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We are seeing more lids in the tour but fewer hybrids
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There is little noise going around that hybrids are fading out of the game that they have lost their place in the modern bag.
You can hear things like, “no one in the tournament plays hybrids”, or “Fairway Woods is better.” But let’s clarify this.
The hybrids are not dead; They just don’t appear in tours bags as often as it used to be. There is a reason for this. It’s not because the hybrids are bad or in any less effective way – away from it. On the contrary, the fairway woodws (especially the highest ones) are doing a different job and making it really well for a specific type of player.
So before you start to think that your reliable 4-hybrid belongs to a museum, let’s talk why change is happening on the tournament, and why the hybrids still have a tone of meaning for most players.
Think about it this way: the hybrids are not dead, they have just been repositioned.
Why the return of the road wood?
Let’s start with what is really happening. The growth of fair right forests in the tournament is not a knock on the hybrid; FWS have become popular because they fit with the specific need of elite players.
Tournament players are playing strong, Fast Greens looking for a high, soft, par-5 and par-3 stroke. High fairway woods, like the one of 7 wood or even 9-dawn, you are seeing more often starting above, rotating more and softer soil than hybrids with the same attic. This means more control, more prohibition power and better durability when attacking the 230+ meters stuck.
And let’s not forget forgiveness. This is not just a necessity of the weekend player. The pro they want forgiveness, too, especially when they are swinging from less than perfect lies. Woodws Lighted Higher often have larger club heads, which means a biggest sweet place and a more stable start all over the face. For tour players seeking to control the shape of rotation and shot without sacrificing accuracy, this is a victory.
Before throwing your hybrid, read this
The hybrids are still fantastic tools for most players, and even many tournament players still hold one. But let’s clear what is actually a hybrid: it’s a replacement of iron, not an alternative to road wood. A 3-hybrid is created to take the place of your 3rd, not your 5-down.
This means that the performance profile is different. The hybrids are generally easier to start and forgiving than the long handcuffs they replace. they help you hit it above, keep it away and the soil softer than most 3-irons can sometimes. For average golf players (and even a lot of low handicaps), hybrids are saviors.
But compared to Fairway Woodws? Here things change. Fairway Woods usually releases higher than the hybrids of the same attic. They will often give you more rolls, which helps control and promote soft landing. And in the hands of a tour player who has to keep a green of 240 yards outside? That extra height and rotation is a player of the game.
The dilemma of the prejudice of the draw
Here is another thing: many hybrids are built with a touch of prejudice of withdrawal. This is thanks to a higher concentration of mass on the club’s heel. For slicers, this is a blessing. For Pro Tour? Not so much.
7-Duri are trending in the tournament. Is it time to add one to your bag?
Most elite players want a club that is neutral, something they can work on both ways depending on the blows they face. A prejudice of the draw may Help the average player find more roads or greensBut for the benefits that are forming fading in the narrow Sunday pins, a neutral flight is essential. This is one more reason why some tournament players are trending towards fair fair forests; They tend to be more neutral and easier to manipulate both ways.
Which one is the best for you?
Getting here is not that the hybrids are outdated, is that the best tool for work depends on work. If you fight with long handcuffs, a hybrid is probably your new best friend. If you want something that starts above, the softer soils and gives you control of the tournament level, perhaps a top road of the highest road is the movement.
But the hybrids still meet a leading role in the bag for thousands of players at any level of skill. They are easier to hit than long handcuffs, they are brilliant of the rough and they are less intimidating than a 2-hekur that looks like a butter knife.

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Final judgment: not dead, simply evolves
The hybrids are not disappearing; They are simply being used more strategically. In the tournaments, we are seeing more specialized compounds that match the specific requirements of the course. For the rest of us? Hybrids are still workers who make this game just a little easier.
So, no, the hybrids are not dead. They are not just the “hottest” club in tours now. But if your 3-hook is collecting dust and your 5 wood is a lot of club, the humble hybrid can still be exactly what you need.
Ready to add some new hybrids or right forests to your bag? Reserve your adaptation to real golf.
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Kris McCormack
Golf.com contributor
Based on a career that has extended more than 20 years to the Golf industry, McCormack has spent the last six years of his career serving as vice president of the tournament and education for the real specification. During that time, he cured the training program for the true staff and pushed for more continuing education curricula. As well as managing their tour department and building relationships with a host of OEM partners. Before joining the true team of specifications, McCormack worked with some of the leading industry manufacturers as a suitable master’s level professional. In addition to being an instructor and partnership with the Golf Channel Academy as a leading mainly agnostic brand instructor and professional. He has also worked with R&D teams to help design products, testing and develop for a variety of gears. He is a golf enthusiast and lives in the gear space!