started improving last year and tried to drop it for a 5 iron.  That was a mistake - sure there's not much better than flushing a 5 iron from 200 and watching it roll up the front edge.  But that only happened once for me, ha.

I can carry 200+ with a good strike and nice descent with the 5H, or ease it off for something 185-190.  I swing it a few mph faster than the 5 iron, and it still gaps well in front of my 225 6i [175-185 carry].

Gonna be a long while before I considering kicking it out of the bag again.

[ovodeano]

Imma hooker with the hybrids. Can’t do it

[RoyalMustang]

21 hours ago, Obee said:

Completely understandable. Lofted hybrids/fairway woods are not for everyone. Do you tend to hit the ball on the higher side? I am a very low-ball hitter, so they really compliment my game.

Lofted hybrids/fairway woods are best for those with a natural ball flight that is low and penetrating. Think Dustin Johnson or Joaquin Niemann vs, say, Colin Montgomerie (in his prime). Of course Dustin can do whatever he wants with the ball when he's on, but there's a reason he went with a 7-wood: Guys who have a strong grip and are a bit shut at the top and tend to launch the ball lower find the rearward CG(?) of lofted hybrids and fairway woods to be helpful in slightly bring their ball flight up for softer landing.

Monty probably may have rocked a 2h back in the day, but I doubt he would have played a 3h or 4h, and zero chance of a 7wood. Today, since he's aged, it wouldn't surprise me if he has one or two in the bag.

 

Yeah: I generally get plenty of height unless I intentionally choke down and flight it a bit lower. On breezy days, I'll have a par 5 where a approach is 210 into the prevailing wind, playing roughly 235. 235 is my 3 hybrid carry distance but as high at that ball gets up, I can't get in to the green at 210 into that wind. Instead I'll lay up left of the hole at 195-200 with my 4-iron. 

 

My irons aren't as bad: usually I can flight those lower and keep them under the wind and controllable, but that hybrid launches high and with a lot of spin. I've checked it up within a few feet on a full swing coming in hot on a par 5, so it's a great long approach club as long as it isn't breezy. 

 

I've got a 5-wood and don't ever play it for the same reasons. 

[wantacigar]

On 2/9/2024 at 6:49 AM, iBanesto said:

Is there any reason hybrids can be prone to big left miss? Everything being equal.

 

Roll and bulge? Upright?

It may be just me, but, I had a bad hooking left miss with any hybrid.  Someone random on the course I happened to be playing with suggested moving the ball back in my stance to where I line up my 7i.  No more left hooks.  🤷‍♂️

[blades_are_life]

On 2/9/2024 at 12:49 PM, iBanesto said:

Is there any reason hybrids can be prone to big left miss? Everything being equal.

 

Roll and bulge? Upright?

Yes your eye tells you to swing it like a fairway wood not like a long iron.