Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: The versatile hybrid

Published

7 years ago

Nov 12, 2019

The equipment industry has changed the way we play the game, for sure, but I don’t think any single innovation has done more to make this game easier than the development of the hybrid. In a decade or less, we went from none of us having ever seen one to nearly 100 percent bag penetration with golfers of all skill levels. That’s because they are just so dang easy to hit, compared to longer irons. They get the ball in the air more easily, handle rough so much better…the list goes on and on.

But one great use for your hybrids that doesn’t get much press is how good they are around the greens. If haven’t experimented with them, you should really spend a little time learning what they are capable of.

In my own bag, I carry a Ben Hogan VKTR prototype (from 2015) 17-degree loft, with a UST Recoil shaft. Normal full swings produce about 208 yards, with a nice penetrating ball flight. But this club’s “hidden talent” is as a chipping club when a wedge shot just isn’t the best play. For example, when you find yourself on a tight lie, with the grain of the grass running toward you…even with my wedge confidence, that just wasn’t the shot. So, I usually take my hybrid, put the ball back a little in my stance, and “putt” the ball through the collar. The loft of the hybrid gets the ball on top of the grass, where a putter would not, and it takes a truer roll onto the green.

To hit this shot, you obviously need to grip down on the hybrid, as it is six inches or so longer than your putter. I like to grip down to just have my right thumb and forefinger on the shaft below the grip. I stand up a little straighter than when putting to make up for the added length. You also can “stand the club on its toe” a little bit to further reduce turf drag.

And an important key is to grip the hybrid more gently even than you grip your putter, as it is a lighter club and does not provide the resistance of a putter. A light grip will help you have the feel you need to control the distance the ball rolls.

“Putting” with your hybrid is a great shot to have in your arsenal. It also comes in handy when your ball has rolled up against the collar, with thicker grass behind it. Practice this shot just a little and you’ll find it saving strokes in the rounds ahead.

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Terry Koehler

Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs and dozens of wedges. In 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry with his TK 15 wedges and Ft. Worth 15 iron designs. Since receiving a U.S. Patent for his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” in the wedge category. In addition to inspiring multiple companies to emulate this sole technology, the performance of his wedge designs have stimulated all other companies to reposition some mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges. Terry is retired from his role as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf, and remains active in the industry as an independent designer and consultant. But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

4 Comments

The Old Man

Nov 14, 2019 at 8:45 pm

Playing a set of Adams hybrids is the best move I made for my game, especially after turning 50. They are more versatile than I ever thought and longer than my old irons. Long par 4s and short par 5s are reachable and my accuracy is like hitting a 7 iron.

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myron miller

Nov 14, 2019 at 12:55 pm

For me, I cannot hit a hybrid very high at all (at best 10 feet) and it won’t hold any greens for me. And a 7 wood also works as well for certain types of chips. In fact, woods have been used on the senior (Champions) tour for years by various players. I also have more than a few times used anything from a 3-7 wood on the green instead of a putter on some lumpy and slow greens. Try using a regular putter on freshly aerated greens with a Stimp of about 4 or 5 from 60-80 feet away and get the ball within a 5 foot circle.

In fact, I’d say at least 25-40% of the bags I’ve seen don’t have hybrids in them. His comment of nearly 100% bag penetration for hybrids is way off from what I’ve seen. Of course, I only play 150-200 rounds per year with 3-somes most common (or in other words, about 300-500 other people a year). So I think his claim of nearly 100% of bags having a hybrid in it is severely wrong. I doubt if it’s much more than 70% and may not even be that high in real life.

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- ChipNRun
  
  Nov 15, 2019 at 6:58 pm
  
  Lots of people carry three bridge clubs, those sticks between your driver and your lowest numbered iron.
  
  Some carry two FWs and one hybrid, others one FW and two hybrids.
  
  And, you have others that are all FWs. A few big hitters who go 2H and 4H, others even three hybrids.
  
  It depends on your distance needs – in part on how far you hit your driver – and swing mechanics of how you come into the ball. I need the distance of 4W and lift of 7W; my 4H has other uses.
  
  Some people struggle with FWs, other struggle with Hybrids. Go with what works.
  
  Reply Report comment
ChipNRun

Nov 12, 2019 at 10:27 pm

History note: Hybrid is NOT an innovation of recent years. It is a reload of the Bulldog, a small headed trouble club from the late 1800s. The Bulldog had a head about two golf-balls wide, a loft of about 25 degrees, and was used to knock the ball out of fluffy rough lies.

For an example, see: https://louisvillegolf.com/collections/woods/products/black-bulldog

Comment on article: hybrids help SOME people get ball out of rough. For me, a 7W works much better. I play a 7W during warm weather, and swap it for a 3H during November to March, when the winds are higher and the rough is thinner.

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Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag