You might be an old school kind of person. Just because they come out with some fancy new kind of club doesn't mean that you are jumping right on board.

So let me ask you a couple of questions. How well do you hit a three iron? How about the 4 iron? Most of us struggle to hit the long irons well. The longer shafts and faster club head speed make the long irons challenging to hit well consistently.

The club makers have developed a solution for this issue. Introducing the hybrid or rescue club a few years back the club makers created a long club that is much easier to hit well than a long iron.

You can thank former PGA Tour pro, current TV announcer and PGA Champions Tour player Gary McCord. He's the guy with the big mustache and witty sense of humor. He recognized that his golf buddies were having a difficult time with their long irons. He asked his sponsor, TaylorMade to come up with something to help them.

continued below...

They responded with the first "rescue" club. They developed a club using an iron shaft but with a club head that had the features of a wood, hence the term "hybrid". It has a low center of gravity, wider sole and more overall mass.

Why are they so much easier to hit? Why not just use a 5 or 7 wood? Hybrids are easier to hit because of the iron shaft they possess. They iron shaft provides to important advantages.

     1. The iron shaft is shorter than a wood shaft.

     2. The iron shaft is thicker than a wood shaft.

Those two advantages mean the club is easier to control. Control means that you will be able to strike the ball on the center of the club face more often. Pure hits means less side spin and more carry. Sounds good to me. How 'bout you?

Dooley's custom club recommendations

The GX squared combines a high MOI club head design with the latest forged 455 stainless face. for a straighter ball flight.

Some argue that a wood is the better choice because of the longer shaft. They say that length equals more club head speed. More club head speed means more distance. They are right.

The issue is that with the longer and more flexible shaft the wood is more difficult to control. This will likely mean fewer pure shots hit with a wood than the hybrid.

So the trade off for swinging a hybrid instead of a wood is a bit of distance assuming both are struck properly. Keep in mind that the law of averages indicates that you will strike the hybrid properly many more time than a wood all other things being equal.

Now to sum up this discussion, here is the comparison in a nut shell.

When compared to a similarly lofted wood, a hybrid club will be easier to hit, more accurate but not as long.

When compared to the same long iron, a hybrid will be easier to hit, perform better out of bad lies and sand, the shot trajectory will be higher, carry farther and land softer.

Now that hybrids have been around for awhile they are as many varieties available as can be imagined. The key to making the right choice is knowing your swing and how you play the game. Don't let the club makers advertising sway your decision. Take the club to the range or the course and test drive it to make sure you get what you need.

You can expect to pay $130 and up for name brands or around $50 for a high quality custom clone version.

If you haven't done so already give a hybrid a try. You will love the difference they make. Bet you'll be wishing you had done so sooner.

Find your new clubs here: Dooley's custom club recommendations

Wayne Hudler is an avid golfer of over 30 years and golf writer. He has been recognized as an expert by the leading online article directory.      

Dooley Duffer Golf is devoted to helping ordinary golfers (duffers) improve. Are you a duffer? Visit Dooley Duffer Golf where you will find an ever growing collection of improvement resources.

 www.DooleyDuffer.com

Contact Dooley: dooley@dooleyduffer.com

Copyright © 2009 Dooley Duffer Golf   All rights reserved