Hybrid golf clubs can now be seen in the bags of not only amateur players across the world but also top professionals.

The reason hybrid clubs have exploded in popularity in recent years relates to their ease of use. Seniors should at least try hybrid clubs because they are not only easy to hit but can often achieve further distances than a conventional long or mid iron.

The Technology

By deepening the cavity on the back of hybrids, manufacturers can move more weight to the perimeter of the club head. By maneuvering the amount of weight in the club head, from the centre to the edges, a greater moment of inertia (MOI) is created when the senior golfer strikes the ball. What this means is the club head of a hybrid doesn't twist around as much when the ball is struck from the toe or heel. This perimeter weighting will give more distance on off centre hits and also will help lift the ball into the air. Because of their kinship with fairway woods, hybrids have a smooth rounded sole which is perfect for slicing through poor lies like deep rough. This combination of forgiveness and versatility is a good reason for senior golfers to go with hybrid clubs.

The Technique

When using hybrids, there's no need to make massive adjustments at set up. The senior golfer can play the hybrid club like a long iron. If the hybrids have a middle iron loft (5 iron or 6 iron) they can set up for a middle iron shot. Most hybrids are designed to take the place of long irons (2,3,4 irons) as these are generally the most difficult clubs to hit.

1. Because hybrids are primarily designed to replace long irons, senior golfers should set up accordingly. The ball will be just forward of centre with a 4 iron enabling a slightly descending blow.

2. Like a standard long iron shot, the feet, hips and shoulders should all be square to the ball-to-target line.

3. When swinging the club away and through the ball, the senior golfer needs an iron action.

4. The senior golfer shouldn't 'sweep' the ball away like a fairway wood but rather strike down and through the ball, clipping the turf after the ball.

Try out a few hybrid clubs and see if you find them easy to use and perhaps they can help to increase the distance of your shots.

The Many Good Reasons to Go with Hybrid Golf Clubs

The equipment you use on the golf course is important, but not in the way you might think. When most golfers think about picking equipment, they think about which brand names they are going to buy, and how much they are going to spend. Sure, buying nice clubs might help you a little bit, but that benefit is going to be negligible. As the old saying goes, you can't buy a better game.

However, it is important to make sure you have the right collection of clubs in your bag. As a golfer, you get to pick which 14 clubs you are going to take with you for any given round. The rules of golf make no specifications on which clubs you are allowed to carry, as long as your chosen clubs have the proper specs to be considered legal. That means you can fill your bag with 14 drivers if you like – which would not be a good idea – or 14 pitching wedges, which is not a good idea either. The types of clubs you decide to take with you onto the course is called your set composition, and it is one of the most important decisions you will make from an equipment perspective.

In this article, we are going to discuss why it would be a good idea to include at least one hybrid club in your set. In years gone by, the set carried by the typical golfer would be pretty predictable. There would be a driver, a three wood, a big set of irons, a couple wedges, and a putter. In more recent times, players have become more open-minded and creative in terms of how their sets are assembled. Now, it is common to see many different types of sets when you head out to the course – and most of those sets will include at least one or two hybrid clubs.

While 14 clubs might sound like a lot, any experienced golfer would tell you that they would like to carry at least one or two more, if it were allowed. Golf is a game which presents an incredible number of different situations as you make your way from the first tee to the last green – and having just 14 clubs to handle all of those various challenges can feel rather limiting. Therefore, you need to pick clubs that are going to present you with as many options as possible. The versatility of hybrid clubs is just one of many reasons why they have become so popular in recent years.

All of the content below is written from the perspective of a right-handed golfer. If you happen to play left-handed, please take a moment to reverse the directions as necessary.

What Is a Hybrid Club?

This seems like a good place to start. Before we get into highlighting all of the advantages of hybrid clubs, we should first explain what they are, and how they differ from irons and woods. By understanding what a hybrid club, and what it was designed to do, you can quickly gain a better idea of how one could be put to use your game.

A hybrid club is basically a cross between a wood and an iron. The name hybrid stuck to these kinds of clubs due to the way they blend woods and irons beautifully. They really are a hybrid of the two designs, taking the benefits of each while leaving some of the drawbacks behind. In the end, what you are left with is a highly-useful golf club that can be employed to deal with a variety of scenarios.

First, we can see that a hybrid club is similar to a fairway wood in that it has a hollow head. While not as big as a fairway wood, there is still the classic hollow design that has been standard for fairways woods since they began to be made from metal (although they have kept the 'wood' name). This hollow design means the clubs are lightweight, so they can be swung at an impressively high speed. Also, hollow-headed clubs tend to be more forgiving, as the weight is distributed around the outside of the club head. This means the face is less likely to twist at impact, and you should be able to hit your shots straighter as a result.

Another benefit of a hollow-headed club is the fact that plenty of weight can be placed in the sole of the club. It is common for fairway woods, and hybrids, to feature heavier metals in the bottom of the club than are used in the top. This lowers the center of gravity of the club head as a whole, and it makes it easier for the player to get the ball up in the air. If you have ever wondered why it is easier to get a five wood off the ground than a five iron, the position of the weight in the club head is the leading factor.

So, if hybrids and fairway woods have all of this in common, what do hybrids share with irons? There are two main similarities – the shape of the club head, and the lie angle of the club. Hybrid clubs feature a thinner profile than fairway woods, putting them more in line with irons. This shape tends to provide the player with more directional control than a full-sized fairway wood head. When you want to hit a precise shot from a long distance, you will be hard-pressed to find a better bet than a hybrid.

With regard to lie angle, hybrids are typically designed with an upright lie angle that falls in line with the rest of your long irons. Fairway woods are swung on a flatter plane, like a driver, and therefore they can't be used from as many different lies. With a hybrid, you will be able to swing the club on a steeper plane, and as such, you will be able to use the club from many different spots around the course.

When you add it all up, it is easy to see why hybrids have become so popular. They offer the forgiveness and ease-of-use that is found with a fairway wood, but they also have the control and versatility of a long iron. It is hard to imagine a golfer who wouldn't be able to benefit from the use of at least one hybrid, if not more. This is why hybrids have become a staple in the golf bags of top professionals as well as total beginners. They really do offer something for everybody.

The Dying Long Iron

Everything changes over time. Even a game which is as traditional as golf is inevitably going to change. One of the changes that seems to be in progress at the moment is the death of the long iron – at least, in the amateur game. While professional golfers still possess the power and skill to use these challenging clubs, the typical amateur does not. When the average amateur golfer reaches for a long iron, the end result is more often a ground ball than a soaring missile in the sky.

Of course, in many ways, this death has already occurred. Many iron sets now don't even include three and four irons, and some even start as high as the six. If you are a high-handicap player, or even a mid-handicap player with a low swing speed, you shouldn't even consider carrying a three or four iron. Simply put, hybrids are better clubs to handle these distances, as they are easier to get up in the air and more forgiving on your mistakes. A player who trades out long irons for hybrids is almost sure to reduce his or her average score over the long run.

How many irons you should trade out for hybrids is a question that only you can answer. The best way to come to that answer is to be honest with yourself in evaluating your game. How confident do you feel when holding a long iron in your hands? At what point in the set do you start to feel confident? Some stronger players will be able to produce good shots with a four iron, but they won't be able to come up with that same quality with the tree. If that sounds like you, it may be that you only need a single hybrid in your set. However, if you don't start to see good results until you reach the six iron, or even the seven, it might be necessary to add several hybrids to your bag.

Even for players who have the strength and skill to hit long irons, these clubs still might not be a great idea. Long irons are extremely limited in what they can do for you on the course, thanks to their design. If you have ever tried to hit a long iron shot out of the rough, you know exactly what we mean. Where you can carve a hybrid shot out of some medium-length rough and still be left with a good result, the same cannot be said with a long iron. Unless you have a good lie, you long irons should be left in the bag. Hybrids are simply more useful than long irons because they are a viable option in many different settings.

So, should you run out to the garage right now and toss all of your long irons into the trash can? No – probably not. Instead, you should start to think about which of your long irons you do trust, and which you should probably replace. Then, you can begin the process of shopping for the right hybrids to swap out for those old long irons. You always want to maintain consistent distance gapping in your set, so try to assemble a logical progression that allows you to cover as many different yardages as possible while on the course.

The Shots You Can Hit

So far, we have explained what a hybrid is, and why it is so much more useful than a long iron for the average player. In this section, we want to get into the various types of shots you can hit with a hybrid club. This is going to be a rather long list, as hybrids are far from one-dimensional weapons. By the end of this list, you will probably feel motivated to head out and pick up at least one or two of these for your own set.

• Accurate tee shots. One of the best ways to put your hybrid clubs to use is to employ them off the tee on narrow par fours. When you step onto the tee and see that you don't have much fairway to work with – or you have a major hazard to avoid – you may want to club down to a hybrid rather than using your driver. Hybrids are extremely easy to hit from a tee, they usually provide plenty of distance to set up an approach shot, and they offer more control than your other options. If you are a player who typically hits driver off of every par four and five regardless of the situation, you can shave strokes from your score simply by using this strategy. You will no longer have to worry about the narrow holes on your favorite course, since you will be able to rely on your hybrid to put the ball in play.
• Par five second shots. Have you ever been able to reach the green in two shots on a par five? If so, you already know that it is a great feeling. When you have a hybrid in your bag, you should be able to enjoy that feeling more often. After a great drive into the middle of the fairway, you can pull your hybrid and take aim at the putting surface. The combination of distance and accuracy provided by a hybrid makes it the perfect club to use in this scenario. In fact, even if you can't quite reach the green, this is a good club to use for a layup just short of the dance floor. Once you are comfortable with your hybrid and you know how far you can hit it, you should have no trouble picking the perfect times to use it on par five holes.
• Bump-and-run shots. Believe it or not, your hybrids can actually be used effectively around the greens. When your ball comes to rest in a position that requires a simple bump-and-run shot, you may be able to use your hybrid rather than a wedge. This is a lifesaver for those golfers who have the yips in their chipping game. Without having to execute a perfect swing with a short iron, you can use your hybrid to bump the ball onto the putting surface. This kind of shot will have a ton of roll out, so you only need to bump it a few inches in the air in most cases. Of course, you will need to practice this shot before trying it on the course to make sure you are comfortable with the technique required.
• Advancing the ball from light rough. Hybrid clubs don't work particularly well from deep rough. Of course, very few clubs work well from the deep stuff, so you should probably just play out with a wedge when you find your ball in deep grass. In medium-length rough, however, you should be able to use your hybrids effectively. The shot will not come out as high as it would from a fairway lie, but you can still advance the ball toward the target nicely. It would be preferable to just keep your ball out of the rough to begin with, but a hybrid can get you back on track when you do stray from the short grass.
• Play from a bare lie. Depending on the type of golf courses you usually play, you might encounter a bare lie from time to time. A bare lie is one where the ball is just resting on dirt – you aren't in a bunker, but there is no grass under your ball, either. Any experienced golfer knows that this is a tricky spot. It is easy to hit this kind of shot fat with an iron, but it is hard to get under the ball properly with a fairway wood. Using a hybrid just might be the perfect solution. This will still be a tough shot, but it will be easier than it would be with any other of your clubs.

As you can plainly see, there are plenty of shots to pick from when using a hybrid. This kind of club is likely to find its way out of your bag and into your hands several times during any single round. As you gain more and more experience with hybrids, you will probably find that you discover even more uses beyond those listed above.

A Solution Built to Last

Golf is a game that is meant to be played for a lifetime. The game is extremely popular among seniors, as it is not as physically demanding as some of the other sports that are played around the world. Golf allows you to get outside and test your skills, without damaging your body too severely. Unless you have a specific injury which gets in the way, you should be able to play golf for most of your life.

Of course, for as long as you are playing this game, you want to play well. That should go without saying. To play well, you need to be consistent, and you need to feel confident in the swings you make – and the clubs you use. This is another reason to add hybrids to your set as soon as possible. Even if you might currently be able to hit passable shots with long irons, that skill is likely to deteriorate over time. Your swing speed is going to decline as you age, and your ability to launch a three or four iron will soon go away as well. If you have long since switched to hybrids, losing a few miles per hour off your swing speed will not be a big deal. You'll be able to make a smooth transition into the senior game, and you will be able to keep having fun (and hopefully posting low scores).

The senior friendly nature of hybrid clubs is not a good enough reason on its own to make the switch, but it is yet another argument in this direction. When you consider everything else that is offered by hybrids, and you add in the fact that you will want to use hybrids later in your life anyway, this decision starts to become an easy one.

Even if you aren't yet in the senior category, take a look at the sets of clubs carried by some of the seniors at your club or course. Most likely, the average senior will carry several hybrid clubs, a sure testament to the way these clubs can perform for older players. To get a head start on using clubs that you will be using later on anyway, consider picking up a hybrid or two in the near future.

We hope you now have the motivation to pick up a hybrid for your own set – good luck!