Are your hybrids as consistent as they can be? When we put our customers through a fitting and we ask what do you want from each of your clubs, more distance, better accuracy or improved consistency? The most common response for hybrids is consistency. Even though hybrid clubs have been around for at least 15 years, when you buy a hybrid club off the rack, each manufacturer has their own formula for length, shaft weight, shaft flex, and lofts. So you may pick up a hybrid from TaylorMade and it will have a completely different performance than a similar club from Callaway or Ping.
So how do we get you more consistency? The first place we look is at shaft flex. Stock hybrid shafts are notoriously weaker than what is stated on the shaft. We typically see a shaft marked R that will test out in Ladies flex or below. The main reason for this is that most hybrid shafts are also pretty light weight, 65 grams or so. The lighter the shaft, the more likely the shaft will play soft/weak to the flex marked on the shaft. Your hybrid clubs should be at least as stiff as your irons. These weaker shafts will create a wide shot dispersion left and right and especially long and short. One time you will really catch it and fly the green and the next time you will hit it thin or fat and come up short.
The second place we look is in the weight of the shaft. You will want your hybrid shafts to play slightly lighter than your iron shafts. For example, a golfer with 100 to 110 gram shafts in his irons should play an 80 to 90 gram shaft in his hybrids. Ladies that are playing 65-75 gram shafts in their irons should play 60 to 65 gram shafts in their hybrids. Our fitting formula covers every golfer’s strength, launch conditions and swing characteristic so we feel very comfortable that we will find the right shaft weight and flex to give every golfer we fit more consistent results!
Dan Sueltz