The secret to hitting solid hybrids, according to a Top 100 teacher

Hybrids are literally designed to be a friendlier alternative to long irons, but some players still struggle to hit solid shots. Why? According to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Kellie Stenzel, one mistake that golfers make is treating a hybrid more like a fairway wood than the iron it’s replacing.

“Because hybrids look more like fairway woods, golfers tend to play the ball too far forward,” Stenzel told me at the GOLF Top 100 Teacher Summit last November. “Having the club positioned really centered in the body is super important, because if you get the ball too far forward, what tends to happen is the club will hit the ground where the ball should be, but the problem is, the ball’s not there, it’s farther forward.”

Instruction

Incorrect ball position can lead to impact problems like drop-kicks and thin shots. The good news is that this tendency has a simple fix: all you have to do is change it!

“Take a practice swing and see where your club hits the ground,” Stenzel said. “This holds true for both hybrids and fairway woods. If you take a practice swing and the club hits the grass in the middle of your feet, that’s where your ball position needs to be.”

Stenzel said there’s a misconception that clubs like fairway woods and hybrids should be played in the front of your stance, which is not ideal.

“The grass is so short these days, you really can’t,” Stenzel said. “Also, because a hybrid is more like an iron than a fairway wood, you really should hit the ground at impact and make a divot, or at least thump the earth. It’s not a sweeping club.”

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For more golf tips from Kellie Stenzel, click here.

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As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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