Equipment
Somewhere In Between
Bridging the gap between fairway woods and long irons by SCOTT KRAMER
YOU ENCOUNTER INSTANCES ON THE COURSE when you don ’ t want to hit a driver or fairway wood — maybe there ’ s a tight landing area — but a long iron isn ’ t enough to get you there . That ’ s typically when you still need some distance but want to use a club that ’ s not as tough to get airborne as a fairway wood or even a 4-iron . In some cases , a traditional hybrid will suffice . In other cases , you might long for something that looks more like an iron but with some heft . Almost every manufacturer offers hybrids , and many have come out with hollow-body irons that play longer than traditional irons .
What ’ s best for you ? You ’ ll never know until you try a few options — like these :
COBRA KING F8 hybrid
Cobra initially made its mark on the golf industry with the Baffler club line years ago . Those popular fairway woods / trouble clubs had sole rails that helped the club move easily through grass . The brand ’ s latest KING F8 hybrid continues that tradition , with the Baffler Dual Rail system that ’ s designed to provide versatility and forgiveness from every lie . Geared for 5-to-25-handicappers with moderate to higher swing speeds , it makes getting the ball airborne a snap . And a high peak trajectory means it will stop easier on greens once it lands . A smart grip is standard and relays swing data to smartphones via Bluetooth . $ 199 . cobragolf . com
CALLAWAY X Forged Utility Iron
Utility irons have become increasingly popular with Tour pros who use them primarily as a versatile option off the tee on narrow holes where they need to find the fairway . Enter Callaway ’ s X Forged Utility Iron , which was used by Aaron Wise , Marc Leishman and Branden Grace when they finished 1-2-3 at the recent AT & T Byron Nelson . Its forged design provides accuracy and control , and its CG location is positioned in line with the center of the clubface , so ball flight is lower and penetrating with less right-left curve than with a wood . Callaway ’ s proprietary 360 Face Cup helps increase ball speed across the entire face , as well . It ’ s offered in five different lofts . $ 250 . cmp . callawaygolf . com
38 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ULY / A UGUST 2018 vsga . org