Hybrids Off The Fairway
With the advent of hybrids there is no reason for someone not to enjoy practicing their longer “iron” shots. Now back when I was playing, we only had long irons—and missing one of those rattled your whole body. Working on them was a chore, especially when it was cold outside!
But none of us have an excuse now.
There are two ways to hit hybrids successfully: You can either be a sweeper or a digger. Both work very well, and that is the reason hybrids are so easy to hit—they go up in the air regardless of the angle of attack used.
For the sweepers: Focus on the proper ball position and do not let the ball drift too far up in your stance. If you do, the club will bottom out too early and you will “pick” the ball. I also suggest placing a penny or a tee just a few inches in front of the ball with the goal being to hit the ball and clip the penny off the ground with your club. This way you ensure a solid strike.
For the diggers: You must increase your angle of attack and hit the ground after the ball (obviously), as you would with an iron, so to do this I would suggest using the line drill.
Draw a line in the ground as shown (I’m using an iron to better illustrate the motion and result) and place the ball on the target side of the line. Your goal is to hit the ball and nip the ground just in front of the line. The divot should be on the line and forward in a perfect world. If the divot is behind the line you are hanging back and if the divot begins in front of the line to a great degree you are sliding too much in the downswing.
