Sometimes you just come across something that fits you so well, you’re left to wonder how you got along without it previously. Whether a favorite t-shirt, that pair of pants with the elastic waist for post-Thanksgiving lounging, or that sports car with the bucket seats that cradle you through the turns, we’ve all felt that instantaneous cozy, comfortable feeling. I had been attached to my hybrid club for a while, and it felt pretty good. Not “bucket seats” good, but I was pretty satisfied. Well, my hybrid world went all topsy-turvy on me when I first tried the newest hybrids from Nickent Golf. Winning the hybrid count on the Nationwide Tour week in and week out, I had to break away from my “old faithful” hybrid, and see what these clubs were all about. I quickly had a new hybrid love affair on my hands.
Nickent offers two versions of its 3DX DC hybrids; the ironwood and the utility wood- both of which offer ease of use and great performance. Your desired ball flight and the repeatability of your swing will guide you well to make the right choice between the two models. First, let’s discuss the 3DX DC utility wood.
The utility wood was a very welcome surprise. Slightly larger in overall size, it takes on the shape of a miniature fairway wood. The face angle is not closed, which I was quite happy to see. Mine is the #5 WD, which has 19º of loft. Billed as the higher launching and spinning of the siblings, the slightly larger head is easy enough for anyone to hit. With a lower center of gravity, and fixed tungsten weights to resist twisting on off-center hits, I was immediately able to hit long, towering shots that landed softly. The UST Speed Rated V2 shaft served this head well. In a stiff flex, it kept up with my swing nicely, had a good overall feel, and launched the ball on a high trajectory with ease. In fact, this may be one of the easiest to hit clubs I have ever had the pleasure of using. It just wanted to go high and straight all day for me. The feel at impact is hot with a muted “tink.” The tungsten weighting kept the head stable even when I caught it off the toe. The color is a rich looking deep “black cherry” finish under the sunlight. Very muted and not distracting in the least.
If you lean more towards a game improvement iron design, the 3DX DC utility wood is probably an excellent choice. Anyone should be able to hit this club and have success in doing so. The utility wood was finished with a Winn V17 AVS grip. It is about the only thing I would change about the club, as it felt a little slick to me while out on the course. Long, high, straight, and easy are all good things. The 3DX DC utility wood is the equivalent of “autopilot” when it comes to hybrid clubs. Despite the shorter shaft lengths (40” for the 19º #5WD, 41” for the 15º #3WD,) I could see the 15º #3WD loft as a great alternative for the traditional 3 wood for many people. The added control of the shorter shaft and better center face contact could probably offset the shorter shaft length for most people.
If the 3DX DC utility wood had an older brother that was the family jock, and did everything with just a tad higher level of athletic prowess, it would be called the 3DX DC ironwood. Alas! There already is such a club! The ironwood version is slightly smaller in size, and has more of a driving iron look at address. The 20º model I reviewed was paired with an Aldila NV 75 stiff hybrid shaft. I really haven’t had much luck launching NV shafts high enough in the clubs I have reviewed in the past, but I had no problem hitting high, flat shots with powerful trajectories. It seems to play true to flex, yet is easy to load. The head of the ironwood shares much the same feel as the utility wood, with perhaps a slight hint of a “crack” at impact mixed with the muted “tink” exhibited by the utility wood. It feels hot and the ball just goes. It also shares the same rich “black cherry” paint job with its utility wood sibling, as well as the same sought-after neutral face angle.
Really the only thing that would perhaps keep higher handicap players from playing the ironwood with success equal to that of the utility wood would be the smaller head size. But, my higher handicap buddy hit the ironwood quite well during one of our recent rounds, despite it being the first time he had ever hit a hybrid. For me, the ironwood works equally well off the deck and off a tee. Out of the rough, from the fairway, or off the tee, this club is again easy to hit and hits the ball straighter than any hybrid I have used. It is slightly workable, but I relished in the ease of hitting perfectly straight balls all day with it.
One very welcome feature of the 3DX DC models, both ironwood and utility wood, is the absence of the dreaded “pull hook” that so many hybrids are prone to producing. Nickent says they have distributed the internal weighting of the heads to avoid the “pull hooks.” This is very apparent with both clubs. Over 4 rounds and 4 range sessions, I have yet to hit a hook with either club. Both have quickly become my most consistent, repeatable clubs in the bag. The edge went to the ironwood for me due to the slightly lower, flatter trajectory. The same ease in launching the ball was definitely not lost, however. Again, the only thing that seemed out of character for the 3DX DC ironwood was the Winn V17 grip, which just didn’t provide enough traction for me.
Nickent now offers a very nice array of shafts for their hybrid clubs. With 10 graphite options alone, there is sure to be a shaft to fit most anyone’s swing. Also, the choice of lofts in the Nickent hybrids is outstanding, with no less than 14 lofts to choose from. With so many options, pretty much any yardage gap should be able to be filled, and any desired trajectory is achievable.
The Nickent 3DX DC hybrids do many things well. They instantly felt comfortable, instilled confidence, and rewarded my swing with high, powerful shots. Just choose your loft and shaft options, and away you go. With the 3DX DC hybrids, “Instant Hybrid Karma” is gonna find you too!
Michael White (a.k.a. “Mr_Divots”)
Forums Moderator/Independent Equipment Consultant
Golf-Gear-Review.com
