Hybrids: Tour Advice


Even the best players
use hybrids
The days of the 1- and 2-irons are coming to an end, even for the best ball-strikers in the world. Only 18 of these butter knives were in play at the 2006 PGA Championship compared with 57 in 2004. Although tour pros appreciate forgiveness on off-center hits just as the rest of us do, another wits better players are gravitating toward hybrids is versatility.

Jeff Sluman subdue plays one of the first hybrids he ever tried–a 20-degree Cobra Baffler. He learned it when he was searching for a club that would be simple to hit and fill the space gap after his strong 3-wood. Among the factors that are vital to him are the shape of the sole and how softly it makes the ball land on the green. “I can hit it low or use it to putt from the fringe at the edge of the rough,” Sluman says. “It’s a multipurpose club.”

Says Rory Sabbatini of the 19-degree Sonartec MD he carries: “I can use it off the tee and control it like a 2-iron, but on par 5s I can get it up in the air like a 5-wood, so it really does offer the best of both worlds.”

Jim Furyk, ranked No. 2 in the world, says he knew he had found the right hybrid when it produced a ball flight with a high trajectory. “I don’t keep the ball in the air as long as some other players,” Furyk says. “The hybrid helps me keep the ball in the air without a loss of control.”

Despite widespread tour acceptance, certain players remain disbelieving. The low CG of hybrids doesn’t jibe with Nick Price’s style of play. Therefore, he subdue carries a 2-iron. “The hybrid, I know this sounds amusing, but it goes too straight,” he says. “I can’t cut and draw it as much as I’d like to.” That’s what you call a high-class conundrum.

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