Swing - Hybrid vs Iron

Recently heard (pro on TV) that you swing your Hybrid the same as you would an Iron. Never heard that before, but it does seem to make sense, to a point. I have always felt that since the Hybrid has a head similar to a Fairway Wood (larger, flat sole) that you should try to "sweep" the ball rather than come down on it, similar to an Iron swing. To me an Iron should have a steeper swing with ideal contact with the ground at or in front of the ball whereas I have always had the swing thought "sweep" on my Hybrid and Fairway Woods. In following this approach I am a little conflicted as I have also heard many times over the years (again TV pro) that your swing stays the same, only the club changes.

Thoughts/comments?

Sergio takes a pretty good divot with his fairway wood.

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Originally Posted by Kiwi

Recently heard (pro on TV) that you swing your Hybrid the same as you would an Iron. Never heard that before, but it does seem to make sense, to a point. I have always felt that since the Hybrid has a head similar to a Fairway Wood (larger, flat sole) that you should try to "sweep" the ball rather than come down on it, similar to an Iron swing. To me an Iron should have a steeper swing with ideal contact with the ground at or in front of the ball whereas I have always had the swing thought "sweep" on my Hybrid and Fairway Woods. In following this approach I am a little conflicted as I have also heard many times over the years (again TV pro) that your swing stays the same, only the club changes.

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For most golfers, ball position changes, as well, and that will often determine whether the ball is swept or hit down upon. However, since one of the important characteristics of a good swing is to have the hands ahead of the ball at impact, I would suggest that you feel like you are hitting slightly down on everything, except perhaps the driver.

Everything that I have heard suggests that a hybrid has been designed to be swept and thus hit more like a wood than an iron. Have you tried searching golf Guru?

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Originally Posted by Dax

Everything that I have heard suggests that a hybrid has been designed to be swept and thus hit more like a wood than an iron. Have you tried searching golf Guru?

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Thanks, no I have not. Googled it and came up with several possible. Can you share the link? The one labeled "Videos of Golf Guru" looks the most likely, but would like your confirmation.

I will see if I can find one, just thought he did one done time ago. He does things by the numbers and so if he has done an analysis what ever he finds is based on what either CG2 or TM is telling him. Let me have a look.

Actually found it right away. Looks like it was from before he started to call himself golf guru.

http://youtu.be/bga7LlITwVc

Fingers crossed the link works.

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Originally Posted by Dax

Actually found it right away. Looks like it was from before he started to call himself golf guru.

http://youtu.be/bga7LlITwVc

Fingers crossed the link works.

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Right on point... thanks. This is the chap in the other videos. Looks like a good resource. For those who have yet to watch this chap (Brit.) is saying that because of the shape of the club head they are more or less designed to be hit with a sweeping motion, however where you place the ball in your stance will affect the launch angle. Centre=6 deg.; 1-2" inside left heel=18 deg. Off to the range... tah tah.

Find what works for you but see this:

http://golftips.golfsmith.com/proper...wood-1705.html

Many players struggle to hit their fairway woods solidly. They make the mistake of trying to “sweep” the ball off the ground, sometimes even trying to lift the ball with the club; this results in a thin or “skulled” shot. However, a well-hit fairway wood shot feels solid, and the loft of the club does all the work of getting the ball into the air. With a few simple fundamentals, you can learn to hit good fairway wood shots.

Place Ball Forward

Although different teachers may appear to contradict each other—for example, Butch Harmon will say the ball should be played back and Travis Fulton will advise playing the ball forward—virtually all teachers describe this position the same way. They want you to position the ball between your driver position (off your front heel) and your mid-iron position (the middle of your stance). This allows you to hit slightly down on the ball so the loft of the club can do its job.

Square Shoulders

Proper alignment is important when swinging any club, but this is especially so when hitting fairway woods. Travis Fulton says that opening the shoulders--the most common alignment fault among amateur players--causes a steeper downswing, which can prevent solid contact. Keeping the shoulders square helps you to strike the ball with a flatter angle of attack, which works with ball position to create a well-struck shot.

Take Divot

Although you are playing the ball forward in your stance and attempting to make a flatter swing, you still need to hit slightly downward on the ball. The driver is the only club hit with an upward swing, and this is because the ball sits up on a tee. Ideally, you will take a very shallow divot just in front of the ball; this will let you know that your clubhead was traveling downward when it struck the ball, but the angle of contact was shallow enough to give you maximum distance.

Swing Smoothly

Many players think that they must make harder and faster swings to get the ball up in the air with a fairway wood. Although it is true that higher clubhead speeds make the ball go farther, after a certain point extra effort only causes mis-hits. The best way to develop clubhead speed is to swing with a smooth rhythm and “within yourself,” swinging only as fast as you can comfortably control the club. A solid strike accomplishes more than an uncontrolled flailing at the ball.

Think “Iron”

Although a fairway wood shot is not quite the same as a good short-iron shot, Tony Ruggiero points out that the two have a lot in common. The main differences are that the ball is slightly more forward in the stance, which keeps the player’s body more behind the ball and discourages taking a deep divot; and the hands are more over the ball rather than ahead of it, again to discourage taking a deep divot. However, you still hit down on the ball as you do when using an iron; thinking that way will help you avoid scooping the shot.

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Originally Posted by Chieflongtee

Find what works for you but see this:

http://golftips.golfsmith.com/proper...wood-1705.html

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Thanks for the link... They also have an item on the Hybrid specifically...

http://golftips.golfsmith.com/swing-...rons-1269.html

Two things they mention of note, similar to advice given earlier...

Step 1

Stand in front of the golf ball and place the ball approximately 1-2 inches closer to the front foot in your stance than you would with a fairway wood.
Step 4

Hit the golf ball on a downward angle with the sweeping motion you may use with a fairway wood. The divot with a hybrid golf club should be minimal, however. If you notice the club is making a large divot, the downward swing may be at too great of an angle.

Range time...

Thanks!

Here is another link that I hope is helpful, again based on numbers from a TM.

http://youtu.be/AJz2jGiMKXA

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Originally Posted by Dax

Here is another link that I hope is helpful, again based on numbers from a TM.

http://youtu.be/AJz2jGiMKXA

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"Hula Hoop"... like the image... now if I can just figure where the bottom of my swing is... consistently.

Thanks for this!

I believe that the length of the club determines the type of swing required.

If your hybrid club was designed to replace a mid iron, say a 5i, it would be wise to have the hybrid at the same length as the club your are replacing. Then, all you have to do is play the ball in the same place in your stance, provided it is the correct position to begin with.

If it's a 3H, one would normally take a little wider stance than a 5i/5h because of the added length, at the same time, keeping the ball in the same position in your stance giving you the feeling that the ball is further up than before, but in reality, it is in the same spot. having said that, you should still be hitting down and through thus taking somewhat of a divot.

Hybrids are misunderstood by a lot of golfers. They come in may different length and loft combinations with the OEM's trying to out duel each other for length supremacy. I have seen hybrids stamped "3'' with 19* loft and 41'' long. That would be in line with the distance of a 5w almost ! And yes, as previously posted, a down and through swing is still required, even for this length.

Choose your hybrids based on requirements, not on how far you can hit it.

Hybrids are designed to be easy to hit replacements for the irons you are not able to, so why would a club head designer create something that required a whole new set of fundamentals to hit them. Doesn't make sense.

Was watching the Golf channel the other night and saw Esteban Toledo hit a hybrid during the last round of the Champions Tour in Quebec city. After he hit the ball a divot the size of a wig went flying which goes to say that he did not sweep the ball.

I suspect he did in fact hit down on the ball, which is what I would do with my hybrid the ball was buried down a little in the grass. Also the PGA tour avg is that the pros hit down with their hybrids, which surprisingly is still what they do on average with their drivers. It is obvious that they get great results hitting down on the ball, but the videos above suggest that better results can be acheived with a hybrid by sweeping. I think everyone now agrees that the best results on a driver are achieved at the time the ball is struck when the club is just moving upward, why is it that the best results on a hybrid are not acheived when the club is at the lowest point of the swing arc?

Take a look at the following video Dax. This is the shot that I was referring to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u59lR...ature=youtu.be

And also these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkNWkUxlSI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCdcRMapyng

My conclusion: If you are a sweeper of the ball then sweep it but you will see plenty of
excellent golfers taking a divot from the fairway with their hybrids.

Cheers

I think I said that all of these prose on avg hit down on all their clubs and thus do not disagree with what you are seeing. All I'm trying to point out is that the data shows better results are achieved by hitting it a little different with these clubs.

Thanks Chief & Dax, the image of the "U" vs the "V" swing, in the rough and Gary Player's comment about "pound the ground" are helpful images. Playing best-ball/scramble today so hope to get a chance to try these out.

Good luck Kiwi!