I Need a Hybrid

Let me be the first to say that I reject the notion that we all "need" any more golf equipment than we already have. I can't imagine that a new driver will do me much better than the 460 Launcher that I already have, or that I could flush a 3-wood any further or straighter than I already do with my other Cleveland launcher. I already have The Greatest Putter Ever Made. And the 762s are still the best irons I have ever used. Ever. But I've got a big hole - it's between 170 and 185 yards away from wherever I'm standing, trying to select a club that will do the job consistently. A choke-down 5W sometimes works, but choking down on a club is an unnatural act, and I don't practice it, and it feels weird. You can't make a confident, committed swing when you feel weird and unnatural.

My "Big Billy" 7W, named for Billy Casper, and a near-perfect knock-off of the original Heaven Wood, comes close, but that same small profile face and sharp leading edge that makes it so good out of the rough also makes it feel.....weird and unnatural off the tee, or tee box, or fairway. It's the weapon of choice in the second cut, but stays in the bag on medium-sized par 3's.

A flushed 5 iron does me just fine up to about 175, but add a little wind, or elevate the green, and I over-swing, and end up who-knows-where. I can hit my 4-iron nicely at the range - it's good for 180-185 - at the range - and I've hit some brilliant shots with it in actual rounds, but it's unpredictable. I can hit it 165, and I can hit it 190, I just never know which or when. That same club, however, is money in my pocket when hitting that very low runner out from the trees amidst which I seem to spend so much time...

So, I need a hybrid, and it's going to take the place of the 4-iron. I've tried a few, and they aren't miracle clubs, but I do believe that one will give me more consistent results on those 178 +/- shots. I need a used one, not a new one. This is easy enough to accomplish these days - I'll swing a few at the range, try out clubs that belong to some golf pals, make my choice, and hit eBay for a few nights. My thrifty yankee predisposition will not allow me to take a shiny new piece of hardware into a pebble-filled waste bunker (another place that I've wiled away the hours...)

The point is, if you see me wielding a hybrid this year, it's not because I fell for the hardware hype-machine that attempts to convince every one of us that all the stuff we already own is no good any more, and all the new high-COR, low kick-point, square-headed, spin inducing, multi-material, spin reducing, to-the-limit MOI stuff that they just came out with will make our lives so much better. Nope, if you see me with a hybrid, it's because I needed it.

GF