This Club May Be Dying Out In The Men's Game But, At The Solheim Cup, It's More Popular Than Ever
Around 80% of the field have a hybrid in play at the Solheim Cup, despite the club becoming less popular on the men's professional circuits
A golfer's set-up is very personal and, at the Solheim Cup, multiple brands and clubs are present, with one interesting trend becoming apparent in The Netherlands.
Taking place at Bernardus Golf, around 80% of the field have a hybrid in the bag, which is the polar opposite to what we see in the men's game, where the club's numbers are starting to dwindle.
Crunching the numbers, 20 players appear to have a hybrid club in the bag, with nine coming from Team Europe and 11 from Team USA.
Ranging from 17° models, all the way to 26° lofts that can be found in Lauren Coughlin and Andrea Lee's bags, there are numerous reasons as to why hybrids are included in the set-ups.
Firstly, they provide copious amounts of versatility from a variety of lies and are easier to hit than irons of a similar configuration, such as 4, 5 and 6-irons.
Blending the distance and high launch of a fairway wood, as well as the control from a long iron, it's the high launch characteristics that make them so popular in the bags of those at the Solheim Cup.
Not only does Charley Hull have two in the bag, but Leona Maguire's set-up goes down to a hybrid with a loft of a 6-iron, such is the confidence the two-time LPGA Tour winner has with them.
Maguire's set-up possesses plenty of headcovers
In total, five different manufacturers are present when it comes to hybrids, with TaylorMade, Titleist, Ping, PXG and Callaway all being used by various players.
Hybrids may be incredibly popular in the women's game but, in the men's, it's a completely different story as they opt for utility irons and 5, 7 and 9-woods.
The full reason isn't clear but, according to Golf Monthly's equipment expert, Joe Ferguson, one of the reasons stems from tricky mechanics when it comes to center of gravity placement.
"Because of their shallower front-to-back profile, hybrids place the CG much closer to the face, leaving them less forgiving on off-center hits," Joe writes.
"Conversely, the larger footprint of 5, 7, and 9-woods projects the CG further back, creating superior stability and far less volatility at impact. This added forgiveness is precisely why so many elite players now favor high-lofted fairway woods over their traditional hybrid counterparts."
