If you read peoples' comments regarding using hybrids instead of long irons, the comments are usually broken into two camps:
1) Hit it great, farther than the iron, etc
2) Hook it terribly

So what are your theories why a common problem with hybrids is hooking? You won't hear that as frequently of fairway woods or irons. Is it the different shape/size of club face makes it hard for people to figure out what "type" of swing to take (iron-like swing or sweeping wood-like swing)?

Personally, I do find if I don't hit it well, it does seem to have a tendency to hook. And I think the mistake may be in not hitting it more like an iron...

I dont hit it like an Iron. I hit it as a Fairway Wood and well it works great for me.

I suspect it comes from the feel of hybrids letting you be a bit more handsy than long irons. As a lifelong fader I am thrilled with a draw Jerry

I was using a Nike CPR with a graph. shaft and I did hook it. I changed to a TM Rescue with an S300 steel shaft and I hit it straight. I think a lot of people have a tendency to overswing a hybrid as it looks like a wood, but with the short shaft they spin out of the shot and hook it. Also, for me, the Nike set up a little hooked at address.
Bill

I agree with Bill. (It was bound to happen, at least once!) Also, who knows what the shafts actually frequency to. I hooked the snot outta my hybrid, but my clubfitter measured the "stiff" flex shaft as almost a senior flex! Bottom line is, you really don't know what you're hitting unless you build it yourself or have a qualified clubfitter measure it. I have since had a different shaft installed, and can tell it will no longer "draw excessively." There's a big difference between a bad swing that results in a topped pull hook due to an over the top swing, and a draw that is too big. I've "hooked" hybrids before, but I'm sad to report it was the swing.

Bill how did it hook. I own one but steel shaft and its as straight as can be?

Divots, you made a good point about not over-swinging. I usually find that when a good shot is hit with a hybrid (by myself or others) it is when concentrating on a smooth swing tempo (which you might have to tell yourself to "slow it down" to accomplish)...I think the comment above about getting too "handsy" is the key. For many people, this is a new kind of club and people (until they figure it out) do all kinds of things during the swing 'cause in their head they are still trying to figure out (swing like a wood or swing like an iron). If you don't commit to your swing before you start it, you're doomed!

Omar,
For me it was the shaft in the club. If I had the CPR with the S300 steel shaft in it, I would most likely hit it ok. So, it's not the club. I still like the looks of the Nike CPR the best.
Bill

I've only been able to hit my TM Rescue Mid hybrid at the range, but I'm optimistic. The ball came off it like a bullet a couple of times.

I tried the Rescue Mid the only reason why I didnt take it, was because it was a freaking draw machine

the shaft is clearly a huge issue, but i think the other (and more important for some players) issue is psychology.

for me, i just cant get past the look.
it looks KINDA like a wood, yet it should be played more like an iron.
i just hate the way they look at address, and i cant seem to find any that i hit consistently.

with long irons, im well aware that i cant get the same height and stopping ability, but i CAN get a comfortable feel at address.
for me, the 2 iron is easier to hit than a hybrid.

further, i think its important to note that a lower shot sometimes is optimal.
sure, if i need a 210 carry and the ability to stop it quick im in trouble, but if i need a 210 total distance and i have a tree to go under im sure glad i have a 2 iron.

the "buzz" anymore is that EVERYONE should switch long irons for hybrids, and i guess i just dont believe thats the case.
there ARE some benefits to the long irons, and if someone feels more comfortable with that club (and add to that the ability to work the ball high, low, draw, fade) then i dont think its a mistake to keep the 2 iron in the bag.

just my .02

jake

You know what Jake? I agree with you. I can think of so many times when I needed a 2 or 3 iron to get under tree limbs or bore it through the wind. I do believe however, that most people aren't very good at doing what you can do, and that's hit a deuce.
BTW, I do think "hybrid" should be a name reserved for plants and gas/battery powered cars!
Bill

Hi Everybody. I am currently using a 3 iron and is considering getting a hybrid.

1)Does anyone know if there are any disadvantage of using hybrids as compared to 3-iron? (More accurate, etc)

2)when we choose a hybrid to replace long irons, do we get the hybrid with the same loft as the iron that we are replacing?

I hit a TM Rescue #3 19 degree the same distance I hit a two iron with the flight of a 5 wood and as accurate as a 3 iron.
Bill

Thanks bill but if that is the case why do people still use 3-irons?

Boonfei80,
You ask, "why do people still use 3 irons?"
tradition - comfort zone - resistance to change - prejudice - confusion over choices - peer pressure - every other close minded human thought you can think of

A lot of people may remember the resistance in replacing the two iron with a 5 wood. The same issues were discussed then as are discussed now over using a hybrid.

BTW, I hit the 19 degree TM Rescue the distance of a 5 wood/2 iron, so it replaces those two clubs. Choking up on the club a little replaces the 3 iron that I pulled to carry a 60 degree wedge. To hit a low shot under a tree, hood a 4 iron. I hit a 2 iron as well as anything else, the hybrid is just more versatile. If the lie is good I hit a putter 170 yds. plus, so that would get under a tree.
Bill

"If the lie is good I hit a putter 170 yds. plus, so that would get under a tree."
Funny you mentioned that, I played with a guy last summer who used his putter from everywhere, like 20 yards off the green, on the fairway! He actually did OK...esp since he wasn't very good and had zero distance control w/a wedge!
I can answer why people still use a 3-iron, in my case, I hit it more accurately than a wood or hybrid. I'm gonna try to work on my hybrid this spring, since I haven't played with it yet. I also have a 19 degree hybrid, since my goal was to get a club which was going to give me slightly more distance than my 3-iron, enabling me to get more GIR! Plus, I'm reading that they are pretty good to use from fairway bunkers.

im with you aimee.

i think the list of reasons bill gave is mostly accurate, and id add "ego" to the top of that list.
some people actually think its macho to use a 2 iron. why i dont know. if you cant hit it, just seems stupid to me.

that said, there are the rare group that just hit them better.
why i have no idea, since everyone agrees hybrids are easier to hit.
for some reason, i guess aimee and i are part of that rare group that does NOT find them easier to hit.

Regarding shafts, I haven't tried steel in a hybrid, and wonder if I should. I've demoed the new Cobra baffler's and love them, currently play an older model 22* baffler, and it's nothing like the new ones. I carry up to a 4i, and hit it well to 185. The demo's I have liked were stiff graphite. I haven't measured my swing speed but it's pretty fast. If I would potentially gain accuracy with steel, what would I give up, distance?

Wade,
The Taylor Made rescue I use is a steel shaft. My first one was a Nike with a grahite shaft but I hit the steel shaft with more accuracy. Both clubs were 19* and I hit each one the same distance.
Bill

Wade,
It kinda depends on the specs of the shafts. I've hit 95 gram steel shafts in hybrids, as well as 85 gram graphite. I hit both well, but because the specs of the shafts fit my swing. I have come to prefer graphite because the club is more wood-like to me. I think the new bafflers come with Nippon steel shafts in them, which I hear are quite nice.

I will demo the Cobra baffler's with steel, I hit my irons well, but I hit my woods really well. My favorite club in the bag is my 3-wood (and my 52* Vokey) so I'm comfortable with the wood-swing. The problem with my older 22* baffler is it's more like an iron, and my results are mixed off the turf. So, my feeling is I would like either of them (have already liked stiff graphite) but will take more accuracy with steel in a heartbeat. I do seem to approach the hybrid shot like a wood, though I know you're supposed to hit them like an iron. After my round in the morning I will demo both, but I'm looking for a 23* primarily as a rescue clube. It doesn't have to go 10 miles, it just has to get me back in play at a 3-4 iron range. The Cobra's set up very well for me.

Wade,
I think you'll really like the new style of hybrids out now. I've seen the baffler you're playing now, and most game improvement irons have more forgiveness these days. I'm supposed to be receiving some Nickent hybrids for a review, but they have yet to arrive. I wish I could give you an opinion on those. But, in the meantime, I do play a Taylor Made rescue dual with a Fujikura Banzai hybrid (graphite) shaft, and it's quite good. It's a 19º that I use in lieu of a 5 wood. I played the Rescue Mid (steel)prior to that, and it's also quite good. I think the Nipopon shafts in the Cobras are pretty light, so there is not a whole lot of weight savings steel vs. graphite. It will pretty much come down to ballflight and feel most likely. Have fun demoing and let us know how it goes! Oh, by the way, I have found that hybrids, especially graphite, tend to play pretty soft to flex in some brands. Taylor Made and Cobra both play pretty soft to flex. Consider going stiffer in flex than you normally might or the control might suffer.

Wade: The way I look at it, a hybrid is a replacement for a long iron, and as such, it should fit in with your other irons. With that in mind, I built my hybrid with a steel shaft, so it better fits in with my steel shafted irons. Distance is not really an issue here, solid contact and ease of use it what counts. This may not be best for all golfers, but it's the way I see it.

Wade,
You said you want the club for the 3 to 4 iron range. So I assume you are concious of, and want, consistancy in distance. A steel shaft in a hybrid should be more consistant in distance and direction, unless you have precisely the right graphite shaft and you're swinging the club exactly the same every time.

If you really want to get some feel,
Shaft your hybrid in "real steel."

Bill