Could you hit a custom hybrid golf club or have you tried lately?  Have you ever heard the phrase (or perhaps it was the punch line to a joke) “Even god can’t hit a one iron”?  While I suspect that is not the case, there is a lot to understanding where the sentiment and frustration of that saying comes from.

First, for an average golfer like me choosing the right equipment is becoming more of a science than the art it used to be due to the influx of new clubs, namely, custom hybrid golf clubs.

By definition, a hybrid golf club is a marriage between an iron and a wood, sometimes called “rescue” clubs.  Custom means custom, so considering the many ways technology, metallurgy and “marketing spin” can be delivered, this will tell you that buying anything in golf these days comes with choices and is just not what it used to be.

In the old days, golfers had several choices; i.e., go with what the set came with, or, like the pros used to and still do, use different makes and models of clubs for most of their clubs as opposed to an off-the-rack set.  Additionally, as you would expect, the pros are measured and fitted for each club. 

If you think about it, you do not see many one irons anymore and I used to work with a guy that was very proficient with one.  In fact, he did not carry a driver in his bag.  He did not need one!  He could hit a one iron a mile, straight and true every time.  He was the exception rather than the rule. 

There is actually a rule of sorts, called the 24/38 rule that I discovered on the Internet while researching hybrids, which says the average golfer cannot hit a club with a less than a 24° loft, or a club that is longer than 38 inches in length with any great degree of accuracy. 

While this “rule” is perhaps not as scientific as the 3, 4, 5 rule in carpentry (used to find out if two intersecting boards are 90° square), I must agree with rationale to offer golfers something that works well below a 4-iron, for me, anyway).

In theory, a hybrid club offers an iron that is fatter, or a fairway wood with a lower profile and center of gravity.  Whichever way you view this, the practical application is the same by having a club that does its job at impact.  That is, get under the ball and let the mass and loft do the work.  Some situations call for a club that can get through deep rough yet still provide the power at impact to carry the ball to the target.  At other times, you need something that allows you to maintain a smooth swing with distance for less effort.  As we age, many of us are replacing 5, 6, and 7-irons with 6 and 7-woods.

We golfers have been accused of taking miracle cures over lessons and practice in the past, and I am certain there is some well-deserved guilt due here.  However, in the end, it is what works best for you, is best for you.

As a side note, I used to be in the software industry and prior to that sold computers.  When people would ask me what computer to get, “I would ask what were there plans were, and why were they buying a computer?”  I was surprised at how often they would answer with “I am not sure, I just want something powerful and fast”.  I suppose many people ended up with expensive paperweights on their desks in the 1980’s.

The same can be said about golfers and their choice of equipment.  If you put someone like Lee Trevino playing a hickory shaft set up against most any golfer I know, playing with the latest ‘deluxe’, compound-radius, double-c.g adjustable, perimeter weighted, and graphite shaft set costing thousands of dollars; my money would be on Mr. Trevino.

The bottom line on any club, no matter what brand, make, model loft, or materials it’s made from, is that you get ones that fit the way YOU play.  In my opinion, it would be a good idea to set a budget for buying clubs, cut it in half and spend it 50/50 on clubs & lessons.  In addition, it would not hurt to get the lessons going first so a qualified PGA pro could help decide what clubs will be the best fit for you.

Practice, practice, practice…Enjoy golf!!

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