Hi James, thanks for posting with such a great question! Hybrids were introduced as an alternative to the long irons (3,4 & 5) for those players who struggle to hit them consistently well. Hybrids are much easier to hit and more forgiving than a traditional long irons from the both the tee, fairway and the rough. They can be easier to hit and control than a fairway wood, but I would say it is more personal preference when it comes to choosing to only take one of you don't have room in the bag for a fairway wood and a hybrid.

In terms of when you would use them, they can be used in any situation as they are very versatile club. They can be used from the tee on a tight hole, from the fairway and rough into a long hole, even round the greens to bump and run from a tight lie that you don't fancy chipping from.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards
Luke
Team Titleist

James,

Welcome back to the wonderful world of golf...

Luke's explanation is very comprehensive and he's exactly right when he says it often comes down to preference, looks and feel versus the iron or equivalent fairway hence why Titleist make two styles of hybrid (H1 and H2).


What you also need to consider is what type of courses you play as the hybrids launch the ball easier and higher than the equivalent iron and the decent angle is steeper so you get less run. So if's you play links golf you might find that they are more difficult to play on windy days. In which case you might want to consider a Utility Iron... Whatever you chose make sure it fits in with the rest of you set.

You'll probably get a lot more feedback from this forum but if you're serious/curious why not go and check them out or even better get some expert advice and a great fitting by going to a Titleist Thursday event.


I current have hybrids replacing my 3 and 4 iron (19 and 23 degree) and have in the past even replaced the 5 iron and even gone to the extreme of a 15 degree hybrid.

Ant