Equipment

Titleist’s 818 H1, H2 Aim To Be Golf’s Most Complete Hybrids

Published

7 years ago

Aug 31, 2017

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.

The 818 hybrids are also loft and lie adjustable through Titleist’s SureFit hosel.

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

818Hybrids-Group-Environmental

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.

Your Reaction?

LIKE133
LEGIT11
WOW6
LOL1
IDHT1
FLOP0
OB2
SHANK21

Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

13 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

Your Reaction?