Using a Hybrid on the Fairway
Keep the ball in the middle of your stance. The position of the ball should be the same as it would be when you are hitting with a long iron. The ball will fly higher and longer than when you hit it with an iron, so you may want to adjust the position of the ball to get the type of shot you want. Try keeping the ball slightly farther up in your stance if you want to hit a fade, or a shot that curves slightly to the right (for a right-handed golfer). Because of the larger size of a hybrid’s clubface, it is easier to hit your ball with the center of the clubface that it is with an iron.
Assume the same stance you would when hitting a long iron. Just like when you’re swinging a 3-iron or a 4-iron, center your weight and square your shoulders, hips, and feet to where you want the ball to land. Then line your hands up with the ball and the middle of your chest. When aiming, remember that a shot hit with a hybrid will travel an average of 4–12 yards (3.7–11.0 m) farther than a shot hit with a long iron. A ball hit with a hybrid club will usually fly higher and land softer than one hit with an iron.
Hit the ball on the descent of your swing. Hit the ball just as you would with a long iron. If you’re hitting down on the ball correctly, your club should leave a divot, or a mark in the grass, just in front of the ball’s position after making contact. Even though the hybrid clubhead looks like the clubhead of a fairway wood, you don’t want to sweep the ball like you would when hitting with a wood. Finish your swing with your weight on your left leg.
Hitting Off a Tee
Choose a hybrid club when you need an accurate drive. A hybrid club won’t give you as much distance as a traditional driver, but it will allow you to be more accurate with your drive. A narrow par 4 would be an ideal hole to hit off a tee with a hybrid club.
Tee the ball lower to the ground than you would when using a driver. Hybrid clubs are designed to hit balls directly off a fairway, so you’ll struggle to hit the sweet spot if the ball is up too high on the tee. If you’re teeing off with a hybrid club, make it so that the bottom of the ball is just off the top of the grass and no higher. If you set your hybrid club next to the ball, only about a quarter of the ball should be above the top of the clubhead. Practice teeing off with a hybrid club at a driving range to get a feel for the adjustments you may need to make.
Swing the hybrid club as you would a fairway wood. You should approach the ball with a flat and sweeping downswing, just as if you were using a fairway wood. Level out your swing just before contact. This technique is different than what you would use with a standard driver, when you would want to hit the ball on your upswing. Hybrid clubs have a shorter shaft and a smaller clubhead than fairway woods, so you may want to stand a little closer to the ball than if you were using a fairway wood.
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