NIKE Victory Red Hybrid

The new Nike line is all tagged with the moniker “Red,” which no doubt is supposed to bring to mind Tiger Woods and his trademark Sunday Red shirts. I wonder how that’s going to work for them ...

The Victory Red Hybrids, like the drivers of the same line have a “Compression Channel” that’s supposed to optimize compression for longer shots. They also apparently have toyed with the face angles and center of gravity to improve workability. Workability is not generally a term I associate with a hybrid, so we’ll see ...

Tour Edge Exotics XCG-V Hybrid

Tour Edge is known for producing high quality products at very reasonable prices. I’ve played several Tour Edge products over the years and have always thought highly of them.

With the Exotics line, however, Tour Edge has moved into the premium category. The Exotics Hybrid offer a titanium cup face and crown, combined with a heavy, high-density steel sole plate. A face that’s 25% larger than previous models offers a large sweet spot. With 80% of the club’s weight int he rear heel and toe, the club is designed to produce an extremely low spin weight for an optimal trajectory and maximum length. The heavy sole is v-shaped, sending more weight to the perimeter.

Good looking stuff.

GX2 Hybrid

Grade: B
Teacher’s Comments: Plays well, looks funny.

Following the trends set by name brand manufacturers, GigaGolf for 2009 has released the GX2 Hybrid in a square headed design. Like all of the geometric designs, the goal with the GX2 was to raise the moment of inertia, thus improving the results of off-center hits. GigaGolf says that the club’s sole has been designed to reduce friction by reducing surface area. An internal weight is supplsed to keep the center of gravity low and help produce long, high ball flights.

The clubface is built with forged 455 stainless steel, and feels hot at impact. The stock shaft performs well enough for this mid-handicapper, but I actually think I would have preferred a steel shaft.

And if a steel shaft is your thing, you can get it at GigaGolf. Using their online customizer, you can specify different grips, shafts, flexes and lengths.

In practice, I have enjoyed playing with the GX2. I have the 3-iron substitute, and it goes about as long as I would expect for a three iron, but with a much higher ball flight. I don’t like it as much as my five wood out of the short grass, but the GX2 much more effective out of the rough. In that lies the source of the constant tinkering of the contents of my bag. I can never decide whether to carry hybrids or fairway woods, or what mix thereof makes the most sense.

In spite of the advice I’ve been given about playing hybrids, I found the GX2 to be most effective when the ball is a little forward in the stance, like a fairway wood.

The club I received was professionally assembled, with the grip properly aligned, and the ferrule sitting flush to the hosel. There was no extra epoxy or glue marks.

My complaints with the GX2 are purely aesthetic—and they’re why I gave the club a “B”. To my eye, the small, square head looks for all the world like a Craftsman hammer on the end of a stick. It reminds me of that training club that was out a few years ago that was designed to look like a hammer head (who was the “famous” teacher who was promoting that one?). I’ve had a hard enough time getting used to the look of “regular” hybrids; the GX2 is just another leap for me to make.

But if odd looking heads don’t bother you, the GX2 may be just the club for your bag. I think the performance is solid, and the price—starting at under $40, depending upon how you configure it—is terrific.

COBRA Baffler TWS

I recently finished reading Greg Norman’s autobiography, The Way of the Shark, and was intrigued by his role in the early success of the company (which has since been bought by Titleist). One of the products he mentioned was Cobra’s pioneering hybrid-utility club, the Baffler.

As it turns out, the Baffler has been around since 1975, and has survived in various forms over the years.

The latest is the Baffler TWSl, which stands for Triple Weight System. As with virtually every club these days, the goal is to move the weight back and to the perimeter for a higher launch and greater forgiveness through increased Moment of Inertia. The Baffler TWS has a 275 Maraging Steen Face Insert that’s laser welded to the body. Cobra says this gives the club faster ball speeds on off center hits. The Baffler also features the contoured sole that makes it easy to play from lots of lies.

Overall, however, the new one is still clearly the descendant of the original design. Cobra was ahead of its time on that one.

GXI Hybrid Set

If one hybrid is good, nine hybrids are better!

That’s the theory behind GigaGolf’s new GX Hybrid Set. The new hollow core design has been extended from the 2 iron all the way to the sand wedge. This allows more weight to be pushed to the sole and perimeter on every club, offering more stability and forgiveness through the power of Moment of Intertia. A thin face on these also is supposed to offer greater velocity and more distance. 

The design of these irons would particularly benefit players who strike their irons with a more sweeping, rather than downward motion, or those who may not necessarily have the strength to cut through turf: seniors, juniors, and high handicappers.

To my eye, these are somewhat reminiscent of the Cleveland XLI hybrid irons—but with a better price. You can get a set for as little as $150.