Can't hit a 3- or 4-iron with success? Try this new club. It can help solve the problem and it looks good doing it.
By JOHN SCHWARB
Published May 6, 2004
Great Britain native Graham Jones is in the bay area this week, having traveled across the Atlantic for a golf vacation. But unlike previous visits, his 3-iron and 4-iron did not make the trip.
No, they weren't forgotten or lost by an airline. The 51-year-old amateur knows exactly where the clubs are.
They are in his garage.
"They're not coming out until my game improves," Jones said.
Yet his game has benefited by their absence, thanks to two new additions to his bag in October. With TaylorMade Rescue Mid clubs in 19- and 22-degree lofts replacing the homebound long irons, Jones has found consistency in what had been a sore spot of his game.
He also has contributed to one of the fastest-growing segments of the golf business.
"Hybrid" clubs, named because of their resemblance to both irons and fairway woods, are emerging as popular tools for players ranging from high-handicappers to tour pros. Consequently, long irons, long a source of frustration for many, are finding permanent homes in garages, car trunks and closets.
"You're seeing a lot of people get used to the fact that hybrids replace long irons in the bag very well," said Tom Olsavsky, a director of product marketing for TaylorMade. "Right now the hybrid market in the U.S. is just over 3 percent of the sales; we think that should be growing."
Hybrids, in a nutshell, allow players to get shots in the air easier than long irons. They are made in a number of lofts, meant to match 2-, 3-, 4- and even 5-irons. But while the lofts are the same, the centers of gravity between hybrids and standard irons are different. Hybrids' centers are farther back from the clubface, allowing for higher launch angles. The higher launch angle helps create greater spin, which leads to distance.
Overall, the clubs are 2 to 3 inches shorter than similarly lofted fairway woods, which leads to better control.
Those results are as inviting as the hybrids' cosmetics. Where a 3-iron clubhead might look like a butter knife to an intimidated amateur, a hybrid is friendlier to the eye with its larger, deeper head.
"What's cosmetic is that they perform well on the range," Adams Golf chief executive Chip Brewer said. "Blade (irons) have all the metal next to the face, they look pretty but they can't influence physics. (Hybrid) technology makes a ton of sense."
Weekend hackers who are still pessimistic need only turn on the television after their rounds. Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Jonathan Kaye all won on the PGA Tour last year using hybrid clubs, and the clubs are becoming a fixture on the Champions Tour.
"Look at the spectrum of golf abilities. On one hand there are players on tours, completely different from average players, on the other hand are beginning players that lack the experience and skills and have slow swing speeds," Brewer said. "This technology has taken hold the fastest on both extremes."
Which hybrids are right for which amateurs is up to individual choice and trial and error. Major equipment companies such as Adams, Nike, Ping and TaylorMade make hybrids, with some designs leaning closer to irons (Ping's G2 HL) and some to woods (Adams' Idea I-wood).
Choosing where a hybrid fits into one's bag depends on which long irons aren't doing the job.
"You'll hear amateurs say things like, I love my 5-iron but I can't hit my 4-iron," said Scott Wyckoff, head professional at Brooksville's World Woods Golf Club. "It's a mentality. If I don't think I can hit it, I'm not going to be able to hit it."
Where the discomfort begins, the hybrid is made to end. The clubs can be bought individually (prices generally range from $100-$180) and are becoming increasingly common in iron sets. Where the industry standard for an iron set has long meant 3through 9, companies like Adams are starting to challenge that by including 3-, 4- and even 5-hybrids in sets and completely discarding the long irons.
For golfers who still like their irons but just need to replace one or two trouble clubs, individual hybrids fit the bill. Ed Lacy, owner of ProLine golf in St. Petersburg, said the 2-irons he used to stock alongside iron sets are rarely requested anymore. Today, a hybrid is far the better seller.
But as more and more players buy hybrids and hit them well, it can lead to Jones' quandary: Should the long irons get another chance on the course?
Ask a teaching professional, someone who sees amateurs struggle with them every day.
"It's a futile thing to hit a long iron," said Matt Mitchell, an instructor in the Mitchell-Nease Golf Academy at Tampa Bay Downs' practice facility. "I have my humorous way of saying they should leave those in the garage, or turn them upside down in their bag."
- John Schwarb can be reached at 800 333-7505, ext. 1407. Send e-mail to schwarb@sptimes.com
