Hybrids

performance

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

demand

★★★ ½

player comment “The Pro is my favourite. Just evokes confi dence because it’s so nice and square to the target. It gives you a feeling of control with that compact head.”

performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

look • sound • feel

demand player comment “Straight ball fl ight. Never have any trouble getting it into the air. Super stable and incredibly easy to hit. I don’t get any dragging through the turf.”

callaway

APEX/APEX PRO RRP AED 1,349

what it does: Good golfers and less-skilled golfers play very different games when it comes to hybrids. Less-skilled players need hybrid shots to fl y high and stay left, and good players need shots to fl y low and, well, not go left. Hence, these two versions of Apex are as diff erent as a bogey is from a birdie. However, whether you’re a tour pro or you only watch them on TV, these two siblings share all the technology that helps propel strikes farther. The forged 455 steel cupface is designed with variable thicknesses that came by way of artifi cial intelligence and internal “jailbreak” bars that join the crown and sole to provide better all-around fl exing on the face for extra oomph on those impacts that aren’t fl ushed. why we like it: Like Long Island Expressway, the previous Apex hybrid was something of an oxymoron: a hard-to-hit hybrid. Callaway heard from average players and responded with its latest Apex to serve golfers across the handicap spectrum. The Pro’s smaller profi le targets better players with low launch and more spin. The larger Apex has an adjustable hosel to tweak launch angle and uses tungsten in the back to enhance forgiveness.

lofts 19, 21, 24, 27 (apex, adjustable); 18, 20,23, 26 (apex pro) callaway

ROGUE ST MAX/MAX OS/MAX OS LITE/PRO RRP AED 1,395

what it does: This family, with four versions and a loft range that stretches to the 8-hybrid, is all about chasing speed and distance. Callaway says the new Rogue ST goes an extra 3.5 yards compared to the company’s Mavrik. It accomplishes these feats thanks to an enhanced “jailbreak” technology, a construction that uses heel and toe braces within the head and directly behind the face. Those braces join the crown and sole to concentrate more fl exing across a wider portion of the face. There’s also room now for 18 grams of tungsten to be placed in the toe to improve overall stability on off -centre hits. why we like it: Whether it’s underwhelming Dwayne Johnson action movies on Netfl ix or the menu at The Cheesecake Factory, too many choices is a very modern problem for consumers. More options are better with this line, the largest of any company in the business. The Pro has a fairway-wood shape and a shallow face to allow for workability; the Max has the same slightly stronger lofts but extra forgiveness for those who need a bit more distance, and the Max OS and Max OS Lite provide the most benefi ts for golfers with moderate swing speeds in terms of launch and distance.

lofts 18, 20, 23, 26 (max/pro); 19, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36 (max os/max os lite)

performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand player comment “Might not look so mighty, but everything was easily long and high. Couldn’t believe the distance and pop it had with each swing—and forgiveness.”

performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

demand

★★★ ½

player comment “With those rails, I could hit it from the rough or divots without worrying about the face shutting. Ball fl ight never had a lot of unwanted curve.”

cobra

AIR-X AED TBC

what it does: Cobra might be as attuned to the needs of golfers who value hybrids as any company in the club business. The Air-X has three simple objectives: promote maximum clubhead speed and carry distance for players with moderate to slow swing speeds, help launch the ball into the air, and make sure the ball doesn’t slice. If you need a hybrid to do less, then this isn’t your club. If you need a hybrid to do more, then perhaps it’s time you practiced walking and chewing gum at the same time. why we like it: The Air-X is like a loyal spouse—accepting you for the imperfect person you are and strengthening your painfully obvious weaknesses. In the case of the Air-X, that’s swing speed, trajectory and direction. To help generate speed, the Air-X is eight grams lighter than its predecessor, the F-Max. It uses a thinner face to create ball speed and better launch. (There’s even a 7-hybrid.) Any discretionary weight is pushed low and to the club’s back perimeter to increase stability on mis-hits and create more dynamic loft for higher fl ight. For those who live in fear of the banana ball, the gently off set hosel keeps the ball from slinging out-of-bounds.

lofts 19, 22, 25, 28, 31 cobra

LTDx/ONE LENGTH RRP AED 1,045

what it does: An intricate internal-weighting system positions weight low and forward to produce fast ball speeds, forgiveness and low spin for enhanced distance. It’s not just centre strikes that produce fi reworks. A face designed with the help of artifi cial intelligence uses 15 “hot” zones with strategic thicknesses to increase smash factor and ball speed across a wider area on the face. The thinner face, which wraps around the sole like a backward letter “L,” works with the sole to deliver more speed. Also, the rails are hollow, allowing the face to more easily defl ect at impact than solid rails would. why we like it: Applaud this hybrid for its singular focus on the two types of golfers: Those seeking more distance and bald-faced liars. Every element to these hybrids is in search of extra distance. That L-shape face moves the weld line back to the sole so that impacts low on the face perform better. The company’s signature Baffl er sole rails have been abbreviated in size but not in eff ectiveness, helping the club glide through uneven lies to reduce loss of ball speed. The One Length version’s 7-iron-length shaft is designed to provide more solid contact with added accuracy.

lofts 17, 19, 21, 24, 28 (ltd x ); 19, 21, 24 (one length)

performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand player comment “Easy to hit, like it has a homing device. The club is very forgiving. Even when I hit a few shots on the heel and toe, the ball works back toward the target nicely.”

performance

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

demand

★★★★ ½

player comment “The contrasting lines eff ectively frame the ball. Clean and classic. Centre hits feel like a sledgehammer delivering energy through the ball. Compact head easily cuts through the grass.”

mizuno

CLK RRP AED 950

what it does: The CLK is on the compact side, but its adjustability extends from 14 to 27 degrees in four heads that get progressively larger the lower the loft. One of the club’s more eff ective attributes is a fl ex-friendly maraging-steel alloy face that gives ball speed a boost. By compressing more freely than previous models on the lower part of the face—a common impact area—this new face design improves where the hybrid most often makes contact with the ball: low. A wave-shaped structure on the front of the sole gives the club even more juice on impact and has a solid, tour-preferred sound. why we like it: Hybrids are supposed to fi ll the void between fairway woods and long irons. Too often, though, they perform like a scaled-down fairway wood (instead of the best of both), which can create gapping and utility issues. That’s not the case here. Like a good character actor—think of J.K. Simmons in . . . well, anything— the CLK knows its role better than other hybrids know theirs. The smaller profi le would seem to suggest it’s mostly for better players, but with eight settings on each head to tweak lie and loft, players of any skill level will fi nd it gives them all they need.

lofts 16, 19, 22, 25 ; adjustable ping

G425 RRP AED 1,575

what it does: Ping’s hybrids have always been reliable and effi cient—a worthy replacement for the long iron in your bag that doesn’t work anymore. The G425 is still those things but with new heat. A high-strength maraging-steel face wraps around the sole and crown. This allows the top and bottom of the face to be thinner and more fl exible to increase distance. There’s also less curvature low on the face to combat excessive spin. A three-dot alignment aid on the top of the crown off ers ample guidance at address. why we like it: Distance is like a trusty fastball: It doesn’t matter how hard you can throw if you can’t throw hard consistently. Luckily the G425 brings the heat every time, even on off -centre hits. The key is a tungsten back weight that creates a low and deep centre of gravity to tighten that distance window. That CG is tuned to each loft to better match with the type of player expected to use it. Better players gravitate toward the lowest lofts, so those have a neutral bias. Less-skilled players use the higher lofts, so those have more anti-slice bias. An adjustable hosel and a 7-hybrid increase the overall loft range from the mid-teens to the mid-30s.

lofts 17, 19, 22, 26, 30, 34 ; adjustable

performance

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

demand

★★ ½

player comment “The deep face gives you confi dence at address. Love the ‘X’ for alignment. The sound resembles a gun with a silencer. Trajectory is high and true.”

performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand player comment “It lets me deal with shots from mediocre lies. The word is ‘premium.’ Some will get it or they won’t, but the good players will know what you have in your bag.”

pxg

0317 X/0317 XF (GEN4) RRP AED 1,595

what it does: The two hybrids here try to do a lot of the same things (distance, forgiveness, adjustability), but they diff er in a key way. The X enhances solid hits, and the XF smooths out your blunders. Of course, what’s most noticeable is a crown that sandwiches a carboncomposite wedge between heel and toe sections made of steel. This increases the structure’s stiff ness for faster ball speed and enhances the high-strength stainless-steel face. Two adjustable ports in the sole—one heavy, one light—allow for a range of customisation for spin and draw. A honeycomb TPE internal insert improves sound and feel. The XF is slightly bigger to make it easier to hit, but maybe its smartest mistake-fi xer is a set of sole rails that prevents the head from digging into the ground on turf-heavy strikes. why we like it: This is a company that favours the bold, but that crown is more than just an aesthetic. It’s emblematic of the brand’s search for an alternative from the usual way of doing things. Not any old carbon composite, the use of aluminum vapor in the carbon-composite material adds strength and reduces mass up top to lower the club’s centre of gravity for better ball fl ight and stability.

lofts 17, 19, 22, 25, 28 (x); 19, 22, 25, 28 (xf); adjustable srixon

ZX RRP AED 845

what it does: Compact hybrids like this one haven’t always featured a lot of distance technology. Companies have assumed the players gravitating to this look would bring all the energy required. But Srixon knows that nobody is refusing more of anything these days. Thanks to a high-strength steel alloy, the face is 5-percent thinner than previous models to create more rebound at impact. Srixon has encircled the areas outside the face with stiff and fl exible zones. Alternating the stiff ness in the transition areas of the crown and sole helps to enhance energy transfer by intensifying the face defl ection for both on- and off -centre hits. A step-down design in the crown lowers the centre of gravity and gives the user optimal trajectory without too much spin. why we like it: The Porsche 356, Barry Sanders, Sonic the Hedgehog: Sometimes the smallest packages pack the most power and speed. The compact look can make it seem imposing to higherhandicappers, and make no mistake, this is a club that is big on workability. Still, this is not a players-only club. With lofts at 25 and 28 degrees, it plays just fi ne even if you’ve never seen the back tees.

lofts 16, 19, 22, 25, 28

performance

innovation

look • sound • feel

demand player comment “Everything just comes hot off the face. Maybe a higher fl ight than what I expected, but I didn’t lose any distance. That means a soft landing on the green. I’ll take that.”

performance

innovation

look • sound • feel

demand player comment “I like the easy adjustability. Tour-like trajectory: lowrising, nice medium height with a soft landing. Great distance on slight mis-hits.”

taylormade

STEALTH PLUS/STEALTH RRP AED 1,375

titleist

TSi1/TSi2/TSi3 RRP AED 1,385

what it does: If hybrids are some kind of mix of fairway wood and iron, consider the Stealth Plus to be sprinkled with iron-like aura, and the Stealth working as a fairway wood’s spirit animal. The Stealth Plus+ is a traditional all-steel, compact construction built for speed, workability and a fl atter fl ight. The larger Stealth features a carboncomposite crown to relocate seven grams to the rear perimeter. This boosts the moment of inertia (stability on off -centre hits) 15 percent higher than TaylorMade’s Sim Max hybrid. Both models benefi t from the company’s famous slot in the sole. It helps the face defl ect more at impact, especially for shots hit lower on the face. why we like it: Some hybrids are merely stripped down drivers or fairway woods, which can compromise the ground game hybrids have to play. Sure, the Stealth and Stealth Plus+ have the look of TaylorMade’s other woods, but they are all their own. The emphasis on forgiveness throughout the line is important because when a hybrid is called, dirty work is to be done. The V-shaped sole on both models contributes to this mission, keeping weight low and using heel and toe relief to allow these hybrids to power through any lie. what it does: There are three models, each focusing not so much on a diff erent fl ight but on diff erent players. TSi1 is lightweight— 20 grams lighter than standard—for those who need to generate more swing speed with the same amount of eff ort. The larger profi le uses a deep and low centre of gravity to create a higher launch and extra stability. TSi2 is built to deliver all-around forgiveness, an “everyman” club for those whose hybrid swing is more of a sweep than a slash. Its larger front-to-back measurement is for more stability, especially on off -centre hits. The TSi3 is a players club, providing iron-like trajectory. The TSi3 has an adjustable weight track, similar to the TSi3 fairway wood, with heel, toe and neutral settings. why we like it: We all need help, but the help we need is not alike. The TSi family’s range hears all of our pleas, not just with three models but a SureFit hosel that adjusts for 16 lie and loft settings. Altogether, the line accommodates 144 possibilities. But every one of those options off ers speed in uncompromising ways. This includes aerodynamic shaping and a thin, fast-flexing, highstrength steel alloy face in the TSi2 and TSi3.

lofts 17, 19.5, 22 (stealth plus, adjustable); 19, 22, 25, 28, 31 (stealth) lofts 20, 23, 26, 29 (ts i 1); 18, 21, 24 (ts i 2); 18, 20 (ts i 3)

summit snapshot: the numbers game

Two launch monitors at each station gathered vital data

performance

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

demand player comment “David Hasselhoff would pull this out of Knight Rider. Just a cool look. You can fl oat it and hit it high or jump on it, and it won’t even think about ever hitting a snap-hook.”

cobra

KING TEC AED TBC

what it does: This muscular hybrid not only ratchets loft up and down, it off ers three discrete weight positions—rear, toe and heel— that allow golfers to fi ne-tune performance on fl ight, distance and spin based on their swings. The weight savings of a thin-ply carbon crown (versus a traditional steel crown) lowers the centre of gravity and frees up discretionary weight. This also mitigates the extra mass devoted to the club’s adjustable hosel. Power comes from a new L-shaped face insert that wraps around the sole to provide better fl ex, especially on lower face hits. The oversize shape adds forgiveness with a larger face area for better all-around face defl ection. why we like it: The high-speed steel face provides muscle consistently across the hitting area. But the versatility in the hosel and weight ports is where this club shines. The hosel adjusts to eight settings (plus/minus 1.5 degrees), meaning every single head is 24 heads in one. Though we tend to label all hybrids as “rescue” clubs, those rescue missions change depending on the course, the day or how we’re playing. Using the wrench rather than putting another club in the bag makes this a formidable golfi ng Swiss Army Knife.

lofts 17, 19, 21, 24 (adjustable)

▶ what’s better than having a launch monitor to help guide you? Having two launch monitors. At this year’s Hot List, each fullswing hitting station featured a Foresight Sports GCQuad that every player, such as rookie tester Alejandra Bedoya (below), could reference after hitting shots for feedback on things like ball speed, carry distance and spin.

The data analysis didn’t end there. Behind each player was an iPad collecting information from Rapsodo’s MLM (Mobile Launch Monitor)—a device that not only tracks shot data, but captures video of each swing (retaining up to 100 swing videos) and shot-tracer lines of each shot struck. Golf Digest gathered all the shots recorded from the Rapsodo MLM to further inform our decision-making on this year’s Hot List. Of course, that begs the question: Why does it just inform the decisionmaking and not make the decision for us? The answer to that is straightforward. Launch monitors don’t buy golf clubs. Real golfers, like you—and Alejandra—buy golf clubs.

When a player reports “that was my longest one of the day,” we want the player to have the data to confirm that. Look, sound and feel, however, are another strong consideration in the purchase process. No launch monitor, or two, is going to give us numbers on that. —emj