Equipment

Titleist 816 H1 and H2 hybrids

Published

9 years ago

Sep 22, 2015

As loft decreases, it becomes more and more difficult for golfers to hit their irons the distance required to create meaningful distance gaps. That’s true for beginning golfers, all the way to the golfers on the PGA Tour.

The solution is to identify the longest iron a golfer can hit effectively, and replace the remaining irons with clubs that perform better for them. For most golfers that means adding a hybrid (…or two, or three), which is why Titleist made the decision to release its new line of 816 hybrids alongside its new 716 irons.

After all, if golfers are being fit for new irons, shouldn’t they be fit for new hybrids at the same time?

The 816 hybrids use Titleist’s redesigned Active Recoil Channel (ARC), which has pre-worn edges for better turf interaction. It also won’t hold as much dirt and grass as the 915 hybrids.

Price: $249 steel
Lofts available: 19, 21, 23, 25, 27 (H1 only)
Stock Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder HB 8.8 Tour Spec (S, X), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana D+ White 90 Hybrid (S), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana S+ Blue 70 Hybrid (R, S), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana M+ 60 Red Hybrid (A, R, S), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana M+ 50 Red Hybrid (L),
Availability: In stores Oct. 23

While there are similarities between Titleist’s 816 hybrids and the 915 hybrids the company released in November 2014, several improvements were made to help golfers more easily fill the gaps between their fairway woods and irons.

The 816 hybrids are offered in two models: the 816H1 and 816H2. The 816H1 is similar to Titleist’s 915H hybrid, with a round profile that appears more fairway-wood like at address. The 816H2 hybrid has a pear-shaped head that includes a slight amount of offset, and its club head is slightly larger than the 915Hd it replaces.

According to Marni Ines, director of product development at Titleist, the center of gravity (CG) of both hybrids is fractionally deeper than the 915 models, creating up to a 1-degree higher launch than their predecessors, with similar ball speeds and spin rates. Compared to each other, the 816H2 is said to be between 150-300 rpm lower spinning than the 816H1.

Both hybrids are available in lofts of 19, 21, 23 and 25 degrees, with the H1 also being released in a 27-degree loft. Changes to their loft, as well as the lie angle of the clubs make adjustments simpler than ever on a Titleist hybrid thanks to the company’s new 1-degree SureFit Tour hosel. Thankfully, previous SureFit Tour sleeves will still work with the new hybrids, although golfers should consult Titleist’s chart to ensure accurate loft and lie adjustments.

Titleist decided to move to the new loft and lie system, which gives golfers a 3-degree range of loft (-1 to +2) and lie adjustability (1-degrees flat to 2-degrees upright) because it is more similar to the way irons are adjusted. I can relate, too. When people ask me what loft my 915Hd hybrid is, their eyes often roll when I tell them that it’s 19.75 degrees.

The hybrids also come with a skinnier SureFit “Flatweight,” which is available in weights of 6, 9, 11, 13 and 16 grams, the heaviest of which give golfers the ability to play shorter-length hybrids and still retain a normal swing weight.

The most noticeably change to the hybrids, of course, is the switch from Titleist’s traditional glossy black-painted crowns to a glossy gray grown, which contrasts with the black PVD faces and soles of the hybrids to improve alignment. Detail-orientated golfers will also notice that the bulge, or the horizontal curvature of the club face, has been reduced to more closely mimic that of an iron.

Both 816 hybrids ($249) come stock with Fujikura’s Motore Speeder HB 8.8 Tour Spec shaft. They are available with steel shafts, however, which will be built with a taper-tip- accepting SureFit Tour sleeve at a stock length of 0.5-inches shorter than stock graphite length.

See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the 816 H1 and H2 hybrids in our forum.

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Equipment

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

Published

3 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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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