While many buyers’ guides will give newer golfers a list of brands to look out for when selecting new clubs, not as many give buyers the actual information they need to determine for themselves what brands offer the best choice for them. To ensure you know the best hybrid golf clubs for high handicappers, we will focus on the tangible specifications that make a hybrid golf club better for a newer or higher-handicap golfer. 

These include:

• Loft
• Shaft flex
• Forgiveness

Let’s dive into these specifications and how they affect a club’s ability to serve a high-handicap golfer.

Loft	The angle of the clubface relative to the ground. The higher the loft, the higher the launch of the ball, and the easier it will be to get into the air (at the cost of some distance).
Shaft Flex	The amount of flex in the shaft helps compensate for the speed of a golfer’s swing. The faster the swing, the stiffer the shaft needed to ensure proper control of the clubhead.
Forgiveness	The most abstract specification on the list, forgiveness can be improved by thinning the clubface, moving the center of gravity lower and farther back, and increasing the size of the face.

Loft

Loft is the angle of the club face relative to the ground. The higher the loft, the higher the launch of the golf ball, and the shorter the distance of the shot, if all else remains equal. While more experienced golfers tend to prefer lower loft to increase the distance of their shots, newer golfers are typically better off choosing clubs with higher loft to help them consistently get the golf ball in the air. It is worth noting, though, that loft also depends on swing speed, spin rate, launch angle, and other aspects of your game that will be measured at a fitting.

This is especially important for hybrids, as hybrid clubs in the same class (3 hybrid, 4 hybrid, etc.) can still vary slightly in their loft. Different brands offer their hybrids in different lofts, and higher lofts generally provide additional benefits for high-handicap golfers. You can also get your loft adjusted by a couple of degrees when purchasing a hybrid golf club, though this isn’t an option for every brand. Which can help you make clubs that meet all of your other needs work even if their standard loft is a bit low.

Shaft Flex

Newer golfers often have slower swing speeds than more experienced golfers, but this isn’t always the case. As a general rule of thumb, you should always get a professional fitting at a specialty golf shop to determine what shaft flex you need.

Typically, slower-swinging golfers need more flexible shafts, and faster swings call for stiffer shafts. Most new golfers will need a regular or stiff shaft, while faster swingers will want a stiff or X-stiff shaft. For women and older golfers with significantly lower swing speeds, there are also “ladies” and “senior” golf shafts with extra flex to help get more “whip” in the shaft to allow the clubhead to return at impact and help get the ball moving farther down the fairway.

Forgiveness

The forgiveness of a golf club can be affected by multiple factors, including:

• Center of gravity (CG)
• Clubface size
• Clubface material

Center of Gravity (CG)

A club’s CG impacts ball flight quite a bit. A club with the weight positioned toward the clubface will ensure maximum energy transfer into the ball and decreased spin rate, leading to more distance and lower flight. Positioning the weight farther toward the rear of the clubhead and lower toward the sole, will instead increase the launch angle and the spin rate of the ball, making it easier to get it into the air while sacrificing a bit of distance. This also increases the playable surface area of the clubface, which means the ball will go straighter on off-center strikes.

Clubface Size

Another way to increase the playable surface area on a clubface, and the simplest one, is to increase the overall size. Clubs with a bigger face provide more consistent results on off-center shots, making them more forgiving than smaller ones.

Clubface Material

By using more flexible material in the clubface and making it thinner, manufacturers can make their club more forgiving by adding more “give” at the point of contact. This can sacrifice a bit of distance in some cases, but exchanges it for straighter shots on average, making the club more forgiving. Manufacturers are limited in how thin they can make a club face due to tour regulations, so the level of variance isn’t all that wide.

Get the Best Hybrid Golf Clubs for High Handicappers at Worldwide Golf Shops

Worldwide Golf Shops provides next-level service to customers of all experience levels, with the best-trained staff in the industry. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide guidance to beginners and to share pro tips with even our most experienced clientele. Check out our online store to see our industry-standard variety of the best hybrid golf clubs for high-handicappers and all of the following:

• Golf clubs 
• Golf bags and carts
• Footwear
• Golf apparel
• Golf accessories 
• GPS and tech

At Worldwide Golf Shops, we take pride in offering brands that we guarantee will provide the highest level of value to our diverse range of golfers. Our knowledgeable staff is ready to assist you in finding the perfect golf gear. Find a store near you today!