Archive for the "Hybrids" Category

Ping G20 Hybrid Review

One brand that has really been climbing the ranks in my book over the past few years is Ping, especially with their hybrids.  They don’t have the same airtime as Callaway and Taylormade do, but don’t let that take away from the fact that they have some really solid golf clubs.  One of the clubs that I played a few rounds with was the Ping G20 Hybrid, and what follows is my honest review of it.

Positive

The Ping G20 Hybrid is one of the best hybrids out on the market today, period.  I don’t usually say that about many golf clubs, but this hybrid is the real deal when it comes to performance and feel.  If you have ever tried out the G15 hybrid, the updated G20 has some subtle differences to it that really enhances the club.  The most important difference in my view is that more bounce was added to the club to make it more consistent in any lie.

The main negative I had about the G15 model was that it wasn’t very good out of the rough as opposed to similar clubs on the market, but Ping has seemingly fixed this with the G20.  It doesn’t matter whether I am hitting it out of the rough, fairway bunker, hardpan, or whatever, I get the same great contact every time.  The golf ball just shoots off of the club.

Another difference is that the G20 has a higher launch angle, which is really great for those who need to hit a shot at a 3 iron distance but want it to land like a 9 iron.  Not only does it have a high launch angle, but low spin as well to help stop the ball on the green faster.  I usually play from the blue tees at local golf courses, and many of the par 3’s in the area require a shot of about 200 yards or so to reach the green.  With the Ping G20, instead of having to pull out a 3 iron and try to run it up as close to the flagstick as I can, I can instead go right at it knowing that the ball will land softly.  The increased confidence that it gives on longer par 3’s is fantastic to say the least.

Lastly, another great positive I found in regards to the Ping G20 was around the greens.  For those of you who like to be more creative when playing rounds of golf, the G20 provides a great option for a ball that is up against the second and third cuts of rough, and also where there is a lot of green to work with.   There was a par 5 where I hit a good second shot that landed about 15 yards in front of the green, and with the pin all the way it the back it is usually difficult for me to get it all the way back there with a wedge.  Instead, I used a chipping motion with the Ping G20 and it rolled smoothly across the green about six feet from the cup.  The G20 not only offers great performance from the fairway, but also around the green if you are willing to give it a try.

Negative

The only real negative that I found when it came to the Ping G20 hybrid was that it had a tendency to draw from a normal lie.  I normally play a fade so it was beneficial to my game, but for those who already draw the golf ball it may turn into a hook using this club.

Conclusion

Overall I would give the Ping G20 Hybrid 4 ½ stars out of five.  The performance is great out of practically any lie you could imagine, and the high launch angle allows one to land the ball softly on the green and not have to worry about it rolling off.  I would especially recommend it to those who may be struggling a bit with the long irons and are looking to change it up a bit.

Take a look at some great deals on new and used Ping G20 Hybrid Golf Clubs.

Adams A70S Hybrid

Long irons are quickly becoming a relic of the past with the introduction of hybrid clubs in the game of golf.  Instead of having to hit difficult shots with a high iron, one can instead get the ball in the air much easier using a hybrid.  There is only one company on the cutting edge when it comes to hybrid clubs, and that is Adams Golf.  Their Idea series hybrids have won numerous awards over the past few years and are played by both PGA and Champions Tour players alike.  With such a great reputation of building quality golf products, I decided to give the Adams A70S Hybrid a try.

General Information

As a Golf Digest Top Pick for 2010 in both innovation and value, the Adams A70S hybrid is in a league of its own when it comes to these types of golf clubs.  The hybrid club has three features worth mentioning.  The first two involve the weight placement.  There is a total of 44 grams placed on both the heel and toe of the golf club to increase distance and add forgiveness.  The weighting is also placed lower than their previous hybrid models, which provides a higher launch angle and increased spin.  The last feature worth mentioning is the shaft, which is a Grafalloy Prolaunch Axis, which gives added distance along with great feel when swinging the golf club.

Positives

The first positive that I noticed when swinging the Adams A70S Hybrid for the first time was its clean look.  There is nothing fancy or complicated lines on it or anything like that; it is very easy on the eyes and can surely give added confidence before anyone swings the golf club.  The best positive associated with its golf club is its forgiveness.  I intentionally hit a few shots off of both the heel and the toe of the golf club, and all of the shots went much further (and more accurate) than expected.  What is great about this golf club as well is that it is great to hit both on the tee and in the fairway.  There are a few doglegs at a local course I play at and I was able to tee it up and hit the exact kind of shots I needed to hit with confidence.  If you know how to hit a draw or a fade with a normal club, you will be surprised at how much easier it is to do it with this golf club.  When it came to distance, the golf club was comparable to that of others on the market.

Negatives

The main negative for the Adams A70S Hybrid came in regards to bad lies.  Sure, it is great to hit out of the fairway and off the tee, but none of us can keep it in the fairway all the time.  It is important to have a golf club that can inspire confidence when hitting out of bad lies such as deep rough, and I just could not find it when using this golf club.  Maybe it has to do with the way the weighting is set up or something, but it was very difficult to hit solid shots out of deep rough when using this hybrid.  Usually a hybrid just cuts through the grass like butter (Callaway Heavenwood comes to mind) but with this club both the distance and the accuracy was off.  I was also a little surprised when it came to fairway bunker shots as well.  Hybrids are a great alternative to hitting a high iron shot out of there, but I found myself hitting better shots using a choked down five wood as opposed to this club.  Again, I do not know if it has to do with the weight distribution or something, but the shots just did not feel solid.

Overall Consensus

My overall consensus on the Adams A70S Hybrid is that it certainly lives up to its billing as a well made golf club.  While it may not be the best club to use in bad lies, it is absolutely fantastic to hit from the fairway and off the tee.  It is also very easy to shape shots and get good distance when using this hybrid, and is recommended for mid to low handicap players.

Take a look at some great deals on new and used Adams A70S Hybrid Golf Clubs.

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The Mizuno CLK-FLI-HI Hybrid is a wood type hybrid that makes use of the latest design tehnology and modern materials to come up with a golf club that can afford maximum forgiveness and a high launch resulting to an overall unsurpassed performance.

This golf club has a titanium crown that is ultra thin and brazed to a stainless body. This allows the club to come up with a low and deep center of gravity as well as maximum forgiveness.

Weight is also distributed towards the club’s perimeter that results ot an extremely easy launch. Mizuno makes use of teh CORTECH technology which is responsible for distance control and that is consistent and face deflection that is uniform. The Speed Plate sole design increases toe relief and enhances playability of the club.


The Lady SQ Sumo Squared Hybrid w/ Graphite Shaft is one of Nike’s best selling golf clubs for ladies. It is dubbed as Geometry’s marvel considering its ability to stand beside you and help you out in the most difficult situations in the course.

The Lady SQ Sumo was designed in such a way that it can accomplish outstanding stability at impact. This club is capable of the highest moment of inertia or MOI thanks to its generous offset, extensive perimeter and square head design. If you want to achieve high launching but soft landing shots then this is the hybrid for you.

This hybrid will allow you to get stable ball speeds consistently thanks to its design specifially the lightweight steel face which is thick in the middle and thin on the edges. You also get more forgiveness and maximum distance.

This club boasts of producing high moment of inertia and low center of gravity due to the square Nike PowerBow design. Thus, you get a very forgiving and stable head during impact.