Do Pros Use Hybrid Golf Clubs?
Nowadays there are plenty of pros who have a hybrid golf club or two in their bag. For awhile these were looked down upon by more traditional golf players.
There are many professional golfers who use hybrid clubs. Unlike Tiger Woods who normally carries fairway woods others like Phil Mickelson has a hybrid club or two in his golf bag for most tournaments.
I actually just looked up how many pros are running hybrids in their bags and the list is getting much larger than it was last year.
Now it makes me want to keep track on Tiger and see if he has a hybrid versus a wood or iron in his arsenal. If anyone knows, feel free and message us or toss down a comment so we can check it out.
Table of Contents
Which Pro Golfers Use Hybrids?
From my research, there is an ever growing list of pros who are running hybrid clubs. Now, most only have 1 or 2 but a few are actually running 3 which has got me thinking a bit. I mean, now I need to check on some hybrids and test a few more out and see which I want to buy next.
List Of 16 Pro Golfers Who Use Hybrid Golf Clubs
- Collin Morikawa
- Jordan Spieth
- Dustin Johnson
- Patrick Reed
- Webb Simpson
- Patrick Cantlay
- Lee Westwood
- Zach Johnson
- Matt Kuchar
- Charley Hoffman
- Sungjae Im
- Robert Streb
- Marc Leishman
- Kevin Na
- Talor Gooch
- Bubba Watson
A couple years ago this list would be much smaller. The amazing thing is, this is just the top 15 who use MORE hybrids than the rest of the list. Pretty soon the term hybrid, iron and wood might start to blend into just an advanced hybrid club that does most anything a golfer can ask of it.
That is the cool thing about this sport. There really are a ton of nerds working behind the scenes and steadily advancing our sport. The only thing I hope doesn’t happen is “automatic golf balls” which will “go to their home” on their own. Adam Sandler really rocked in that movie, now that is a flick I need to put on before I head to the driving range lol.
Are Pro Golfers Allowed To Use Hybrids?
Absolutely they are legally allowed to use them during tournament play. There are certain rules regarding oversize club heads or oversized shaft lengths but “hybrid clubs” are used by many professional golfers in the PGA.
Professional Golfers are allowed to use any hybrid club that they decide to play with. There are no current regulations or limitations from the PGA or other governing body stating otherwise.
I just can’t wait for the next advancement in golf club technology. These hybrids are so dialed in that you can almost guarantee exact yardage in the right hands. Also another reason why pros love them, they can pinpoint exactly where their ball is going to land when using them.
If you were a pro golfer would you use hybrids to up your game or would you stick to the traditional thought process on them? I would use them ALL DAY tbh lol.
How Far Do Pros Hit With Their Hybrid?
Due to hybrid clubs being capable of dialing in very specific yardages, pros would be better off going with one of their irons when distance is all they are shooting for compared to using a hybrid.
Most professional golfers can hit a ball an average of 10 more yards compared to a similar sized iron. These hybrid clubs are used during specific golf course holes where distances need to be dialed in.
These hybrids are more forgiving compared to its “iron” counterpart. Many pros enjoy the larger sweetspot compared to their go to iron they used to run. Many have traded in their long irons for a hybrid variation.
You will always find some golfers who have a skillset above and beyond most and will never replace their long irons. These are the golfers who are fun to watch but with the younger pro golfers using the latest golf technology, it makes me wonder how long they can stay competitive.
What do you think? Should hybrids and oversize style clubs be the normal from here on out and assume that previous variations are nothing more than outdated or vintage?
Does Tiger Woods Use A Hybrid?
Speaking of golf pros, I can’t think of anyone more famous than our boy Tiger Woods. I haven’t been able to get any data behind him ever using a hybrid in tournament games. I am pretty sure however that he has probably tested ( or asked to test ) every type of golf club or concept idea when it comes to golf.
Tiger Woods prefers his woods during competitive golf tournaments. He has not played golf competitively using a hybrid club. He has ran his Taylormade Golf Club Set and with great results.
Now to find the right Taylormade hybrid for him to test out… I think that might be the way to get him on the hybrid train for sure. Do you think it would work?
Should You Hit Down On Hybrids?
This is actually a common mistake and one that I did on more than one occasion. When you get used to swinging an iron, you do indeed need to modify your swing when you switch to a hybrid club.
With a hybrid golf club, you will want to use more of a sweeping golf swing motion versus trying to hit down like you normally would do with an iron golf club. You want the ball positioned right at the bottom of the swing arc.
I think you should test out a couple ball placement tests. We all stand and swing out clubs in our own way and it does differ from player to player. Anytime I upgrade to a new club or even a new type of golf club, I do my best to test them out as if I am a brand new player.
It makes sense to change up your balls placement, your left, and right foot angle and so on. If you get stuck in a rut when it comes to your swing, it will become next to impossible to improve. The key here is to never stop “wanting to” learn.
Do Hybrids Go Farther Than Irons?
Hybrids can go much farther than their iron counterparts hands down. There are some that are very distance specific but for the most part, they indeed will fly a good 10+ yards further than an iron.
On average a hybrid will fly another 10 plus yards compared to the iron golf club. Most golfers have chosen to use either a hybrid golf club or an oversize golf club to achieve longer distances.
You really should take a couple out and test out the distances you got. I have a really nice Callaway iron that keeps up with the hybrid I just bought. I think it has a lot to do with me learning the club versus IT being the issue.
I am more than happy to keep taking them out and seeing what ends up working for me. That is for sure one thing that I stopped doing which is BRAND LOYALTY… LOL.
Feel free and have a club from each and every golf club manufacturer in your bag if you want. BTW if you end up doing that please make sure and send us a pic of it. I would love to see the looks on fellow golfers’ faces when they see you with a hodgepodge of various random branded clubs in your bag.
Who Should Use Hybrids?
If you are working on improving that handicap of your then sure by all means start running hybrids. It isn’t like you are cheating or gaming the system in any way. They are nothing more than an improvement on older technology in the golfing industry.
Beginners and Professional golfers alike can benefit from using hybrid golf clubs when they play. These types of clubs allow any golfer the ability to hit the ball further and accurately while being forgiving to imperfect club to ball contact.
If they didn’t work then they wouldn’t have made them. That is the way I look at most things when it comes to golf accessories. What is your favorite hybrid in your bag? Mine is the Callaway Apex but would love to try out the Callaway Apex Pro next.
