Many golfers are perplexed by the hottest technology in golf equipment - hybrid clubs. The lack of standardization in design and terminology has some golfers scratching their heads.

Initially, hybrids were designed as replacements for hard-to-hit long irons, primarily the 3-iron. Long-iron replacement continues to be the focus of designers and is the hybrid segment that offers golfers the most playability benefit.

However, several companies also offer hybrid (utility) woods. These clubs replace conventional fairway woods that many designers believe are too long and thus difficult for many players to control.

To help you better understand what's available in the hybrid marketplace, here's a guide to many of the mainstream manufacturers' designs.

Combining the performance of a long iron with the distance and forgiveness of a fairway wood, the Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids offer golfers consistency and playability anywhere on the course. The elongated low-profile face inspires confidence in your shots and creates a high moment of inertia (MOI). The modified War Bird sole makes it easy to hit from any surface and promotes solid contact with your ball for distance and green-grabbing trajectories. Designed to replace 1- through 5-irons, the Heavenwood Hybrids come in five different lofts.

Innovex Golf enables golfers to replace their hard-to-hit long irons with the appropriate System RLS Hybrid. Choose a System RLS Hybrid 3 with 18 degrees of loft to take the place of your 2- or 3-iron, or substitute a System RLS Hybrid 4 with 22 degrees of loft for your 4-iron. There's also a System RLS Hybrid 5 with 27 degrees of loft to replace a 5-iron. Each of the System RLS Hybrids features a low center of gravity (CG), a high MOI, 15-5 stainless steel and a classic design.

Wilson stepped away from the crowd with its new Staff Dh6 hybrid. The club incorporates ETF (Energy Transfer Frame) technology in the clubface along with altered club lengths and lofts to ensure true long-iron replacement performance. ETF is a method of thinning the clubface to produce a large sweet spot and higher coefficient of restitution (COR), which results in long, straight shots. Although the clubs are shorter in length than most hybrid designs, the Staff Dh6 hybrids are ¾ inch longer than traditional long irons. Players can still generate ball velocity while enjoying increased control and repeatable shot accuracy in comparison with other designs. By incorporating higher lofts than traditional long irons, the Dh6 also promotes the high, soft-landing shots needed to hold greens.

Cobra's King Cobra Baffler Utility Metal is distinctly different from a utility iron. The Baffler is a utility metal (wood) with features such as bulge and roll, a low and back CG location for higher trajectory and a uniquely contoured sole plate. The stainless-steel Baffler is easier to hit than long irons from any lie and turf condition with a higher trajectory and superior carry distance. A large face area utilizes a thin, maraging steel face insert for maximum ball velocity. The club's high MOI stabilizes the clubhead at impact for forgiveness and accuracy.

Tour Edge offers three high-performance hybrids. The Bazooka JMAX Iron-Wood is a revamped design of the original for mid- to high-handicappers, while the JMAX Tour Iron-Wood is for more skilled players. The latest introduction, the Houdini utility club, is a low-profile hybrid wood. A slightly shorter shaft and offset head design help square the face at impact for exceptional control. Like most hybrids, weight is positioned low and back in the club to get the ball airborne and resist twisting on off-center hits. The Houdini's face is bigger with deeper scoring lines for added spin and greater carry. A 6-inch super radius sole also reduces turf drag.

In 1964, the Hogan Company introduced a new concept in driver design with the Hogan Speed Slot. Today, Ben Hogan Golf offers the Edge CFT Hybrids that utilize the company's CFT iron technology with the Hogan Speed Slot. The Speed Slot reduces drag for improved clubhead speed and an increased ability to square the clubface at impact. The two-piece construction also combines a stainless-steel frame with a compression forged titanium face to improve sole and perimeter weighting for forgiveness and playability. The half-sized metalwood-like shape contributes to three-dimensional weight distribution for a lower, deeper CG to generate launch and spin conditions that result in long, accurate shots.

The key to Sonartec's Md Hybrid Transition Club is the versatility it offers all players. The patented Driving Cavity technology makes the club easy to hit from nearly every lie. It positions the CG directly in line with the impact point so all the power is transferred to the ball and excess spin is minimized. The Driving Cavity also positions the CG rearward in the clubhead to minimize the torque force that can cause the clubhead to twist at impact and result in slices or hooks. Like the rest of the Sonartec product line, the Md's most distinctive feature is the deep, penetrating ball flight it produces. Originally designed to replace only the 1- through 4-irons, the Md line now includes a 15-degree loft to replace the 3-wood and a 25-degree alternative for the 5-iron.

TaylorMade's newest hybrid, the Rescue Dual, incorporates the movable weight technology used in its drivers. Players can change the clubhead's center of gravity location to promote different types of trajectories. The Rescue Dual is engineered with added fixed weight near the heel to pull the CG back and toward the shaft to produce a slight draw. To counter the draw bias, simply change the weights. The TLC ports and TLC cartridges are also positioned far apart to improve the club's MOI by up to 20 percent over the Rescue Mid, depending on the heel and toe weighting used. Increased MOI means more forgiveness on off-center hits. A new V-shaped sole adds stability and easy aiming at address. A simple alignment aid on the crown also promotes confidence and consistency at address.

Vulcan Golf incorporates a wider sole in its Z3 Plus Woody hybrid to make the club easy to hit from a variety of situations and to reduce digging. The sole also allows weight to be moved back and low in the clubhead, lowering the CG for higher ball flight from lower-lofted clubs. Although the lofts on the Z3 Plus Woody are 1 to 2 degrees lower than comparable hybrids, ball flight for most players will be higher because of the weighting and the shaft. The Aldila graphite shaft used in the clubs is designed specifically for hybrids with a low kick point for higher ball flight and more spin. In addition to launching the ball, the weighting in the Z3 Plus Woody also helps reduce clubhead twisting at impact for straighter ball flight.

Although Adams Golf hasn't offered a new hybrid design since 2002, this year it raised the bar by going in a different direction than most manufacturers. Adams split its long-iron replacement hybrids into two player segments. The a2, which has enjoyed great testing success on the Champions Tour, is for better players, while the a2 OS is a maximum game-improvement design. The a2's sleek design with less offset is more appealing to skilled players, offering a low CG for optimum launch and MOI. The a2 OS looks more like a little fairway wood and incorporates offset with a low CG that is also positioned farther back in the clubhead. This gives players a stable club that combats a left-to-right ball flight, gets the ball airborne easily and produces spin so shots can hold greens.

Nickent's ultra-successful 3DX hybrid derives its name from a proprietary three-dimensional weighting system that positions weight low, deep and toward the perimeter of the clubhead. By positioning more mass in the visible weight port at the rear of the clubhead, each individual 3DX is fine-tuned to provide optimal launch angle and trajectory for its specific loft. During manufacturing, the back edge of the club is pinched to center the clubhead mass on the back rim. This internal weighting technique, in combination with the weight port on the sole, creates a true launch angle (for each loft) with lower spin rates. Shots fly high and flat, and land softly to hold the green. The compact 3DX clubhead also provides an iron-like setup with no pronounced topline or shelf. Some 17 loft offerings are available in both iron- and wood-replacement designs.

Dunlop has expanded its popular RedNeck line with the RedNeck Hybrid Utility Iron. These hybrid utility wood-irons feature hard chrome plating with 304 stainless steel. The clubs come as an 18-degree Hybrid 3-iron or a 21-degree Hybrid 4-iron. Each club includes a 100-percent-graphite shaft for more control and a Golf Pride "New Decade -- Multi-Compound" grip. Currently, only men's right-hand versions of the RedNeck Hybrid Utility Iron are available. GI

Driving Irons
Titleist's tour-proven 503.H Utility Iron offers a distance and trajectory solution at the long end of the iron set. The 503.H produces a more manageable trajectory than a high-lofted fairway wood and a more playable trajectory than a long iron. A lightweight, molded carbon fiber composite core provides structure for the thin-face design, which allows for optimum weight distribution and a deeper CG. The combination of a composite core and a thin face also dampens vibration and allows for lively feel with a solid, iron-like sound. A tungsten screw located in the sole of the club helps position the CG low and deep.

Nike's Pro Combo Utility Iron provides versatile shot making for better players. These tour-proven hybrid clubs were engineered to be easier to hit than long irons and easier to shape than Nike's CPR hybrids. The club's massive 70-gram tungsten plug creates a CG position that is both lower and deeper than traditional long irons. This helps get the ball up in the air for more accurate shots off the tee, from deep rough, in fairway bunkers or from a tight fairway lie.

Cleveland's Launcher Driving Irons (LDI) are iron-style hybrid clubs designed to replace hard-to-hit long irons. The unique design of the clubhead's interior makes the LDI effective and easy to hit. The specially engineered internal weighting system lowers and deepens the CG and increases the MOI beyond that of standard irons. These improved properties produce a penetrating ball flight with added stability for distance and consistency. The end result is a club that is an excellent choice for both tight tee shots and long approach shots.

The FLI-HI II utility long irons from Mizuno were designed to bridge the gap between fairway woods and the iron set. The cavity-back design with Hollow Technology construction positions weight away from the face for increased forgiveness and a higher launch. Three distinct face thicknesses deliver consistent distance control and feel across the entire face. The lower profile face and a lower toe help to lower the CG. The clubface and neck are made of Grain Flow Forged 4135 high-strength steel for a more solid, soft, consistent feel with maximum durability.

MacGregor claims its V-Foil Go Long driving irons are as easy to swing as any iron in your bag. Combining the power of a fairway wood with the shot control and accuracy of a forged iron, the Go Long driving irons incorporate an oversized face and large sweet spot for maximum forgiveness on off-center shots. V-Foil Speed Technology creates the low and deep back weighting for an easy, high launch. A curved and contoured sole allows for reduced drag when hitting from the rough. The driving irons are available in 16- and 19-degree versions with an extended shaft for more power transfer.

An extreme undercut cavity that redistributes weight to the perimeter and sole for higher, more forgiving shots distinguishes Ping's G2 HL iron from its competitors. An alternative to traditional long irons and fairway woods, the G2 HL provides players with confidence to play high-launching, soft-landing shots from long distances. A wider sole helps position the CG away from the face. The easy-to-hit G2 HL was designed for all golfers and has been included in the bags of several tour players.

Titleist · www.titleist.com · 1-800-225-8500

Nike · www.nikegolf.com · 1-888-799-6453

Cleveland · www.clevelandgolf.com · 1-800-999-6263

Mizuno · www.mizunousa.com · 1-800-966-1211

MacGregor · www.macgregorgolf.com · 1-800-841-4358

Ping · www.pinggolf.com · 1-800-4-PING-FIT