Equipment
Titleist’s 818 H1, H2 Aim To Be Golf’s Most Complete Hybrids
A thread was started earlier this month in the GolfWRX Equipment Forum titled, “Anti-hook hybrids.” The original poster, JaNelson38, asked GolfWRXers for their recommendations for a hybrid with “little if any draw bias.”
“For the life of me, I can’t stop hooking the hybrids I play,” he wrote. “It’s starting to affect me mentally, as the 3-hybrid is an important club for me when I’m playing my home course.”
More than 60 comments later, JaNelson38 had countless leads from GolfWRX Members. Suggestions ranged from trying a handful of 5-year-old hybrid models to switching to driving irons. He was even offered swing advice.
Titleist’s new 818 H1 and 818 H2 hybrids were created with golfers like JaNelson38 in mind, and they’ll likely simplify future discussions. They’re the first Titleist hybrids to feature the company’s SureFit CG Technology, an adjustable-weight system that allows golfers to shift a hybrid’s center of gravity to encourage, or discourage, a specific ball flight.
SureFit CG, which is also available on Titleist’s 917 drivers and fairways, uses a weighted stick to adjust CG. The stick is inserted through an opening on the side of the hybrids that runs from toe to heel and is secured with a screw. Every 818 H1 and 818 H2 hybrid is sold with two weighted sticks: one that’s evenly weighted to encourage a straight ball flight, and another that’s heavier on one end to create either a draw- or fade-biased trajectory.
Using SureFit CG, golfers can encourage a draw by positioning the heavy end of the weighted stick on the heel side of the hybrid; they can encourage a fade by positioning the heavy side of the weight on the toe side of the hybrid. The CG difference between the two settings is approximately 1.5 millimeters, which will create about 4 yards of trajectory bias, says Stephanie Luttrell, Director of Titleist Metalwood Development. The stock weight of the stick is 14 grams, but heavier and lighter weights are available to accommodate custom club lengths, shafts, and swing weights.
Gapping Recommendations From Titleist
- 25-degree 818 hybrid replaces AP1 4-iron for R-Flex golfers
- 23-degree 818 hybrid replaces AP1 4-iron for S-Flex golfers
- 23-degree 818 hybrid replaces AP3 4-iron for S/X-Flex golfers
- 21-degree 818 hybrid replaces AP3 3-iron for S/X-Flex golfers
- 23-degree 818 hybrid replaces AP2 3-iron for S/X-flex golfers
Learn more about Titleist’s 718 irons.
When the 818 hybrids were made available to PGA Tour players in July at the Quicken Loans National, Brendon de Jonge saw the benefits of the added adjustability first hand, Luttrell says. De Jonge had developed a tendency to hit his hybrid to the left, and at the time he had abandoned the 816 H2 hybrid he was previously using. Using the fade-biased SureFit CG setting in an 818H2 hybrid allowed de Jonge was able to fix the issue. He put a 19-degree 818 H2 in his bag that week.
The 818 H2 targets the needs of better players, with a compact, squared-off appearance. It’s the most popular Titleist hybrid on the PGA Tour by a wide margin. The vast majority of amateur golfers, on the other hand, will likely prefer the company’s 818 H1 hybrid. Although it’s smaller and more streamlined than the 816H1 hybrid it replaces, it has a larger, more fairway-wood like shape than the 818 H2 to offer a higher ball flight and more forgiveness.
According to Luttrell, golfers won’t notice much of a distance increase if they’re comparing the 818 hybrids to 816 models: maybe 1-2 yards. Where they should see a difference is in the consistency of the new hybrids, which is attributable to the movement of weight lower and deeper in the club heads. That boosts moment of inertia (MOI), a measure of forgiveness, by 10 percent over past models. It also boosts launch and spin of the clubs, leading to more “playable distance.”
“We weren’t looking to make these hybrids go significantly farther,” she says. “We wanted to deliver more consistent launch and spin.”
The 818 H1 hybrids are available in five lofts (19, 21, 23, 25 and 27 degrees). The 818 H2 hybrids are available in four lofts (17, 19, 21 and 23 degrees). They’re available for testing starting September 1 and will be in stores September 29.
Stock Shaft Options
- Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Red 50 Hybrid (L)
- Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Red 60 Hybrid (A, R, S)
- Mitsubishi Tensei Pro Blue 70 Hybrid (R, S)
- Mitsubishi Tensei Pro White 90 Hybrid (S, X)
- Fujikura Atmos HB Tour Spec Blue 8 Hybrid (S, X)
- Project X Even Flow Blue 85 Hybrid (S)
Discussion: See What GolfWRX Members Are Saying About The 818 Hybrids In Our Forum.
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Whats in the Bag
Daniel Berger WITB 2024 (April)
- Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X
6-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC 2011 (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X Denali Blue 105 TX (3), Project X 6.5 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50-12F), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-14F), Callaway Jaws Raw (60-08C)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (56, 60)
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Mini DB
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy PistolLock 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Wrap
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s clubs in the forums.
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Equipment
Heavy Artillery: A look at drivers in play at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
What are the driver and shaft combinations of the best golfers in the world? For gearheads, it’s an endlessly interesting question — even if we can only ever aspire to play LS heads and 7 TX shafts.
At this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, GolfWRX got in-hand looks at the driver setups of a wealth of players.
Check out some of the most interesting combos below, then head to the GolfWRX forums for the rest, as well as the rest of our galleries from New Orleans.
Rory McIlroy
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Alex Fitzpatrick
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Daniel Berger
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees @9)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Wrap
Rasmus Hojgaard
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 TX
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Alejandro Tosti
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
Grip: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
James Nicholas
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (8 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Kevin Streelman
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Sang-moon Bae
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (9+ @8)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Russ Cochran
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke (9 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD TP 6 X
Grip: Golf pride MCC Align
MJ Daffue
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max (10.5 degrees @9.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green RDX 65 TX
Grip: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord Align
Check our more photos from the Zurich Classic here.
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Whats in the Bag
Rasmus Højgaard WITB 2024 (April)
- Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Prototype (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Utility: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 85 TX
Irons: Callaway Apex Pro (3), Callaway X Forged (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS $-Taper 130
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10S, 56-10S, 60-06C)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X
Putter: Odyssey Ai One Milled Eight T DB
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Hojgaard in the forums.
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Teaj
Aug 31, 2017 at 10:44 pm
Tough crowd, though for those that commented in the thread it seemed like the author was putting them down.
OR
Sep 1, 2017 at 1:41 am
The author is a shill … soooo obvious
Chipnrun
Sep 1, 2017 at 3:30 pm
No he’s not. Don’t say things you know nothing about.
Mad-Mex
Aug 31, 2017 at 8:31 pm
Think I’ll stick with my adjustable K-Sig Hybrid, the CG moves 1.75mm,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Too soon?!?!
Roger McIntosh
Aug 31, 2017 at 1:15 pm
“A thread was started earlier this month in the GolfWRX Equipment Forum titled, “Anti-hook hybrids.” The original poster, JaNelson38, asked GolfWRXers for their recommendations for a hybrid with “little if any draw bias.”
“For the life of me, I can’t stop hooking the hybrids I play,” he wrote. “It’s starting to affect me mentally, as the 3-hybrid is an important club for me when I’m playing my home course.”
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Yes, the solution to JaNelson’s problem must be in the design of the hybrid clubhead.
Titleist to the rescue with their adjustable clubhead that will solve all of JaNelson’s swing problems and all without messing around with his swing mechanics.
Now that’s what I call advanced 21st century golf club technology. Just dial it in, what could be easier?!
golfraven
Aug 31, 2017 at 11:20 am
They said the same about the 816 model, which currently is my least favorite club.
Roger McIntosh
Aug 31, 2017 at 1:16 pm
Yup, adjust the clubhead, not the golfer.
Boss
Sep 1, 2017 at 3:29 am
It’s my favorite. You just don’t know how to hit it
golfraven
Sep 1, 2017 at 11:22 am
Yeah, when I hit it, it goes like a dream. Maybe I just didn’t give it enough air time so when I pull it out of the bag it does not fule me with confidence. I just need to give it more love and attention I guess.