It is the most important club in golf. At a time when courses keep getting longer and greens keep getting firmer and pins keep getting closer to the edges, here’s a tool that hits it far from fairway lies, launches it high and replaces those useless long irons in your bag. The hybrid club is making golf more appealing than half-price green fees. Even tour players, who could hit a spatula hole-high from 200 yards, are switching to hybrids. The hybrid universe includes semi-woods built on the TaylorMade Rescue Mid platform, near full woods such as Nike’s and driving-iron throwbacks like Titleist’s. There’s one of these security blankets to fit any game. We’ve separated the hybrids into two categories: Wood-like, mostly geared to average players’ needs, and flat-face Iron-like. There are plenty of options and no reason–not one!–to carry a 3-iron ever again.
TaylorMade Rescue Mid
Score: 100.0. Lofts: 14, 16, 19, 22, 25. Street price: $180, TP (Tour Preferred) is $280 (graphite shafts), taylormadegolf.com.

• What the company says: A leader in the hybrid trend, the Rescue Mid benefits from a lower center of gravity and a greater resistance to twisting than a corresponding long iron. The double-crown construction increases head stability at impact. The slightly rounded sole is designed to prevent the leading edge from sticking in the ground.
• What our panelists say: “It’s the standard for all other hybrids. It has a nice look, and the distance control was better than I thought it would be. I’d put this in the bag right now.”
• What THE JUDGES say: “A year ago it was No. 2 on our list, but its dominance in the marketplace and on tour is undeniable. More tour players had this hybrid in the bag than any other. Nearly twice as many TaylorMade Rescue Mids are sold than any other hybrid on the market. The addition of a TP line accommodates the desires of hard-swinging better players, and the standard version makes us question the need for the long iron. More important, the technology doesn’t require a Ph.D. It’s simple, smart and it works.”

Nike CPR
Score: 98.9. Lofts: 18, 21, 24 (iron-wood); 18, 22, 26, 30 (wood). Street price: $130, nikegolf.com.

• What the company says: It has a multifaceted approach to the problem of hard-to-hit long irons. This series includes long-shafted, small-headed iron-woods and shorter-shafted hybrids, called “scoop woods.”
• What our panelists say: “Phenomenal. Put these in your bag, and you’ll save strokes. The color is hard to get used to. The scoop design is ugly, but these clubs work and have an excellent feel.”
• What THE JUDGES say: “The versatility of this series is unmatched. The shorter shafts on the scoop woods make them a more true distance replacement for your long irons. And the look inspires confidence.”

Ben Hogan CFT
Score: 95.8. Lofts: 17, 19, 21, 24, 27. Street price: $130, benhogan.com.

• What the company says: A two-piece hybrid with a forged-titanium face insert is surrounded by a steel shell. The titanium saves weight in the face that is repositioned in the 17-4 stainless-steel frame to move the center of gravity lower. It’s numbered to match the iron it replaces. The raised trailing-edge sole design prevents digging.
• What our panelists say: “It’s got a good feel to it, and it’s very easy to hit. The ball goes on mis-hits, too.”
• What THE JUDGES say: “The titanium face is an impressive technological leap, but really, when you get down to it, if Ben Hogan had made a hybrid, it would look–and play–like this.”

Cobra Baffler
Score: 93.9. Lofts: 18*, 20*, 23, 26, 29** and 32** (*men’s only, **women’s only). Street price: $150, cobragolf.com.

• What the company says: A maraging-steel insert allows the face to be made thinner and stronger than regular stainless steel. The contoured sole design helps it glide through the turf. A custom Aldila NV shaft is standard.
• What our panelists say: “Kind of looks like a modified 7-wood, which is comforting. The sound is a little quieter, which I like. You hit it nice and high, even out of the rough.”
• What THE JUDGES say: “Cobra got in the easy-to-hit utility-club game three decades ago. The modern Baffler is a solid re-entry. The extra shaft length could be a distance bonus, too.”

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