#9 OUR FAVOURITE 2018 HYBRIDS/UTILITY IRONS ARE…
Taylormade M4 £199 www.taylormadegolf.com
◆ Lofts: 3-19° / 4-22°/ 5-25° / 6-28°
◆ Stock shaft: Fujikura Atmos Red
◆ Adjustable hosel: No
VERDICT: It may be controversial, but we’re going to say it anyway… the M4 hybrid is the widebody hybrid of 2018. It’s a decent step forward in terms of looks and shaping over the old M2. It’s really powerful, too, and for the vast majority of club golfers will out-perform any long iron or narrow body hybrid for forgiveness and all-out playability.
Mizuno CLK £245 golf.mizunoeurope.com
◆ Lofts: 2-16° / 3-19° / 4-22° / 5-25°
◆ Stock shaft: Fujikura Speeder Evolution HB
◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes ◆ Loft change: +/-2°
VERDICT: A stand-out performer. The flexibility of the adjustable hosel opens up extra possibilities for golfers looking to fill specific loft gaps, and we love the cute little head. Like most Mizuno products, the CLK comes with a top-notch Fujikura shaft. It’s designed to launch low, which means it’s ideally suited to average and above swing speeds.
Ping G400 £200 www.ping.com
◆ Lofts: 2-17° / 3-19° / 4-22° / 5-26° / 6-30°
◆ Stock shaft: Ping Alta CB70 / Ping Tour 85
◆ Adjustable hosel: No
VERDICT: A brilliant all-round hybrid option. A mid-wide head shape is perfect for flighting shots easily from the turf, digging shots out of the rough and scuttling shots out of low-lipped fairway bunkers. The matt black finish means the turbulators on the crown fade into the background, creating a completely inoffensive head design.
Cobra King F8 £169 www.cobragolf.co.uk
◆ Lofts:2-17° / 3-19° / 4-22° / 5-25°
◆ Stock shaft: Aldila Rogue Pro 75
◆ Adjustable hosel: No
VERDICT: At a time when a Ping hybrid will set you back £30 more than the F8, the Cobra has a heck of a lot to offer. It’s really easy to use, is rammed full of technology and is more than capable of getting you out of jail. Use the shot tracker that comes as standard in the grip to help record successes and failures every time you pull it from the bag. A very impressive package.
Callaway Rogue £229 www.callawaygolf.com
◆ Lofts: 2-17° / 3-19° / 4-21° / 5-24° / 6-27°
◆ Stock shaft: Aldila Synergy 60
◆ Adjustable hosel: No
VERDICT: The Rogue hybrids are among the very best performers within our test. But they cost a pretty penny, and they’re not adjustable, so you’re going to need to love them to warrant the outlay. Looks are entirely subjective, so if you can turn a blind eye to the Rogue’s offset, wide body they’ll certainly help you hit it higher and further.
Taylormade GAPR MID £259 www.taylormadegolf.com
◆ Lofts: 3-18° / 4-21° / 5-24° ◆ Stock shaft: KBS Hybrid ◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes ◆ Loft change:+/- 1.5°
VERDICT: Very much a wide sole utility style iron, which is both playable from the turf and tee. Thanks to the extra versatility we think it will be more useful to most club golfers than the GAPR LO, (unless you have a well above average swing speed), which we see much more as a driving iron. The adjustable hosel is useful for dialling in a particular loft to fill distance gaps in your bag.
Mizuno MP-18 MMC Fli Hi £150 golf.mizunoeurope.com
◆ Lofts: 2-16.5° / 3-19° / 4-22° / 5-25° / 6-28° ◆ Stock shaft: Choose from 16 premium options
◆ Adjustable hosel: No
VERDICT: It makes perfect sense that if you play a set of forged Mizuno irons you’ll want long iron replacements in your bag to have a similar feel, and that’s where the Fli-hi comes in. A wider sole, tungsten toe weight, lightweight maraging steel face and internal cavity combine to deliver extra ball speed and forgiveness. Expect steeper landing angles so you can hold greens with long iron approaches.
Callaway X-forged UT £199 www.callawaygolf.com
◆ Lofts: 18° / 21° / 24° / 27° / 30° ◆ Stock shaft: Project X (s) UST Recoil (g) ◆ Adjustable hosel: No VERDICT: Designed with extensive input from Callaway tour players. X Forged delivers a lower, more penetrating ball flight, which Callaway say is perfect for long iron fans. A 360 Cup Face, protects ball speed when shots are hit off centre. Our test pro particularly liked the low offset look, which decent players will appreciate.
Srixon Z U85 £169 www.srixon.co.uk
◆ Lofts: 2-18° / 3-20° / 4-23° / 5-26° / 6-29°
◆ Stock shaft: UST Recoil 95
◆ Adjustable hosel: No
VERDICT: Srixon say their utility irons are the most played on the PGA Tour. In our eyes, the U85 is a potent combination. A forged construction, which means decent feel, is a real win if you play forged irons, while the hollow body improves playability and off-centre hit forgiveness. For golfers who swear hybrids need to look like irons, plenty of loft options make it easy to replace 5 and 6 irons with a clean, inspiring, easier-to-hit alternative.
Ping G400 Crossover £200
www.ping.com
◆ Lofts: #3-19° / #4-22° / #5-25° ◆ Stock shaft: Ping AWT 2.0 (s) Ping Alta CB 70, Ping Tour 85 (g)
◆ Adjustable hosel: No
VERDICT: A decent option for golfers who aren’t particularly fond of hybrids, but are searching for more forgiving long irons. There’s no getting away from the Crossover’s big, butch head – it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea – but remember that it’s because of this size both forgiveness and face flex are improved over a traditional long iron.