The Dynacraft Avatar Pro series hybrid is designed for thebetter player who doesn’t want—or need—a lot of offset. These hybrids feature what Dynacraft calls “Negative offset (face progression or onset) like a wood. So you can still shape a shot while still getting extra consistency from a ybrid where the weight is moved back and lower in the face. The different models of the Avatar hybrid are designed to replace the 2, 3 and four irons.

You can get them as components, or assembled, and they come with a 60 day satisfaction guarantee

C9 475 Hybrid

GigaGolf’s Cloud 9 475 hybrids extends their C9 line, which also includes a driver, fairway woods and irons.

The C9 475 has a Carpenter Supersteel 475 face combined with a 17-4 stainless steel body. A heavy tungsten sole plate lowers the center of gravity, helping even the worst hacker to get the ball in the air.

I recently got a C9 Driver and took it to the range. It got good distance, and had a very high ball flight. I let you know more as soon as I actually get out on a course and put it through the paces.

Like all GigaGolf clubs, this one comes with a 30 Day Playability Guarantee.

The PineMeadow ZR1 Hybrids offer many of the features of the Ping G5 hybrids at a fraction of the price. With its long profile and wide sole, the ZR1 offers the accuracy of an iron and the playability of a wood. It’s designed—like all hybrids—to offer a higher and longer shot.

The only problem that I’ve found with hybrids is that they often can created a distance gap in clubs. My experience is that I hit my 4 iron replacement hybrid longer than I ever did the iron. It takes a bit of adjustment.

If you don’t already have one in your bag, the ZR1 offers a good chance to try a hybrid for yourself—especially since they start at just $39.

Shipping in April 2007, the new TaylorMade Burner Rescue employs what TaylorMade calls Superfast Technology: a design that includes a lighter shaft and grip to increase swing sped.

Swing speed, of course, is the key to increasing distance.

Seven percent larger than the previous generation Rescue Dual in volume,a nd with a 13% larger footprint, this club has increased moment of inertia (resistance to twisting), which will result in more forgiveness and straighter shots. TaylorMade says that the pull face constuction gives it a higher COR (coefficient of restitution—rebound) for greater distance. A shallow clubface design lets TaylorMade move the center of gravity back for higher launch angles.

This is the second club that TaylorMade announced in its revival of the “Burner” line of clubs, what at this writing consists of a driver, fairway woods, and hybrids. I’m sure that a Burner line of irons is not far behind. Would it be too much to hope that it’s an integrated, progressive set that moves from fairway woods to more bladelike wedges, like the Adams Ideas.

Command Hybrid Irons

There’s a real conundrum for most of us amateur golfers. We can’t hit the long irons well, and yet becuase our drives are on the short side, those are exactly the clubs we find ourselves using on a regular basis.

That’s why the hybrid has been such a godsend. I’ve replaced by 3, 4 and 5 irons with hybrids and have found that I no longer fear taking a long shot into the green.

If you haven’t already switched to hybrids, here’s a good place to start. For around $40, you can get a good quality hybrid with many of the same feature that you’d find in th emore expensive name brand models. Constructed from 17-4 stainless steel, the club features an adjustable weight system. to allow you to influence your shot shape.

As with all Pinemeadow cloubs, this one comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.

CALLAWAY X Hybrid with Graphite Shaft

Callaway Golf’s new X Hybrids use a modified version of the X Sole that is designed to prevent rocking of the clubhead as it comes into contact with the ground. The modified design is supposed to offer the versatility that hybrids demand—able to cut through the rough, while still allowing a player to pick the ball off a tight lie on a fairway.

The X Hybrids also use Callaway’s Variable Face Thickness technology, which is supposed to increase ball speed by making the clubface thicker in teh center, and thinner on the perimeter. Perimeter weighting is used to optimize the center of gravity for a high moment of inertia for greater stability and increased trajectory control.

TITLEIST 585.H Utility with Graphite Shaft

Titlest’s 585.H Utility is the latest entry in the hybrid club menagerie.

What makes these critters different from some of the others in the zoo is that Titleist says they are designed to offer a fairway metal type launch with a flatter ball flight. That, apparently is at the behest of their stable of Tour professionals, who demanded a lower peak trajectory for greater control. Other hybrids typically tout ball flights that are higher than the equivalent irons.

The influence of the professionals shows in other ways, too. The 585.H has no offset for better shot control, and a compact teardrop shape.

Other aspects of the 585.H utility club are more in line with standard hybrids. It has a wide, shallow stainless steel face that offers a larger hitting area than the equivalent irons, and is designed to achieve a low center of gravity for better launch ocnditions. A 20g tungsten sole weight moves the center of gravity low and deep to make this easier to hit.  A “polymer Neutralizer pin” dampens vibration, while the contoured sole with heel and toe relief minimizes ground resistance and promotes crisp, solid contact from all types of lies.

Like most Titleist clubs, this one is clearly designed for the better player. If you’r ein that category, this is worth taking a look.