Have the new hollow body irons rendered hybrids obsolete?

[klbcec]

Been playing hybrids since the OG Adams Idea Pro. My irons are the Mizuno Pro 243s, But being 60 now and driver ss down to 100 mph, I feel I don't get the most out of the 4 iron in that set.  Currently playing an Apex hybrid for a higher trajectory.

 

Last week, I watched my buddy with similar swing speed launching a PXG 4 iron higher than I hit the Apex hybrid.

 

Couple that with the fact that I always found Apex 4 hybrid a bit inconsistent, and never felt truly confident in my ability to deliver the face square or dial in distance.

 

On a lark, I picked up a Cleveland Launcher XL 4 iron.  Wanted the most forgiving and easy to launch 4 iron I could find and didn't want to spend a ton on an experiment. So the Launcher xl fit the bill bc I can be had cheap on eBay.

 

After a couple range sessions with the club, I'm not sure why anyone would chose a hybrid unless they have a really slow swing speed.  The Launcher seems really easy to elevate and much easier to deliver square. You can actually feel the face angle during the swing much more than a hybrid.

 

Thoughts?

[vonbonds]

Interesting idea. How far did you hit your 4 hybrid and how far do you hit the Cleveland 4 iron?

[Mr.I302]

Everything about golf is finding what works best for you.  I don’t think hollow body irons can or will make hybrids obsolete, because generally the right hybrid with the right shaft will for most be more forgiving and a better fit for many golfers. That’s my opinion and that’s why golf and this place is the best.

 

take care and good luck to all.

[vonbonds]

And there’s people like me who feel more confident looking down at a hybrid 

[klbcec]

39 minutes ago, vonbonds said:

Interesting idea. How far did you hit your 4 hybrid and how far do you hit the Cleveland 4 iron?

4 iron 195 to 205.  4 hybrid 195 to 210.

[PJE]

1 hour ago, klbcec said:

 

On a lark, I picked up a Cleveland Launcher XL 4 iron.  Wanted the most forgiving and easy to launch 4 iron I could find and didn't want to spend a ton on an experiment. So the Launcher xl fit the bill bc I can be had cheap on eBay.

 

After a couple range sessions with the club, I'm not sure why anyone would chose a hybrid unless they have a really slow swing speed.  The Launcher seems really easy to elevate and much easier to deliver square. You can actually feel the face angle during the swing much more than a hybrid.

 

Thoughts?

Well, not all 4 irons and hybrids are equal. I think it’s a matter of what fits the individual best versus “hybrids are dead”. 
I think the Cleveland 4 iron is beefier than the Taylor Made P790?  (I don’t have both to compare.) The Cleveland GI series long irons are big and fat, almost like a hybrid, or more like the Ping Crossovers.
I had a Cleveland UHX 5 iron which was a beast. In contrast, I’ve hit TaylorMade P790s 4 or 5 irons (various years) which were fine but not remarkable. 

But, it’s great you found something that works! Play well! 
 

[Frank Newport]

No

[Asiangolfer1995]

Definitely not, hollow body irons have given golfers more options in terms of combo setting and ease of use, but hybrids will always be around in some form.

[MickeyTankBank]

No

[Llortamaisey]

Fairway woods might render hybrids obsolete one day.

[Lobsterzilla]

i just bought a darkspeed 4h so hope not

[Itsjustagame]

For me (owning both hollow body irons and hybrids) the hybrids are significantly better out of bunkers and rough in the longer clubs.

[NHenson815]

I’m not an engineer, but there is generally more volume in hybrids.  This probably means there is more room to

implement/tweak the technology.   A modern driver head is substantially larger than its ancestors because that larger size holds all kinds of advantages.   I could be wrong, but I think it would be the same in this case.   The more appropriate way to look at it is that there is now an additional option which has become a better value because it doesn’t disadvantage someone as much for using it, at a lower price point.   Some people might perform better with it as well.

[sniper]

I think it depends on what you want the club to do.  I have a T200 4 iron that launches a little lower from fairway but I can get a lot out of it off the tee.  I hit a 4 hybrid higher and a slightly longer.  Personally I’d rather have the hotter flight off the tee and I struggle with hybrid going left. 
 

Agree that the trend right now is higher lofted fairway woods.  I’m considering a lighter graphite shaft for my T200or Fli-Hi type 4 iron and replacing my 3 hybrid with a 7 wood.  
 

[MickeyTankBank]

4 hours ago, Llortamaisey said:

Fairway woods might render hybrids obsolete one day.

 

No

[klbcec]

2 hours ago, sniper said:

I think it depends on what you want the club to do.  I have a T200 4 iron that launches a little lower from fairway but I can get a lot out of it off the tee.  I hit a 4 hybrid higher and a slightly longer.  Personally I’d rather have the hotter flight off the tee and I struggle with hybrid going left. 
 

Agree that the trend right now is higher lofted fairway woods.  I’m considering a lighter graphite shaft for my T200or Fli-Hi type 4 iron and replacing my 3 hybrid with a 7 wood.  
 

I went with 7 wood in place of 3 hybrid.  Only issue with 7 wood is the wind affects the ball flight much more than a 3 hybrid. More than 15 mph wind, I put the hybrid in the bag.

 

Depending on how this experiment goes, I may look at a Launcher xl 3 iron.

[Jeff58]

If you look at LPGA configurations, by far the most common are two hybrids with the longest iron being a 5. For those with less than around 100mph driver ss, hybrids are better in every way.
 

At right at 100mph, I still use a “4” iron, mostly because the best player’s distance long iron has (at least for me) indeed replaced one class of clubs: the driving iron. The P790 4 iron isn’t quite as long as my Srixon ZX utility iron, but it’s way more reliable off the ground, where most driving/utility clubs are one trick pony’s.

[animalgolfs]

4i for me, will always be 24*. Played around with the famous Heavenwood for awhile. Used 2i/3I(mp14) until Firesole hybrids were introduced- then replaced 2i & 3i with those.....eventually replacing the firesole with Orlimar higher lofted FW.  

 

Nowadays at my swingspeed 7w 9w 5h 6h are firmly entrenched......guess it depends on swingspeed & course setup - but I'll never use an iron below 30* again, probably 34* if I'm being honest 

[naj959]

A lot of it depends on how you deliver the club and the trajectory that produces. That will play into what you will be more confident using. I have a 7 wood, 21* utility iron, and a couple of 3 hybrids. All go roughly the same length but get there differently. On a calm day I'm choosing 7 wood because of the ease of use. If there's wind it's staying home. I have a little more confidence in the utility iron over the hybrids because it tends to have a tighter dispersion laterally. Maybe that's the shorter steel shaft. The hybrids do have a little more juice in them from a ball speed perfect and spin a bit less. There's a few in to the wind long par 3s that makes them the club of choice. Pick what you need when you need it.

[J-Walker]

Interesting thread. My 4h carries 10-15 yards farther than my 4i. It is more forgiving as well, but harder to keep low into wind. I currently carry both and play without a 5 or 7 wood. I’m in flux about this part of my bag right now. 

Edited May 17 by J-Walker

[Jc0]

2 hours ago, MickeyTankBank said:

 

No

 

I see you understand sarcasm. 

 

Hollow body irons have killed a specific segment of hybrids, players hybrids. You used to see a lot more small headed hybrids directed at better players. Now days it seems like most of those players have migrated to the hollow body clubs. The more forgiving/higher launching hybrids still exist and are used by plenty of people, but not really high swing speed our PGA tour players. Thats why you see plenty of hybrids on the lpga and senior tours. 

[Frank Newport]

9 hours ago, Llortamaisey said:

Fairway woods might render hybrids obsolete one day.

No

[Frank Newport]

2 hours ago, Jc0 said:

 

I see you understand sarcasm. 

 

Hollow body irons have killed a specific segment of hybrids, players hybrids. You used to see a lot more small headed hybrids directed at better players. Now days it seems like most of those players have migrated to the hollow body clubs. The more forgiving/higher launching hybrids still exist and are used by plenty of people, but not really high swing speed our PGA tour players. Thats why you see plenty of hybrids on the lpga and senior tours. 

No

[Shakespeare]

6 hours ago, Jc0 said:

 

I see you understand sarcasm. 

 

Hollow body irons have killed a specific segment of hybrids, players hybrids. You used to see a lot more small headed hybrids directed at better players. Now days it seems like most of those players have migrated to the hollow body clubs. The more forgiving/higher launching hybrids still exist and are used by plenty of people, but not really high swing speed our PGA tour players. Thats why you see plenty of hybrids on the lpga and senior tours. 

You are spot-on.  The last players hybrid for me was the a12 proto g's. Now that im old it doesnt matter because all the current hybrids get the ball up in the air with ease. Really miss having decent swingspeed....

[MattM97]

Don't think so but also depends where and when you play. If you're dealing with a lot of rough or thick grass a hybrid will almost always get through it better than an iron will. 

[robbie91]

I use a utility iron as a 4 iron replacement but have kept the 3 hybrid in the bag as well. The utility iron is great off the tee, out of the fairway, and from light rough. I find it slightly more accurate than my hybrid and the distance control is more consistent. So, why keep the hybrid? It's easier to hit out of the rough, it goes longer than a utility iron (even when hitting both the hybrid and utility in the same loft), it's easier to hit high shots with, it's more forgiving on mishits, and I find that I have a different gear with it where I can coax out 10-15 extra yards. I view the utility iron as an iron and use it where I would use a traditional 4 iron. I view the hybrid as a fairway wood (have never gotten along with traditional fairway woods) and use it to bludgeon something into par 5s. For me, each club serves its purpose and I find plenty of benefits with both. 

[J_Tizzle]

I moved from a p790 4i to a TSi3 23* hybrid and the playability and forgiveness of the hybrid is unmatched even compared to the hollow bodied.  I have hit the hybrid from 190 to 220, while the p790 had the hot running 240 in it, it just isn't nearly as playable.  I figure I'll be full Freddy Couples-ing it before long, just hybrids to my 9i, lol.  

 

Also note, I had a hole in one today from 195 (playing about 200) with my 4h.  I just played a punch cut with it, landed it about 15ft short and it just trickled into the hole.  No chance I do that with a punch 4i...

Edited May 18 by J_Tizzle

[MickeyTankBank]

9 hours ago, Jc0 said:

 

I see you understand sarcasm. 

 

Hollow body irons have killed a specific segment of hybrids, players hybrids. You used to see a lot more small headed hybrids directed at better players. Now days it seems like most of those players have migrated to the hollow body clubs. The more forgiving/higher launching hybrids still exist and are used by plenty of people, but not really high swing speed our PGA tour players. Thats why you see plenty of hybrids on the lpga and senior tours. 

 

No

[Frank Newport]

6 hours ago, Shakespeare said:

You are spot-on.  The last players hybrid for me was the a12 proto g's. Now that im old it doesnt matter because all the current hybrids get the ball up in the air with ease. Really miss having decent swingspeed....

[mantan]

On 5/16/2025 at 9:05 PM, PJE said:

Well, not all 4 irons and hybrids are equal. I think it’s a matter of what fits the individual best versus “hybrids are dead”. 
I think the Cleveland 4 iron is beefier than the Taylor Made P790?  (I don’t have both to compare.) The Cleveland GI series long irons are big and fat, almost like a hybrid, or more like the Ping Crossovers.
I had a Cleveland UHX 5 iron which was a beast. In contrast, I’ve hit TaylorMade P790s 4 or 5 irons (various years) which were fine but not remarkable. 

But, it’s great you found something that works! Play well! 
 

Yeah, one of those posts where someone extrapolates what's true for their game/swing to the entire golf community.

 

 

By that token, I hereby render 3-woods and 60* wedges obsolete.