Hybrids – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Photos: Ping’s yet-to-be-released G430 driver, woods and irons hit USGA Conforming Club lists

New Ping G430 clubs hit the USGA’s Conforming Club lists on Monday, including three new drivers.

Historically, Ping has released a new family of woods and irons every year, and while the Phoenix-based company has often debuted new better-player irons around U.S. Open time, the clubs most recreational golfers will use come out in January. However, nothing new was released before the start of the 2022 season and the G425 drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons stayed in the line-up.

Now, however, things appear to be set to change as several new Ping G430 clubs hit the USGA’s Conforming Club lists on Monday, including three new drivers, as well as new fairway woods, hybrids and irons.

While the company is mum on the details, the clubs have some familiar markings on them that may give away some details. For instance, the three drivers are the G430 Max, G430 LST and G430 SFT. Drivers with a Max designation have been stability-enhanced clubs that are made to be forgiving on mis-hits, while LST has stood for low-spin technology and SFT has stood for straight-flight technology. So, it is probably safe to assume that Ping is sticking with the formula offering a standard, a low-spin and a slice-fighting version of its new driver.

TaylorMade Stealth UDI driving iron, Stealth DHY driving hybrid

TaylorMade’s Stealth UDI and DHY are designed to bridge the gap between fairway woods and irons with different looks and flights.

Gear: TaylorMade Stealth UDI, Stealth DHY
Price: $249 each with Aldila Ascent Black graphite shaft and Super Stroke S-Tech grip
Specs: Forged stainless steel body and face with vibration-damping foam
Available: July 15

Who It’s For: Golfers looking for options to fill the distance gaps between fairway woods and their longest iron.

The Skinny: The Stealth UDI is a hollow-bodied driving iron designed to create a piercing ball flight and hybrid-style distance, while the Stealth DHY is a compact rescue club intended to produce a slightly higher flight and more carry distance.

The Deep Dive: Nearly every golfer carries a driver and at least one fairway wood in addition to his or her irons, but when it comes to bridging the distance gap between that fairway wood and the longest-hitting iron, things get personal. Some carry more fairway woods, such as a 5-wood and a 7-wood, while others prefer one fairway wood along with a hybrid club. Driving irons are an option for players who want a lower ball flight too.

With the release of the new Stealth UDI and Stealth DHY, TaylorMade is trying to give players options that provide both distance and feel with different flights and looks.

TaylorMade Stealth Rescue clubs

TaylorMade’s new Stealth and Stealth Plus+ Rescues are designed to provide more distance and versatility off the tee and from the fairway.

Gear: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ Rescue, Stealth Rescue clubs
Price: $299 (Stealth Plus+ at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s) with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip. $279 (Stealth at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s) with Fujikura Ventus Red FW shaft
Specs: Stainless steel bodies with carbon-fiber crowns (Stealth) and V-shaped sole design. Loft offerings: 17, 19.5 and 22 degrees for the Stealth Plus+; 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 degrees for the Stealth
Available: Feb. 4 for the Stealth, April 1 for the Stealth Plus+

In late 2019, TaylorMade hosted a commercial photo and video shoot with several of the company’s highest-profile players including Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa. Rory McIlroy was there too, and one of the clubs he tried that day was a SIM Max Rescue club (from $161.99 at Global Golf). It had the same loft as his 5-wood, and McIlroy loved the ball flight and how easy it was to hit. The following year, that club found its way into McIlroy’s bag.

If there was a criticism TaylorMade heard from players regarding the SIM and SIM2 Rescue clubs, it is that they were too similar, with both clubs getting the ball up quickly and easily. Elite golfers wanted to see something more iron-like, so with the release of the Stealth and Stealth Plus+ Rescues for 2022, that is what TaylorMade tried to deliver.

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Callaway Rogue ST Max hybrids

Callaway’s newest hybrids have computer-designed faces for more ball speed and internal tungsten weights to improve performance.

Gear: Callaway Rogue ST Max hybrids
Price: $279.99 (at Carl’s Golfland and Dick’s) each with Project X Cypher Black, Mitsubishi AV Series Blue or AV Series White graphite shafts and Callaway Universal grips.
Specs: 455 stainless steel cup face with internal tungsten weight
Available: Feb. 18

Most golf club designers will tell you that, aside from highly skilled players, no one should use a 3-iron and most golfers would probably benefit from ditching their 4-iron, too. As more and more golfers are custom fit, game-improvement sets are commonly starting with a 5-iron. Instead of swinging tough-to-hit long irons, hybrids are now the go-to clubs for most players.

For 2022, Callaway has a new family of hybrids called Rogue ST Max that the company said are the longest, most forgiving hybrids it has ever produced.

PXG 0341 XF GEN4 fairway woods, 0317XF GEN 4 hybrids

The newest fairway woods and hybrids from PXG are designed to be more forgiving, fly higher and help golfers increase consistency.

Gear: PXG 0341 XF GEN4 fairway woods, 0317XF GEN 4 hybrids
Price: Fairway woods, $249 each at pxg.com; hybrids, $249 each at pxg.com
Specs: Stainless steel bodies with carbon fiber crowns featuring aluminum vapor coating. Lofts: 16, 19 and 22 degrees (fairway woods); 19, 22, 25 and 28 degrees (hybrids)

PXG was founded eight years ago and made its mark by developing irons that looked like a better-player’s muscleback blade but performed like a game-improvement club. To make that happen, the company’s designers hid technologies inside the hollow-bodied heads to increase ball speed while adding the company’s now-signature weight screws around the head to boost forgiveness.

Drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, wedges and putters soon followed the irons, and then PXG started developing different types of clubs to address the needs of different players.

Last February, PXG launched the 0811 GEN4 family of drivers, which includes three models: the low-spin GEN4 X, the tour-inspired GEN4 XT and the ultra-forgiving GEN4 XF. At the time, fairway woods and hybrids were also released that matched the GEN4 X. They were ideally suited for golfers who wanted a lower, more-piercing ball flight.

Now, PXG is releasing the GEN4 XF 0341 fairway woods and GEN4 XF 0317 hybrids for golfers who want more forgiveness. While the clubs are designed to do different things, they share several technologies and features.

Callaway Apex UW utility wood

Created with accomplished golfers in mind, the Apex UW blends hybrid versatility and fairway wood ball speed into one club.

Gear: Callaway Apex UW utility wood
Price: $299.99 each with Project X Smoke RDX graphite shaft and Lamkin UTX grip (at callawaygolf.com)
Specs: Stainless steel head with forged C300 maraging-steel face. 17-, 19- and 21-degree versions
Available: Oct. 7

Equipment makers are clever, designing new clubs all the time to solve problems that golfers face on the course.

Hybrids hit the scene in a big way in the early 2000s, allowing recreational golfers to replace their hard-to-hit long irons with clubs that are more forgiving and versatile. Eventually, elite golfers on the PGA, LPGA and other professional tours starting adding hybrids, too.

Over the last two seasons, several well-known players have added high-lofted fairway woods to their bags because companies can now deliver more ball speed, and clubs such as a 7-wood can create shots that stop more quickly on firm greens.

With the new Apex UW, Callaway is offering accomplished players a club that fits into the gap between hybrids and fairway woods, trying to offer better players the best of both worlds in a new utility wood.

Adams updates the Tight Lies fairway woods and hybrids

The company known for easy-to-hit fairway woods and hybrids has new versions of the Tight Lies for golfers who want distance and forgiveness

For many golfers, Adams Golf, and specifically the Tights Lies family of fairway woods that started in 1995, epitomized easy-to-hit game improvement clubs. They had a unique shape, but their design helped mid- and higher-handicap golfers get the ball up and flying higher than just about anything else on the market at that time.

Adams Golf was acquired by TaylorMade-Adidas Golf back in 2012, and many of the technologies the company had developed found their way into TaylorMade products. In time, Adams quietly slipped out of many golfers’ minds, but the Tight Lies fairway woods and hybrids have been available on the company’s website for more than a year.

Now, updated versions of the Tight Lies fairway woods and hybrids are being made available. They include some of the features golfers loved in the original clubs along with a few modern enhancements to make them perform even better.

Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (2021)

Callaway’s newest hybrid is packed with driver-style materials and features to maximize distance and forgiveness.

Gear: Callaway Epic Super Hybrid
Price: $399.99 with Steelfiber FC Hybrid shaft and Lamkin UTx grip
Specs: Carbon-fiber crown, titanium chassis and face with internal tungsten weights and stainless steel support bars. 16-, 18-, 21-, 24- and 27-degree options
Available: Sept. 9, 2021

Imagine a golf equipment maker crammed several driver technologies and features into a club that could not only be hit off the tee, but also off the turf instead of a long iron. That’s precisely what Callaway has done to develop the new Epic Super Hybrid. From titanium and carbon fiber to internal tungsten weights, chassis-stiffening bars and an adjustable hosel, it’s all here.

Cleveland Launcher XL Halo fairway woods, hybrids

Cleveland’s newest fairway woods and hybrids for recreational golfers feature driver technologies.

Cleveland released a new family of drivers in early August that is not aimed at tour pros or elite, fast-swing golfers. The Launcher XL drivers are for recreational players who struggle to generate clubhead speed and lack distance. They’re also big, with a high moment of inertia (MOI), making them more forgiving and more stable on mis-hits.

Now Cleveland is releasing a complementary group of fairway woods and hybrids designed with several of the same principles and technologies, the Launcher XL Halo fairway woods, hy-wood and hybrids. Like the drivers, these clubs are designed to inspire confidence for mid- and higher-handicap golfers, send the ball high in the air and be easy to hit.

Tour Edge Exotics Pro 721 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids

Designed with feedback from tour players, Tour Edge’s latest woods are more compact but still deliver more distance and shot-shaping.

In February, Tour Edge announced the release of two new families of clubs, the Exotics E721 and Exotics C721 woods and irons. The Exotics E721 clubs are max-game-improvement offerings designed to deliver the most distance and forgiveness possible to golfers who struggle to generate clubhead speed. The Exotics C721 clubs are game-improvement clubs for mid-handicap golfers who love the looks of better-player gear but still need more distance and forgiveness.

Now Tour Edge is completing the line with the release of the limited-edition Exotics Pro 721 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids. No new irons have been announced. Only 1,000 of each driver, fairway wood and hybrid are being made. The new clubs will be made available August 13.

The Exotics Pro 721 series was designed with input from tour players and elite golfers, and they were made to appeal to low-handicap players who love classic shapes. At the same time, they have plenty of modern technologies to help improve performance.