What are hybrid golf clubs?

It seems that you can't watch a golf tournament these days and not hear numerous comments in regards to hybrid golf clubs.  So what are these clubs meant to do, why do we hear so many rave reviews about them and who are the major players in the arena?  It is a good question to be sure, and one that is asked umpteen times by people all over the world.  Given the advances in golf technology, it would be remiss in not lauding the improvements for the average player to pro alike in regards to the hybrid club revolution.  Oh, and in case you have heard a bunch of banter about "utility clubs" it should be noted that this is synonymous with hybrid clubs.  The "utility" comes from the fact that these clubs are able to be used in so many different parts of your game, they are like the sport utility vehicle of the golf world.

What exactly is a hybrid golf club?

When it comes to the true definition of a hybrid club, it is initially not clear what they mean.  How did this name come to be?  Well it is born from the idea that the best aspects of an iron and a wood were woven together to give the hybrid.  The idea is that generally speaking a long iron (2 iron through 5 iron are generally considered to be long irons due to the distance they are typically used at) is difficult to hit consistently and a wood is difficult to hit off the turf in many cases.  When you combined the flat face and sole of an iron with the elongated sole associated with a fairway wood.  This results in a club with a low center of gravity allowing for an easier job in getting the ball up in the air with the length of an iron which makes it easier to swing.  Hybrid clubs help golfers of all skill levels make good shots, but especially help those golfers getting long in the tooth who have lost some swing speed.

Who are the major manufacturers in the hybrid golf space?

It seems that just about every company is jumping into the fray these days when it comes to hybrid clubs.  Perhaps the first prominent brand on the scene who still make solid hybrid club is Adams golf, the maker of the Tight Lies series of hybrid woods.   While they still make the Tight Lies series, the current hot ticket is the Adams Golf Idea A2 OS Hybrid.  However, when it comes to these clubs, currently the Callaway hybrid golf clubs are king.  The Callaway FT Fusion hybrid is especially well thought of and continues to get high reviews across the board by players of all skill levels.  Other players in the space include Titleist, Cobra, and Ping.

So there is a high level overview of the hybrids you can expect to see out on the market today and how they will help your golf game.  I am sure if you ask your closest golfing buddies you will likely hear that many of them would not give up their hybrid clubs for their choice of the best cavity backed irons on the market.  Indeed the hybrid golf clubs of today have taken the golf world by storm, and for good reason.