Let's talk about hybrid-irons! Good/bad, better/worse, have you played them? etc.

[lil'mike]

Okay like the title says, let's talk about hybrid-iron sets.  They seem to get talked about lately and since I am 61 years old and reading that some like them, I wanted to get a discussion going about them. 

 

So who plays them?  Tried them?  Thinking about playing them?  Likes/dislikes?  Any comments appreciated as I am just looking for some discussion.

 

Thx.

 

[gvogel]

I'm interested too.

[Springsteennut]

I’m interested also, for a friend.

[596]

I'm 69 , 9 handicap. I play Cobra hybrids 5,6 and 7 and Callaway 8 hybrid.  I interchange these with Cobra T Rail hybrid irons 7, 8,9, PW, GW and SW.  All with Recoil Dart regular flex shafts. I've shot under par many times with these clubs. Friday I shot 38/35 73

 

I absolutely love them.  They have a great feel on well struck shots.  Mishits are very playable.  They launch high with enough spin to hold any green. Even on partial shots like 7i (my 150 club) from 100 yards.  My other irons are PXG 0211dc.  The Cobras are a lot more fun to play. 

 

The short irons are high straight and accurate. The sand wedge is very easy to hit from green side bunkers.  No reason to open the face. Just play it square. Even flop shots are so easy. I've always hated opening faces so these are played square even for the flop shots.  

[boggyman]

@lil'mike I’ve played several sets of Cleveland from the 588 Altitudes to the most recent FF XL Halos, plus W/S Launch Pads. All had graphite but the Pads, 5.5 steel in them all way to SW. Played Cobra T Rail for a stint also. 

Nothing wrong with this type of iron if one needs help elevating the ball or just wants to make the game easier. They’re all super forgiving. Find one that suits your eye and budget and you’d be happy. Downfall would be they’d be a tad clumsier around the green at first due the them being larger, still manageable with some practice. I still have a set of the Altitudes in the garage and would have no problem putting them in play tomorrow. They’re just frowned upon round this site but to each his own. I’ve gone back to OL Cobras or I’d definitely still be in a set of Cleveland’s. 

Edited October 20, 2024 by boggyman

[LHGolf4]

8.9 handicap, I play Taylormade Stealth HD irons.  I use 5-GW, really like the height and easy launch.  I try to only use them for full shots (punch shots if I just have to but the ball does not like to stay down).  I use standard 54 and 58 degree wedges.  Occasionally I switch out to PING G425 irons if the conditions are damp because I tend to hit them a little chunky in soft conditions.  

Edited October 20, 2024 by LHGolf4

[ShakeyT]

I bought my wife a 4-SW set of the Orlimar Stratos irons because she really struggled hitting normal irons. It's been a game changer for her. Her hdcp has dropped because she can now actually hit a green from 50 - 130yds with an iron.

 

To be honest, I bought the Orlimars because they were considerably cheaper than the Cobras, Clevelands, etc.... but I've been really impressed with the quality & performance. They feel on the heavier side & don't like to be swung hard (at least in the senior flex shafts in hers), but put a smooth swing on them & they flat out launch. 

 

There is quite a bit of offset & they are huge heads, but if you want to try a set of hybrid irons that won't dent your wallet, I'd recommend them.

Edited December 21, 2024 by ShakeyT

[lil'mike]

11 hours ago, LHGolf4 said:

8.9 handicap, I play Taylormade Stealth HD irons.  I use 5-GW, really like the height and easy launch.  I try to only use them for full shots (punch shots if I just have to but the ball does not like to stay down).  I use standard 54 and 58 degree wedges.  Occasionally I switch out to PING G425 irons if the conditions are damp because I tend to hit them a little chunky in soft conditions.  

I have heard of the Stealth HD ones too and they look a bit smaller than the Halo's and some others.  More like an iron then hybrid.  I like the look of those.

 

15 minutes ago, ShakeyT said:

I bought my wife a 4-SW set of the Orlimar Stratos irons because she really struggled hitting normal irons. It's been a game changer for her. Her hdcp has dropped because she can now actually hit a green from 50 - 130yds with an iron.

 

To be honest, I bought them the Orlimars because they were considerably cheaper than the Cobras, Clevelands, etc.... but I've been really impressed with the quality & performance. They feel on the heavier side & don't like to be swung hard (at least in the senior flex shafts in hers), but put a smooth swing on them & they flat out launch. 

 

There is quite a bit of offset & they are huge heads, but if you want to try a set of hybrid irons that won't dent your wallet, I'd recommend them.

I have seen Cleveland, Taylormade, Cobra's but I am sure there are a few more OEM's that make them.   I also have read that these type feel heavier too.

 

[Milfordlefty]

Playing Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo irons with Miyazaki graphite shafts. The do elevate the ball relatively well. I can still fat a shot with them. 67 and would call myself a bogey+ golfer (putting is my main downfall in a bad round). As my bag below shows, I don't carry the full iron set. Moved to pure hybrids for the greater distance compared to an iron (I attribute to longer shaft length, not club head). My only dislike, with the painted cavity, I use headcovers (I know, I know), but don't like paint nicks and you never know when I might get the urge to try something else and sell'em on ebay.

[gvogel]

On 10/20/2024 at 9:48 AM, lil'mike said:

I have heard of the Stealth HD ones too and they look a bit smaller than the Halo's and some others.  More like an iron then hybrid.  I like the look of those.

 

I have seen Cleveland, Taylormade, Cobra's but I am sure there are a few more OEM's that make them.   I also have read that these type feel heavier too.

 

Which is better, the Cleveland Halo XL full face irons, or the Cobra T-Rail irons?  More compact?

[lil'mike]

2 hours ago, gvogel said:

Which is better, the Cleveland Halo XL full face irons, or the Cobra T-Rail irons?  More compact?

Better?  Not sure as it would depend on the player.  As far as those two goes, you could google and read reviews on both to get an idea for yourself.  I haven't hit either so I really can't comment.

[gvogel]

2 minutes ago, lil'mike said:

Better?  Not sure as it would depend on the player.  As far as those two goes, you could google and read reviews on both to get an idea for yourself.  I haven't hit either so I really can't comment.

The interesting thing is that I have found them available, and with Steelfiber Flight Control shafts, which I have tried and liked.  They have the 70 gram, 80 gram and 90 gram FC's available as options.  I might just buy both in 7-irons, and then fill in with 6-iron, 8-iron and 9-iron when I find the one I prefer.

 

I have a Steelfiber FC in an older Titleist AP1 7-iron in the 90 gram weight, which seems to be easy to launch but also heavy enough for consistency.  

[boggyman]

2 hours ago, gvogel said:

Which is better, the Cleveland Halo XL full face irons, or the Cobra T-Rail irons?  More compact?

I just recently traded off my FF XL Halos. The T Rails  are slightly weaker in lofts but only 1-2 degrees I believe. Therefore the T Rails were shorter for me than the FF Halos. The T Rails are more compact though. @erock9174 maybe can chime in on this as well. He’s a well documented hybrid iron player. I’d personally take any Cleveland series over the T Rail and I’m a Cobra fan, currently in AeroJet OL. 
As for which is better, only you could be the deciding factor. Me personally, I’d get a previous Gen of the Cleveland that suited my budget and eye. Possibly the U Try from Global. Don’t discount the TM HD either, although discontinued, can be had at bargains. If they’d had a 4 iron when I demoed them I’d bought them on the spot. That was before I discovered a 7 wood lol. Still have a set of 588 Altitudes in the garage for ole times sake. 

Edited October 21, 2024 by boggyman

[gvogel]

2 minutes ago, boggyman said:

I just recently traded off my FF XL Halos. The T Rails  are slightly weaker in lofts but only 1-2 degrees I believe. Therefore the T Rails were shorter for me than the FF Halos. The T Rails are more compact though. @erock9174 maybe can chime in on this as well. He’s a well documented hybrid iron player. I’d personally take any Cleveland series over the T Rail and I’m a Cobra fan, currently in AeroJet OL. 
As for which is better, only you could be the deciding factor. Me personally, I’d get a previous Gen of the Cleveland that suited my budget and eye. Possibly the U Try from Global. Don’t discount the TM HD either, although discontinued, can be had at bargains. If they’d had a 4 iron when I demoed them I’d bought them on the spot. That was before I discovered a 7 wood lol.

When you "traded off" your Halos, what are you using presently?

[boggyman]

14 minutes ago, gvogel said:

When you "traded off" your Halos, what are you using presently?

Cobra AeroJet One Length…. @gvogel

[gvogel]

Is the Cobra T-Rail iron a little smaller in profile than the Halo XL?

[boggyman]

40 minutes ago, gvogel said:

Is the Cobra T-Rail iron a little smaller in profile than the Halo XL?

@gvogel they are smaller. Here’s a pic  of mine when I owned them. The 4 you see is a W/S Launch Pad. 

Edited October 21, 2024 by boggyman

[erock9174]

3 hours ago, gvogel said:

Is the Cobra T-Rail iron a little smaller in profile than the Halo XL?

Based on how I measure 7 iron heads:

 

T-Rail 

Face 3”

Sole 1 1/4”

Toe height 1 7/8”

 

Halo

Face: 3 1/4”

Sole: 1 1/2”

Toe: 2

 

Stealth HD

Face 3 1/8”

Sole 1 1/4”

Toe 1 3/4”

 

Halo Full face 

Face 3 1/4

Sole 1 1/2”

Toe: 2”

 

[lil'mike]

10 minutes ago, erock9174 said:

Based on how I measure 7 iron heads:

 

 

T-Rail 

Face 3”

Sole 1 1/4”

Toe height 1 7/8”

 

 

Halo

Face: 3 1/4”

Sole: 1 1/2”

Toe: 2

 

 

Stealth HD

Face 3 1/8”

Sole 1 1/4”

Toe 1 3/4”

 

Halo Full face 

Face 3 1/4

Sole 1 1/2”

Toe: 2”

 

Thanks for the info @erock9174

[POKeefe]

I have played them before. They're good for lower-speed, lower-launch players who need that additional height. For those who have a 7i speed above 80 mph, they balloon a lot. Forgiveness is kind of a silly term, to be honest, as robot testing has shown. Hybrid irons are height and ball speed boosters at the sacrifice of control. They have a place but are specifically suited to certain types of players.

[JP1000]

Another shout out for Stealth HD irons, I’m late 50’s high index…

 

Driver is my most erratic club, and I stumbled on Stealth 2 HD driver (and mini drivers, but that’s a different story), which gave me good results off the tee.  Then at start of season, my iron game just crumbled.  In a fit of frustration, I just rage purchased off the rack Stealth HD irons (stock regular shafts).  Dumb way to buy equipment, I know, but the results were really good!

 

Three main benefits:

 

- I could never get proper height on iron approach shots, always jealous of playing partners who softly land on the greens.  I was resigned to my iron shots being only 60-70 ft high, so I would always try to land in front of green and bounce onto green. With HD irons, I get 80 to 100 ft and 45+ landing angle.  I’m still bad golfer, but it’s great to stick it on the green properly with minimum roll out.

 

- I’m able to confidently hit long irons (for me, previously I had no confidence with 5 iron, even 6 iron if I’m honest).  With the HDs, I am confidently hitting longer irons.  As someone else mentioned, I wish HD 4 iron was available too.

 

- These are simply fun to play.  I smile a lot more on the course with HDs in my bag.

 

One potential negative, they are noticeably draw biased.  But for me, they just work (baby draws or straight, never fade)

 

p.s.:  I’m not a TM fanboy, you’ll find a random mix of brands in my bag.

 

p.p.s:  You can find HDs steeply discounted these days

 

Thank you for listening to my TED Talk.

[gvogel]

8 hours ago, POKeefe said:

I have played them before. They're good for lower-speed, lower-launch players who need that additional height. For those who have a 7i speed above 80 mph, they balloon a lot. Forgiveness is kind of a silly term, to be honest, as robot testing has shown. Hybrid irons are height and ball speed boosters at the sacrifice of control. They have a place but are specifically suited to certain types of players.

As my driver swing is just shy of 80 mph, I guess I don't have to worry about ballooning.

[erock9174]

11 hours ago, lil'mike said:

Thanks for the info @erock9174

Sure no problem.  

[erock9174]

9 hours ago, JP1000 said:

Another shout out for Stealth HD irons, I’m late 50’s high index…

 

Driver is my most erratic club, and I stumbled on Stealth 2 HD driver (and mini drivers, but that’s a different story), which gave me good results off the tee.  Then at start of season, my iron game just crumbled.  In a fit of frustration, I just rage purchased off the rack Stealth HD irons (stock regular shafts).  Dumb way to buy equipment, I know, but the results were really good!

 

 

 

You had me at "Rage Purchased"  lol

[erock9174]

14 hours ago, gvogel said:

Is the Cobra T-Rail iron a little smaller in profile than the Halo XL?

As shown in my measurements above the biggest thing you will notice is the blade length between the 2 (Halos being longer).  In my measurements of 75 different 7 iron heads, the Cleveland hybrid style irons (Halo and Full Face) have the largest heads.  Here is a snapshot of my listing sorted by largest head.  If anyone wants the full list, shoot me a PM with your email and I will email you my spreadsheet.  I also have all 75 heads sorted by brand as well so that you can see the progression in their iron lines.  For example I put Ping in there below

 

 

[erock9174]

As @boggyman mentioned, I've been known to knock around some hybrid style irons.  A little about my game.  Right now playing to around a 6-7 cap.  Slower swinger 7i carry 140, Driver 12* around 225 on avg and 244 performance avg according to ShotScope.  I try and play the right length tee boxes (usually 5800-6200 yds) and have fun.  

 

When i got more serious about golf many years ago I kept trying iron set after iron set.  My buddy suggested trying the Cleveland 588 Altitudes (predecessor to irons like the Halos, Halo Full Face, HB Launchers and HB Turbos).  I found a one off 6i on the used rack at Golfsmith and snagged it.  hit it at the range and ordered a new set of RockbottomGolf as soon as I got home.

 

I gamed them for a while but then got fitted as my swing improved in 2018 for some G700 irons.  Played them for 2 seasons but ultimately went back to the Altitude irons.  I like to draw the ball and always seem to struggle drawing Ping irons in the 6 and 7i.  With the Altitudes, I can hit the draw from 6i down to the wedges.  When Cobra came out with the T-Rails in 2020, I liked the look and ordered a single 6i to try.  It seemed to launch easier than the Altitude and went a little further too with plenty of spin and stopping power.  I ordered the rest of the set but it was short lived.  Once the weather cooled off here in OH mine were built with Nippon Modus 105R shafts and they felt like a chore to swing (D3 swing weight).  So I got rid of those and went back to the Altitudes.  I have gamed plenty of iron sets since, mostly Ping (2 sets of G425's, 3 sets of G430s, Cleveland Zipcore XL, Stealth HD, Callaway Smoke HLs) but kept coming back to the Altitudes.  

I recently bought a set of Mizuno 925 Hot Metal HL's and like them so far.  Surprisingly, I did a test yesterday on GC Quad and in the 6i and 7i, the HLs actually flew higher with a steeper descent angle:

 

[gvogel]

21 minutes ago, erock9174 said:

As shown in my measurements above the biggest thing you will notice is the blade length between the 2 (Halos being longer).  In my measurements of 75 different 7 iron heads, the Cleveland hybrid style irons (Halo and Full Face) have the largest heads.  Here is a snapshot of my listing sorted by largest head.  If anyone wants the full list, shoot me a PM with your email and I will email you my spreadsheet.  I also have all 75 heads sorted by brand as well so that you can see the progression in their iron lines.  For example I put Ping in there below

 

 

Based on the measurements that you gave earlier, I have just purchased a T-Rail 7-iron with a Steelfiber Flight Control 90 gram R shaft.

 

I am currently playing T300 irons 7 - 9 with Nippon 950 NEO, so looking forward to the T-Rail.  Also, judging by your signature, I could easily play out of your bag.  I just wish I could hit my driver 220.  My driver is either a Titleist 910 D2 12* head with a Ventus TR Red 5R, or an 11* TSR2 (set to A4) with the same Ventus shaft.

[Ghostwedge]

These clubs haven't been !mentioned yet but I would say fit the discussion.

I play golf occasionally with a guy who has the PXG 0311 SGI irons Gen 2, these clubs are huge and forgiving. He shoots 75-80 all day with them, he is 60-65 yrs old and just average athletic ability I would say, think they have Recoil shafts.

Just checked on the Bay, they aren't cheap for being a few generations old.

Thinking about purchasing and putting away a set for future use, already have some G700's squirrel ed away. lol

[596]

11 hours ago, POKeefe said:

I have played them before. They're good for lower-speed, lower-launch players who need that additional height. For those who have a 7i speed above 80 mph, they balloon a lot. Forgiveness is kind of a silly term, to be honest, as robot testing has shown. Hybrid irons are height and ball speed boosters at the sacrifice of control. They have a place but are specifically suited to certain types of players.

Not here to argue just starting for me.   not everyone with lower swing speed launches low.  I have an 87 swing speed and launch very high.  I had to go low launch low spin on my driver.  The hybrid irons are easy to launch but I don't see them launching too high for me with a high launch swing.  I don't find they balloon at all.  I've never been more accurate with an iron then I am with the hybrid irons.

[CROUSE99]

3 hours ago, erock9174 said:

As @boggyman mentioned, I've been known to knock around some hybrid style irons.  A little about my game.  Right now playing to around a 6-7 cap.  Slower swinger 7i carry 140, Driver 12* around 225 on avg and 244 performance avg according to ShotScope.  I try and play the right length tee boxes (usually 5800-6200 yds) and have fun.  

 

When i got more serious about golf many years ago I kept trying iron set after iron set.  My buddy suggested trying the Cleveland 588 Altitudes (predecessor to irons like the Halos, Halo Full Face, HB Launchers and HB Turbos).  I found a one off 6i on the used rack at Golfsmith and snagged it.  hit it at the range and ordered a new set of RockbottomGolf as soon as I got home.

 

I gamed them for a while but then got fitted as my swing improved in 2018 for some G700 irons.  Played them for 2 seasons but ultimately went back to the Altitude irons.  I like to draw the ball and always seem to struggle drawing Ping irons in the 6 and 7i.  With the Altitudes, I can hit the draw from 6i down to the wedges.  When Cobra came out with the T-Rails in 2020, I liked the look and ordered a single 6i to try.  It seemed to launch easier than the Altitude and went a little further too with plenty of spin and stopping power.  I ordered the rest of the set but it was short lived.  Once the weather cooled off here in OH mine were built with Nippon Modus 105R shafts and they felt like a chore to swing (D3 swing weight).  So I got rid of those and went back to the Altitudes.  I have gamed plenty of iron sets since, mostly Ping (2 sets of G425's, 3 sets of G430s, Cleveland Zipcore XL, Stealth HD, Callaway Smoke HLs) but kept coming back to the Altitudes.  

I recently bought a set of Mizuno 925 Hot Metal HL's and like them so far.  Surprisingly, I did a test yesterday on GC Quad and in the 6i and 7i, the HLs actually flew higher with a steeper descent angle:

 

The results with the Mizuno HL’s don’t surprise me.  I had a set of the 923 HL’s and they were the easiest irons to elevate that I have ever hit.  I should still be playing them but I’m a terrible club ho.