Replacing Irons And Woods With A Hybrid?... How To Decide The Equivalent Number Loft

The golf hybrid, by definition, is a club that blends the best of two worlds - the playability of an iron with the forgiveness of a wood.

These nifty little clubs are incredibly versatile and ideal for the those golfers with slower swing speed.

Playing with one of best women's hybrids - which are designed to effortlessly launch the ball higher due to the size, shape and center of gravity location - makes a lot of sense.

It would be easy to assume that if you wanted to replace a 4-iron you should choose a hybrid that’s stamped with “4” on the sole. However, this is not how it works.

A 4-hybrid can have a totally different loft to your old 4-iron. It might also go a lot further because of its modern design.

Either way, doing a like-for-like swap based purely on the number could leave you with a massive distance gap between clubs in your bag.

The only way to be certain what hybrid loft should replace your iron is to go for a custom fitting with an expert technician.

During a fitting session, a launch monitor is used to track how far you hit each club in the bag, get your distance gaps spot-on, and recommend the correct replacement loft hybrids for the irons or woods you want to remove from your bag.

A custom fitting also takes into account your swing speed and what you want to achieve from your clubs, be it more distance or greater forgiveness and accuracy.

Most importantly, the fitter will ensure that a new hybrid doesn't overlap an existing fairway wood or long iron in distance, or create a gap in distance.

It is always easier to change the club loft for the golf swing than the golf swing for an incorrect loft.

Why You Should Swap Woods For Hybrids

There’s a common misconception that woods are easier to use than irons; in fact, a lot of women struggle to hit fairway woods.

The longer shaft, smaller head and lower loft make them harder clubs to hit, especially when swung at our naturally slower swing speed.

If you carry a 3-wood or 5-wood but tend not to use them, switching to a hybrid could be transformational for your scores.

There are a number of cleverly-designed women’s golf sets that contain a blend of irons, hybrids and woods with the perfect mix of correct loft and lies between each club.

These eliminate the confusion and cater for the entry level player that’s getting into golf and doesn’t yet need a refined custom fit set.

A Hybrid Loft For Anything

One of the myths of the golf set make-up is that a hybrid is just a club to replace a long iron.

In reality, there are many, many hybrid loft options they can go as far down as replacing a 7-iron or as far up your bag as replacing your 3-wood.

A low-lofted hybrid, for instance, can range between 14° to 17° and is ideally suited to replace your 3-wood.

The main benefit of the hybrid versus the fairway wood is the smaller head size. This makes it easier to hit from all course situations, including out of the rough, than the bigger footprint of the fairway wood.

If you carry a more lofted 7-wood, a moderate-lofted hybrid (around 22°) can replace this club. This hybrid loft is the equivalent substitute to a 4-iron.

Will The Equivalent Hybrid Go The Same Distance?

No. Even with the same loft, a 5-wood will go further than the equivalent 3-hybrid.

This is because of the way a fairway wood is built and designed, which allows for greater ball speed, lower spin and therefore a different trajectory ball flight and more run-out upon landing.

The shape of a fairway wood flight is like a rainbow, while a hybrid will launch much higher like an iron, ideal for getting the stop on the ball going into long par 3s.

Hybrids Are More Versatile

One of the biggest selling factors of hybrids is their versatility. You can play little low punch shots into the wind and hybrid bump-and-run shots around the green using more of a simple putting stroke.

It’s easier to shape shots with a hybrid, too, and yet it’s much easier to hit than a long iron off the fairway.

A Beginner's Dream

A 5-hybrid is more versatile than a 5-wood, and easier to hit than a 5-iron, making it the perfect choice for a beginner.

At the entry level of the game, our mishit ratio is much higher. A hybrid will give you more confidence. It has a bigger footprint than an iron, has the added loft and the center of gravity can be positioned low and deep inside the head to help you get the ball airborne more easily. Beginners should carry at least one hybrid.

Hopefully you are less confused about the role the hybrid plays in replacing woods or irons in your bag and the benefits it will bring to your game.

Remember, there is no substitute for the expertise of a custom-fit technician if you want to ensure correct distance gaps throughout your set of clubs.