Equipment
GolfWRX Members Choice: The Best Hybrids of 2017
Figuring out which hybrid is the best hybrid of 2017 is simple: Hit every single one of them against each other and decide which one is longest, straightest, best from the fairway, best from the tee, flies the highest, flies the farthest, is best out of the rough, is most versatile, feels and looks the best.
OK, maybe it’s not so simple. Hybrids are asked to perform many jobs; they are utility players that are hit from the tee, the fairway, the rough, on par 3s, into par 5s and long par 4s, and even used to chip around the greens and hit out of fairway bunkers. Some players want them to fly low and hot and run forever off the tee, while others need them to fly as high as possible to provide forgiveness as long-iron replacements.
But if there’s any group of people knowledgeable and dedicated enough to test out a variety of hybrids and determine what’s “best,” it’s GolfWRX forum members.
We recently asked GolfWRXers — after they performed their thorough testing of this year’s stock of hybrids — to vote on what they believed to be the best hybrid of 2017, and explain why. Here are the top hybrids selected, and what our members had to say about them.
Check out the forum thread for the full results and discussion.
TaylorMade M2 2017 (4.53 percent of votes)
Bomber_11: Taylormade M2 tops my list and checks all the boxes you need in a hybrid. It’s long, forgiving, accurate, and aesthetically pleasing.
Callaway Apex (7.17 percent)
Sef: I haven’t found anything to top the Apex hybrid, looking forward to trying the 818 H2 though. I did not vote for it since I haven’t hit it…
Titleist 818 H2 (10.94 percent)
GC70: Just got fit for the 818 H2 and it’s amazing. Can’t wait to get it on the course.
KCCO: I’ve played with a Titleist H2 21-degree and loved it. Compact, great shaft offerings for those not just scoring the head. Definitely curbed my 915, and no more dealing with the dirt slot. Performance was perfect for me. That list is pretty big, and have played a few, but the Titleist wins for me.
Callaway Epic (12.08 percent)
jimwright: The Callaway Epic hybrid is just the perfect size and shape. Not too big, not too small. The internal weighting and the materials used are fantastic. Great selection of no up charge shafts also.
Crabbie50: I moved from the 816H2 (21 degree) to the Epic and love the flight characteristics. Highly recommend it.
Cobra King F7 (13.58 percent)
chch3: Cobra F7 made me a believer in hybrids again. Great club.
dcorun: Voted for the F7 but, I’m currently playing the F6. The best hybrid I’ve played so far. Easy to hit, accurate, longer than I thought and not draw biased like most hybrids. I did hit the F7 but, did not see a big enough difference to change for now.
Dasenergi: F7 vote. The rails really shine on the hybrid. King slowly took over my bag again.
ChubbsWoodenHand: Tie between cobra F7 and Srixon h65. I like hybrids to act like irons and prefer to hit down on them like normal irons. Haven’t tried the apex though.
thevaultsky: Cobra F7 — being able to adjust the loft makes it much more useful as an iron replacement. The rails also come in handy. It has become my go to in a variety of situations.
Titleist 818 H1 (13.96 percent)
DougE: I have played many hybrids over the years. It took me 5 years to replace an old Nike CPR2, because I couldn’t find something I liked more. I tried many, including an Adams A7, A12, Ping G25, and some others, but always liked the old CPR best. The Adams and Ping were the best of all those I tried. Eventually, the Ping G25 became a mainstay in my bag alongside a 19-degree Titleist 913H. I never brought out the CPR again. Then the Titleist 816H1 came out and proved to be the best hybrid I have ever played, bar none… until last week. The new 818H1 is even better as I realized in a fitting this week. Felt fantastic. A 19-degree 818H1 is on my list to replace my 915F 5W in 2018. My present 816H 21-degree (set to 22 degrees) will stay in the bag until I can afford to replace it with an 818H2 21-degree. (The H2 is a bit more iron-like, with a smaller head, which fits my eye even better for the shorter hybrid.)
pmang: I have owned TM M2 and Ping G400 hybrids this year. I hit the Titleist 818 H1 today. Titleist was the best of the 3 for me.
Ping G400 (16.23 percent)
SirPercival: I’ve played a Ping G400 hybrid for some weeks now. So they get my vote. Imagine 818 would be nice though.
elwhippy: Difficult to choose as the majority of choices never make it to the UK or are only stocked in boutique stores around London. G400 looks and feels great.
Members Choice 2017
- LIKE158
- LEGIT13
- WOW4
- LOL9
- IDHT4
- FLOP14
- OB6
- SHANK39
- Pavon’s WITB accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 Max (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 10 X
Irons: Ping i230 (3-PW)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: Ping Si59 (52-12S, 58-8B)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Ping Cadence TR Tomcat C
Grip: SuperStroke Claw 1.0P
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Pavon’s gear here.
- LIKE2
- LEGIT1
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- LIKE13
- LEGIT2
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We enter week 4 of Thursday night men’s league feeling a little more confident in the game. BK is hoping to go a little lower and reduce the mistakes out there with these clubs in the bag. Watch the video for the full breakdown of why these clubs are getting the starting nod this week!
Driver: Titleist TSR2 (10 degrees, neutral setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 63 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: UST Mamiya Lin-Q M40X TSPX Blue 7F5
7-wood: Ping G430 Max (-1 degree, flat Ssetting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 S
Iron: Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi 4
Shaft: Aerotech Steelfiber hls880 S
Irons: PXG 0317 Tour (5-PW)
Shaft: LA Golf A-Series 105 Low (4)
Wedge: Titleist Vokey SM10 (50-08F)
Shaft: UST Mamiya Dart V 105 F4 Wedge
Wedge: Ping S159 (56-10H)
Shaft: Ping Z-Z115
Wedge: Ping S159 (60-08B)
Shaft: Ping Z-Z115
Putter: PXG Battle Ready II Brandon
Shaft: BGT Stability Tour Spec One
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour X
- LIKE2
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RG
Oct 8, 2017 at 3:15 am
Every year when new hybrids hit the market I go to my local big name Golf shop and hit them all. I check the numbers and if theres one that gives me good numbers I get a demo and try it on the course heads up against my Adams XTD. So far every year Ive returned the demo.
RG
Oct 8, 2017 at 3:13 am
Every year when new hybrids hit the market I go to my local big name Golf shop and hit them all. I check the numbers and if theres one thats gives me good numbers I get a demo and try it on the course heads up against my Adams XTD and every year I return the demo.
Joe J
Oct 7, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Cobra F7 over everything I’ve tried. Disclaimer: Best use is out of rough because of the bottom rails. I have a steep, upright swing (my irons are + 1/2″ with 3 degree upright lie angles) so no hybrids work for me out of tight fairway lies. I only use hybrids out of the rough and nothing comes remotely close to the F7 for that purpose for me.
Lee
Oct 6, 2017 at 4:47 pm
Did each of these voters test each of the Hybrids? Does not sound like it.
Robert Parsons
Oct 6, 2017 at 4:11 pm
The best hybrids weren’t made in 2017. How about the Adams Pro a12? That was a great hybrid. Several others, but not from 2017. PnT?
Smiller
Oct 6, 2017 at 11:46 am
I knock the snot out of an old mizuno t-zoid 5 wood. Best hybrid I have ever owned. It’s friggin incredible when you have a tucked back pin over warter.
Crackshot
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:31 pm
Keep on dreamin’……..
Swingman/Jerry
Oct 6, 2017 at 11:26 am
I like the Big Bertha OS 2016 Hybrids – forgiving, long, and consistent, EZ
Crackshot
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:32 pm
You like the Big Bertha? Now try a real woman!
Jerry
Oct 28, 2017 at 10:57 am
You do know the “Big Bertha” was a WW1 Cannon, right?
John Krug
Oct 6, 2017 at 11:20 am
The Callaway Epic shown is a 2 hybrid, but the loft is 18 degrees, hardly a 2, more of a 3.
Crackshot
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:34 pm
Yer dominant eye is really sharp… you know it all
John
Nov 18, 2019 at 8:37 am
Based on your comments here, id say its clear who the “know it all is”….
A bit insecure and sensitive are we?
Hybrid Expert
Oct 7, 2017 at 9:17 am
If the loft is 18*, I sure wouldn’t call it a #3 hybrid. If that were the case, a 2 would be 15*? 18* is close to an old #1 iron.
jbrunk
Oct 6, 2017 at 1:32 am
My WITB:
Cobra King F6+ 1W 11.5° Diamana D+ 63 S
Cobra King F6 3-4W 14.5° LTD Rogue Black 70 S
Cobra King F6 Baffler 18.5° 4-5W LTD Rogue Black 70 S
Cobra King F6 4-5Hy 22° Matrix Red Tie HQ4 S
Mizuno JPX-850 Forged 5i-GW C-Taper Lite 110 S
Mizuno S5 56•14 & 60•10
Odyssey White Hot Pro 7 CS
Crackshot
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:33 pm
A Cobra King man….watch out!!!!
Shooter McGavin
Oct 5, 2017 at 9:01 pm
Been hitting the Mizuno CLK and loving it over my 816 H2. Looking at maybe doing even a 16 degree to replace my 3 wood.
Crackshot
Oct 6, 2017 at 1:28 am
I will never replace my trusty 3 wood. Hybrids look like sissy clubs.
Michael
Oct 6, 2017 at 11:08 am
Only a sissy would make that remark. You spot it, you got it.
Crackshot
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:29 pm
I bag a 2-iron…..you start at a 6-iron…..ya sissy!!!!!!!!!!
Vegas Bullet Dodger
Oct 7, 2017 at 4:43 pm
I start at 8i….
And break par
Vegas Bullet Dodger
Oct 5, 2017 at 5:29 pm
Nothing can beat the g25 2,3,&4h and g20 5&6 hybrids
Skait up yo
Crackshot
Oct 6, 2017 at 1:29 am
Buy American…. not Chinese
John Krug
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:13 pm
You must walk around naked.
Crackshot
Oct 6, 2017 at 3:25 pm
Hey, gurK…. yer chow mein
Peter in Parker
Oct 5, 2017 at 12:28 pm
The title should be renamed ‘Most Popular Hybrids of 2017 for owners that bothered to Vote’.
SK
Oct 5, 2017 at 3:43 pm
It’s well known in marketing circles that golf club purchases are based on emotions… and after having bought the clubs trying to justify the purchase with desperate logic like “they are the best”, and “I love them”, and “so-and-so plays them and he won with them”!!!
Geeerheads just buy new clubs for the pride of ownership… and don’t even play them for fear of scratching the soles and wearing the grooves. “Here’s my WITB, now tell my about yours and how do they feeel?”
Think or Thwim
Oct 5, 2017 at 12:08 pm
A panoply of personal preferences…. pa thetic !!!
Dennis Mcmahon
Oct 10, 2017 at 3:30 pm
Perhaps