When should you switch from irons into hybrids?

Golf Monthly Top 25 Coach Ged Walters asks when should you switch from irons to hybrids. He hits shots at different swing speeds to find out and the answer might surprise you!

In this piece we wanted to answer a simple but very important question – that is, when should you switch from irons into hybrids? There comes a point for every player, whether you are a high handicap beginner or Rory McIlroy, when less loft equates to less distance. This is physics. The answer to the question when should you switch from irons into hybrids, revolves around swing speed.

To help illustrate the point we conducted a simple equipment test. I hit my 4, 5 and 6-irons at full speed. As you can see from the results below, the 10 yard gaps between my long irons is exactly what every player should be looking for. However, my swing speed is higher than average. My long iron swing speed is over 90mph but this is not the case for most golfers.

As you can see, there is a nice distance gap between each iron – 10 to 15 yards is roughly what you should be looking for. At my swing speed I can go up to a 4-iron and each club goes further than the previous one. But what happens when you swing the club at a more average pace.

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To find out, I then swung the club at around 75mph with my 4, 5 and 6 irons. The shaft was the same so I would be able to find a little more distance with a softer shaft in each but the point remains the same. At this lesser speed, the results are dramatically different.

As you can see, the 6-iron is travelling further than both the 5 and 4-irons. This is because, with less speed you need more loft to get the ball up and away. Without the speed you lack the spin to keep the ball in the air and it falls short.

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This illustrates just how important it is to switch into clubs with a centre of gravity that is further back in the head. Hybrids will help launch and spin the ball higher with less loft. For the majority of average golfers my advice would be to lose the 5 and 4-irons and move into hybrids after your 6-iron.

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As always, it makes sense to go through this process with a fitter but it illustrates how important it is to go into a fitting with an open mind about the outcome.

When asking, when should you switch from irons into hybrids, the truth for many of golfer is sooner than you think!