Ah, you’ve finally grown so displeased with your long game that you are caving and buying a hybrid. Or, maybe you just need a new hybrid because you’ve left so many skymarks on your old hybrid that you can’t stand to look at it anymore.
Either way, you have a choice to make:
- You can buy a brand new hybrid. Way more fuel efficient than those ole gas guzzlers. Wait, wrong topic, sorry. Way more expensive… that’s what I meant to say. Buying a brand new 2020 hybrid will cost you 2x the price of a slightly used club that’s a few years old, and won’t result in a better club IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER.
- You can buy a slightly used hybrid that is a few years old, at least. Hybrids haven’t improved. They are all pretty much the same, as long as you stick with a good company (TaylorMade, Titleist, Callaway, Cobra, Adams, etc). We recommend a club 3-5 years old to get the best value without sacrificing performance. But then again, we also recommend going for that par five in two even when you have no chance of reaching it even on the coldest day in hell. So, who knows.
This article will discuss two new 2020 models. If we just talked about those two, though, we would hate ourselves. The new models are ridiculously overpriced. We’re all about value, so they don’t sit well with us.
As a result, we will ALSO talk about two better value options. They will cost you half the price for practically the same club. The choice should be pretty easy. Unless you are dyslexic and not very good with figuring out which numbers are higher. Then it might be difficult. Sorry.
Best Overall Hybrid: Callaway MAVRIK
Callaway makes some awesome hybrids. They are forgiving, they fly straight, and they give decent distance control. What more do you want in a hybrid?
As for the shape, they are very squared — flatter soles and sharper angles near the toe. I’m a huge fan of the appearance at address. It’ gives me a lot of confidence as compared to a club head where the club face and sole have a lot of curvature.
For 2020, the Callaway Mavrik hybrid is our favorite overall hybrid. Not the most forgiving or highest launch, but it’s the best mix of distance, forgiveness, control, and feel.
Cheaper Option: Callaway Steelhead XR
Oh, you don’t want to spend $200+ on a hybrid? Thank god, I guess the world isn’t full of idiots like I thought. If you’d rather save your money and buy practically the same club at a lower price, check out the Callaway Steelhead XR hybrid. It was made 3-4 years ago, and has nearly the same design of the Mavrik, except for all the gimmicks that add no value whatsoever.
Callaway also has some other good options that are practically the same club. The Callaway Apex is another good model to consider.
Most Versatile Hybrid: TaylorMade SIM Max
If you are looking for a versatile hybrid, we always recommend TaylorMade models, like the TaylorMade SIM Max. Why? The sole design. A more curved sole and round toe allows the club to make better contact in a wide variety of conditions (rough, bunkers, woods, hazards, etc). On the other hand, a flat sole might make contact with the ground quicker, which could twist the club face and lead to a wayward shot.
The downside is that the curved sole essentially reduces the sweet spot of the club. If you miss the center of the club face by 1/2, you’ll be punished more with this club that with a flatter sole (like a Callaway hybrid).
Surely you never find yourself having to use your hybrid out of the rough, right? Or from the woods. Ha, just kidding. You probably need a versatile hybrid.
Older Option: TaylorMade Rocketballz RBZ Stage 2
A cheaper option that will perform nearly the same at the SIM Max is the Rocketballz RBZ Stage 2 hybrid. Same design. Same shape. Just a different paint job (and price tag) for the most part.
My dad currently games the Rocketballz RBZ Stage 2, and I’ve hit the clubs on multiple different occasions. Great feel. Great look at address. Great value, as the club was originally released 4+ years ago.
Price wise, you can pick up one (or a pair) for less than half the price of the TaylorMade SIM hybrids.
Most Forgiving & Highest Launch Hybrid: Callaway MAVRIK Max
The Callaway MAVRIK Max is by far the highest launching and most forgiving hybrid on the market today. It’s all about the large club head & deep center of gravity. Forget all the BS about the artificial intelligence club face.
You are not alone in looking for a high launching and easy to hit hybrid. A large percentage of golfers have trouble with consistency and getting enough height on their shots with lower lofted clubs.
Without being able to launch the ball high enough, you’ll often find yourself hitting greens, only for the ball to roll off the back. Or, you might find that you aren’t able to hit the ball over a small hazard (bunker, tree, small pond, etc) when your playing partners might not even consider it to be in the way.
The Callaway MAVRIK Max has a huge sweet spot and a very low center of gravity. Unlike hybrids with very small profiles, this one is a little chunky at address, but you can get over it if you can’t consistently hit the center of a club face anyway.
I got the chance to demo this hybrid at a demo-day, and I truly felt like every shot flew consistently, even when I didn’t make perfect contact.
Hybrids are all about scoring better, right? Otherwise, we’d all just be playing 2, 3, and 4 irons. So if you are wanting to score better, you need to make your misses more manageable. Yep, that’s 4 out of 5 words that start with an “m”.
One way to make your misses more manageable is to use clubs with larger sweet spots. That way, if you miss the center of the clubface by an inch, you’ll still end up with a decent job.
Anyone else miss the days of Adams? Me too, my friend. Me too. What a great company, especially for hybrids. And ESPECIALLY for the prices.
The positive news? There are still TONS of Adams hybrids out on the market. You can pick up a slightly used Adams hybrid for less than $40 all day, every day. Not just an Adams hybrid. An incredibly forgiving hybrid with a huge sweet spot.
The Adams Idea Super S was a super popular option way back when. I’ve played with lots of guys that bought it when it first came out, only to keep it in the bag after years and years of use. They are on their 4th driver, but they still game their original hybrid that they bought. Can’t blame them!
