Golf Magazine recently rated the Cleveland Halo as the best of the utility woods.

Cleveland says that it offers an extra large sweet spot and a high moment of inertia for increased stability and forgiveness at impact. Its sole design and low, deep center of gravity make it extremely versatile for shots from the fairway, rough or tee.

No one should have a three or four iron in their bag anymore. These utilitiy woods are so easy to hit, even the pros are turning to them. Plus, I’ve found them incredibly useful for chipping and pitching.

PowerBilt now offers a line of composite hybrid clubs called the TPS Iron Wood. With its composite crown, PowerBilt has been able to move more weight down and to the back of the club, making it easier to get the ball into the air.  Its’s available in 17, 21, 24, and 27 degree lofts, which PowerBilt says means that you’ll be able to “retire your pesky 5 and 7 woods, along with the dreaded 2, 3 and 4 irons.”

Best of all is the price. Just $89 at The Golf Warehouse

Rescue Dual Graphite
Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: Forgiving and Versatile.

With the Rescue Dual, TaylorMade has created another excellent addition to its growing line of adjustable weight clubs. Long, forgiving and versatile, the Rescue Dual is a worthy successor to the TaylorMade Rescue, which has been the number one hybrid club on several tours.

From Pinemeadow Golf comes the Synchron Medic Hybrid Irons.

Hybrids have to be the big story in golf equipment over the last couple of years. These are a clone of the Nike CPR clubs, and sell for just $39. Pinemeadow is confident that you’ll like them because they offer a 30 day guarantee. Buy them, play them and if you don’t like them, send ‘em back.

Pinemeadow’s blurb on the clubs:

The Synchron Medic Irons are a complete utility system for your golf bag! The latest Medic irons will lift your game to new heights. Innovative weight and distribution technology moves the center of gravity towards the soles and sides for higher angle and increased forgiveness. The head design of the utility wood allows you to make solid impact out of any lie on the course and they are also great replacements for those hard to hit long irons. Gorgeous candy apple red finish makes these clubs really standout with their look and play.

I had a chance to swing a Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood the other day and really liked it. It’s billed as a hybrid but looks to me more like a small fairway wood.  Its graceful, with none of the stumpiness of some of the other hybrids.

Callaway says that the elongated low profile face gives it a high moment of inertia (resistance to twisting) and that the modified warbird sole makes it easy to hit off of any surface. I only had the chance to hit it off tees at a range, but liked the ball flight and the feel at impact.