Last Updated on January 14, 2024 by Matt Greene
This is how you hit a hybrid:
You set-up with the golf ball in line with a point 2 to 3 inches inside your front foot heel. You swing the hybrid the same as when you hit a 7 iron with a downward strike into the ball. You do not need to sweep the ball off the turf, you hit it the same as a 7 iron.
Dont's with hybrids: Don't try to lift the golf ball up into the air, because the loft and design of a hybrid is created in a way that it does everything for you. Trust the club to help pop the ball into the air for you.
A hybrid golf club is generally designed to stop the slice commonly associated with a long iron so you can expect a tendency to move the ball right to left when hitting a hybrid.
Where to place hybrid golf clubs in your stance
You should place your hybrid in the same part of the stance as a 6 iron.
You can place the ball between 2 and 3 inches inside your front foot heel.
It will depend on you and there is a great way to test it out on the range:
Take 10 swings with the hybrid at the driving range without a ball. Merely try glance the club off the ground and pay attention to where the divot is in relation ot your feet. You can simply place the ball in the part of the stance where the divot is formed after your 10 swings.
You place the ball in front of the beginning of the divot you make.
How to hit a hybrid off a tee and off the ground
There are minor differences between hitting a hybrid off a tee and hitting a hybrid off the ground in the fairway and rough.
A sweeping action can be better for the tee shot because the ball is elevated but be careful of that habit because on the fairway, you want to hit down on the ball like a 7 iron. The key is to work out how high to tee the ball to avoid hitting the ball on the crown of the club.
Hybrid golf clubs are made to get the ball airborne from both the fairway and rough – so if you’re thinking about hitting your hybrid off a tee, try not to tee the ball up too high.
Teeing the ball lower on the tee will encourage a consistent strike onto your hybrid so you can hit it from everywhere, including the fairways.
If you tee it too high, the club can go right under the ball and the golf ball can hit the crown of the club, sending it very high into the air.
I suggest using some short tees, and teeing the ball up maybe half an inch above the ground to ensure you promote a downward strike onto the ball everywhere on the golf course.
How to hit a punch shot with a hybrid
You can play a punch shot with a hybrid in the rough because the club head glides through the grass unlike a long iron which gets tangled.
If you want to play punch shots with your hybrid try this:
- Ball must be back of the stance (behind center is your ball position)
- Put your hands ahead of the ball to help de-loft the club and promote a downward strike.
- Keep your glove badge moving TOWARD THE TARGET. This will help keep the shot low and not top the ball.
- Focus on that badge going to the hole and finish with the badge at worst, facing the sky. By focusing on that, you stop the flipping action which makes the ball pop up into the air.
How to hit a hybrid out of the rough
Place the ball in the correct part of your stance for the best results:
If the ball is sitting down in the grass
Set-up with the ball behind center in your stance much like the punch shot above. Hit down on the ball and make sure you follow through and complete your swing without stopping the club head at the ball. It's tempting to jab at the golf ball, but the hybrid works best if you complete your full swing.
If the ball is sitting on top of the grass
Grip down on the club. Leave a half-inch to an inch above your hands on the grip. Hit a sweeping golf shot instead of directly down on the ball. The wide sole of the club will glide through the long blades of grass and more than likely will make the ball move right to left. So aim a little but right of your target.
How to hit a hybrid straight
If your ball position is correct (2-3 inches inside your front heel) and you hit down on the ball like with a 6 or 7 iron, you will hit a straighter shot.
The problems start when you try to add loft to the shot because you do not trust that the ball will fly into the air. It is common to try add loft because the club face looks so flat. If you try help the ball into the air with a hybrid, you will most likely slice the ball, left to right.
In fact, the hybrid is probably the best designed club in the entire golf bag and are made with the sole purpose of making it easy to hit longer irons without needing a longer iron.
Most of the time, a hybrid is draw-bias and will help you turn the ball right to left. That is the predominant shot shape associated with a hybrid.
To hit a straighter shot, your swing needs to be on plane and your club face control needs to be created with a good setup - posture, stance, grip and takeaway.
What is the easiest hybrid to hit?
The higher the loft, the easier it will be to hit.
You will find the most forgiving hybrids are made by manufacturers like Ping, Adams, TaylorMade and Cleveland.
You can get hybrids all the way down to 6 or 7 iron if you have trouble hitting those irons, and as always throughout the golf bag, higher loft is easier to hit than lower loft.
Why do I keep topping my hybrid?
If you keep topping your hybrid, it is because of a few reasons. These are the most common:
Early extension and poor impact position:
If you stand up out of your posture before impact, and your left arm and golf club make a straight line before impact, it can be difficult to control the bottom part of your swing.
This means you actually get to impact position FRACTIONALLY too early and so the wrists need to flip the club around and if you don't...the bottom of the club collides with the top of the ball.
Your best bet is to see a swing coach to help recreate the only universal thing in golf: the impact position. You can see my lesson on impact position in the video below:
Swaying off and ahead of the ball:
Swaying was one of my worst problems in my golf swing because it stopped me from turning back properly and turning correctly through the impact area.
My head would move way back and then on the way to hit the ball, it would move in front of the ball. This is a guaranteed way to top and fat the golf ball. The video below is my first ever golf lesson where I learned how to correct swaying:
Misconception of how a hybrid works:
If you’re topping the ball with your hybrid, it can often be due to mental errors, not only mechanical swing problems.
Most handicap golfers think they need to flip and scoop the ball into the air instead of hitting down and allowing the loft and club design to compress the ball into the ground to get the ball airborne.
The reason this leads to topped shots is because most mid handicapper or high handicappers will fall onto their back foot trying to scoop up and create an upward angle of attack.
When you hit your hybrid, hit down on it like a 6 or 7 iron THROUGH the ball and not UP into the ball.
Can I use a hybrid as a chip and run club?
You can and should use your hybrid around the green.
The hybrid is best used around the greens on tight lies when your wedge feels like you will thin it across the green.
When you are against the collar next to the green, the hybrid is easier to brush through the long grass.
To play the bump and run shot with a hybrid, grip down on the club, near the graphite shaft, stand closer to the ball and make the club sit very flat and square on the ground. You use a putting stroke to execute the shot and remember to use enough pace to get the ball rolling to the hole.
Should I carry a 5 wood or 3 hybrid?
5 wood vs 3 hybrid is a very common debate and they are indeed similar golf clubs in performance. They are played in the same place in the stance.
Both the 5 fairway wood and the 3 hybrid have similar lofts but the weight in the hybrid is near the face but the fairway wood has weight toward the back of the club head.
The five wood in general will fly further and fly higher than the 3 hybrid which has a lower flight with less rollout. Overall distance is roughly similar. It just depends on what you prefer the look of and which you prefer to hit.
If you like the look of a fairway wood at address then the 5 wood is a good option.
If you like to look down at hybrids (with the smaller iron-shaped head), then you will like the 3 hybrid instead of a fairway wood.
Whatever you choose, you have to feel 100% confidence to execute great golf shots.
Why should I carry a hybrid vs long iron?
The decision to carry a hybrid vs a long iron depends on how you like the look at address and if you have a fade or a draw.
The other consideration is whether you can get a long iron airborne often enough. Nowadays, there is no need to struggle with golf shots because there is equipment made to make every single shot easier.
I would suggest a long iron if you can hit the ball airborne often out the sweet spot, but do not slice the ball. If you do not like hybrids or woods, and prefer the look of an iron,, you should try irons. The long iron will tend to slice so if you can hit either a small, controllable fade or a draw shot, I would suggest the iron.
If you cannot get a long iron airborne and carrying decent distances, then a hybrid is for you. If you tend to slice your long irons even if you can hit them, the hybrid tends to pull right to left.
Pros and cons of hybrids and long irons
Hybrid
The hybrid is suited to the majority of golfers from handicap 5 through to beginners.
Pros
- Easier to hit in the air than long irons especially for slower swing speed
- Skims through rough easier than irons
- They are easier to hit off the fairway
- Engineered to get the golf ball airborne with lower spin than long irons
- Versatile to use as a bump and run club around greens
- Generally higher ball flight compared to long irons
- The clubface is forgiving so mis-strikes still travel great distances
Cons
- Keeping the ball low is harder because it's designed to elevate the ball
- Usually bought individually, not part of your iron set
Long irons
Long irons are still popular among lower handicappers and pros, but are slowly losing favor and are often excluded from iron sets, past the 5 iron.
Pros
- Easier to work the ball left to right
- Long irons are easier to keep low when you need to hit a punch
- Low handicap players prefer the long irons because they have higher swing speed
Cons
- More difficult for most mid handicappers and high handicappers to hit than a hybrid
- Slow swing speed will find it hard to get the ball airborne and if they do, the ball won't go as far as their mid irons
- Long grass in the rough tangles the club head easily because of the sharper edges
- The slice is a common shot with long irons while hybrids tend to draw
Closing thoughts
Hybrids are a game changing alternative for a lot of golfers struggling with long irons. You don't have to soldier through the long iron struggle, losing balls.
They are so easy to hit from the fairway and rough and are versatile low chipping clubs around the green.
Ignore the lack of workability of a hybrid. You never have to shape the ball both ways. The key is to find your shot shape and use it to maximum effect, hitting your shots the best you can. Hybrids are for hitting straighter shots to make it easier for everyone and more fun, not for pro precision shot shaping.
Every beginner, high and mid handicapper should give a hybrid a try when they need some more distance above their longest iron in the set.