The new era has arrived, and hybrids are taking over the golfing world. Although they are becoming more and more popular by the day, there are a few things that you need to pay attention to when working on your hybrids. During this section, we will cover the swing tempo requirements, ball placement, and hitting from outside the fairway. I have been using a hybrid, or at least some form of hybrid, for as long as I can remember. If you are considering making the switch, then carefully read through the following article to ensure you are handling the hybrid clubs correctly.

When looking at the hybrid, the most important aspect is swing tempo. Yeah, we have talked about swing tempo a dozen times so far, but it is true, swing tempo is absolutely key throughout the entire bag – and the hybrids are no exception. The key with the hybrid, is to address the ball as you would a three or five wood. You want to treat it as a fairway wood, because it basically is. With that said, you want to maintain the swing speed of a long iron, preferably a three or four iron. I realize I somewhat contradicted myself here, but to truly take advantage of the hybrids… you have to have a somewhat “hybrid” set up. This means addressing the ball like a fairway wood, and swinging like a long iron. The reason I say this, is that the hybrids do not require as hard a swing to achieve the optimal results – which is the height of a fairway wood, with the control of an iron.

The next important thing to look at with hybrids, is ball placement. This is extremely important with the hybrids, and I want you to take a bit of a different approach than you do with your fairway woods here (sorry if the previous paragraph led you to believe everything would basically be the same). When setting up with the hybrid, you want to place the golf ball about three inches from the center of your stance. This setup goes hand-in-hand with the name of the club, the hybrid. We will place the ball in between the middle of the stance which places it right in between the iron and wood placements (middle and front). I want you to use a somewhat “hybrid” ball placement when using the club. By placing the ball a few inches in front of the middle of your stance, it allows for the club to square up at impact, resulting in more consistency in your ball striking.

The final thing to consider when working on your hybrids, is hitting outside of the fairway. I know we have all struggled with deep rough and hitting form fairway bunkers, but beware when attempting to use the hybrid in these circumstances. Although the hybrids are great for playing off the tee or out of the fairway, they are not best friends with the rough. With that said, you can find success with using the hybrids in the rough, but you need to focus on a few things first, most importantly ball placement. I know I just got finished talking about moving the ball up in your stance, but in the rough it is the opposite. You want to actually bring the ball back a few inches towards the middle of your stance to prevent the club head from getting caught up in the rough. When you bring it back a bit, it ensures you are hitting the ball at maximum club head speeds, which allows the ball to escape the rough on a more consistent basis.

In all, hybrids are here to stay, and I highly recommend investing if you have not already done so. Throughout this article, we have discussed how to properly handle a hybrid, but the one thing I have not even mentioned is what to consider when actually purchasing a hybrid. The most important thing to consider when actually going to purchase a hybrid, is which hybrid to actually purchase. If you are interested in buying the club and using it off the tee, then you should lean towards the 16 or 18 degree. These are closer to a 5 wood, and will provide more distance, and ultimately more control – which is everyone’s goal, correct? I do want to challenge you with one thing before you are going out and selecting a hybrid to add to your bag: shop around and test out every option you find. I prefer a smaller head that looks more like an iron, but everyone is different, and you may prefer to use a bigger head that favors a fairway wood. There is not a correct answer when looking at hybrids, you just need to go out and find the one you are most comfortable with… and then apply the tips above, of course.