Equipment

Review: Bobby Jones Hybrids

By Sean ⋅ January 26, 2008 ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Today we have another review submitted by Deep Rough contributor, Anthony.  Looks like he had an awesome time with a couple hybrids from the Bobby Jones Golf company.

Background

We have all seen the advertisements on the Golf Channel for these hybrids, so I decided to ask for the opportunity to demo these hybrids. Bryan was kind enough to send me the 2 Hybrid (19*) and 4 Hybrid (25*) with upgraded (I assume) Aldila VS Proto 80-X shafts for me to review. For reference, I currently have Adams Idea Pro 18* and 20* with 80-S shafts, which I find just a little bit too whippy, so these shafts were a perfect fit.

Bobby Jones hybrids are designed to replace the hard-to-hit long irons. Rather than designing hybrids that look like irons, Jesse Ortiz’ philosophy takes advantage of the fairway metal’s low and deep center of gravity, its wide bodied triangle-of-stability (TOS), and its versatile contoured sole.

Instead of using the homogenous shape of most hybrids long, flat leading edge Jesse Ortiz has created a more traditional shape hybrid. It is a throwback to the old Cleek or Mashee. These clubs were designed for maximum performance, with the ability to get the ball out of every type of lie, whether it be a divot of fairway bunker.

Bobby Jones hybrids are also shorter in length to increase accuracy and truly be long iron replacements not fairway metal alternatives. All clubs feature a deep, translucent Jaguar Racing green color, proprietary JS-6 and JS-7 shafts, and classic, heavy knit head covers.

These hybrids are offered in a replacement for 2, 3, 4 and 5 irons. Below is a chart on the specs of the hybrids:

Look and Feel

These clubs, as the quote says above, do not look like irons. They also do not look fully like fairway woods, although they do resemble fairway woods more. For me, however, they give much more confidence than a fairway wood does. I’ve never been a strong fairway wood player, but I feel like I am a good hybrid player. They set up easier for me, and are easier to get into the air than fairway woods. While the Bobby Jones hybrids resemble fairway woods, they give you the confidence that you are going to get these into the air. They also come with a rounded sole to help from difficult lies.

Unlike all other hybrids, the Bobby Jones Hybrids feature a well-contoured sole with the heel and toe areas swept away. Jesse Ortiz’ unique design strategy provides unparalleled versatility from difficult lies. Whether you’re in the deep rough, a fairway trap, in a divot or on hardpan, these long iron replacements will save you strokes and replace your lost confidence in the 175 to 210 yard shot. Bobby Jones by Jesse Ortiz Hybrids are the Club of the Year.

When you set the club up, it just screams confidence. They set up easily, and squarely. Unlike a lot of hybrids designed to help all golfers, these hybrids are not set up help fight a slice. They sit very square and encourage a straight shot. The top line is a black color with a slight twinge of green in it, that you barely notice except in the best of light. They come with, for lack of a better description, an “old school” headcover. I think it’s a fitting head cover for a club named for Bobby Jones.

When you strike the ball, the sound is exactly what you’d expect from a traditional club. The feel is that “heavy” feel you expect from a well made club. It cuts through the rough easily, allowing as much energy as possible to be transferred to the golf ball!

Jesse Ortiz definitely knew what he was doing in terms of designing the look and feel of this club!

Performance

I had the opportunity to hit these hybrids on the range a couple times and also play 3 rounds of golf with them. These rounds were played in Myrtle Beach with the weather around 55 degrees. Fortunately, the courses were empty so I had an oppportunity to compare these hybrids to my current gamers on the exact shot, 1 right after another.

I found these hybrids to be very easy to hit off the fairway and off the tee. As far as distance was concerned, I found the 19* Bobby Jones Hybrid to go about 5 yards further than my 18* Adams Idea Pro. I found it to fly a little bit lower than my Adams, but I think that was a product of the stiffer shaft. The 25* Bobby Jones hybrid also flew about 5 yards further than my Callaway X Tour 4 iron, but it flew considerably higher than a 4 iron (it flew about the height of a 6 or 7 iron). With that said, I found it easy enough to keep the ball flight down if I needed to.

I also had a tough time hitting “bad” shots with these clubs. During my review sessions, I put plenty of bad swings on these clubs. Shots that with my other clubs would have come off low, hooking, and in trouble ended up only being a little off of perfect with the Bobby Jones hybrids, allowing me to keep the ball in play and either have a long putt or be very close to the green to get up and down.

Where these clubs really sparkled was out of difficult lies. I hit a flew from rough and even a few from fairway bunkers/waste areas. One shot in particular was from 198 yards into a slight wind all over water from a waste area. With my 4 iron, which I usually hit about 205 yds, I would have been nervous about the lip of the bunker, and would have played out to the left where there wasn’t nearly as much water to clear. With the Bobby Jones hybrid, I felt comfortable with the shot. While it was a little too much club for the shot, I was able to elevate it easily over the lip, and land it in the middle of the green (about 208-210 from where I was) and keep it on the green! I was so pleased, I put down another ball and hit the same shot. I then pulled out another ball and tried with my 4 iron. That ball is in the pond about 3-4 yards short of the green.

I also had a chance to play around with these clubs around the green. One thing I never really tried was chipping with my current hybrids. With the Bobby Jones hybrid, this shot seemed a lot easier to play than with my Idea Pro. I would definitely consider using the 25* hybrid on long chip/run shots!

Jesse Ortiz not only made a beautiful looking club, he made a club that is nice to look out but absolutely exciting to hit!

Conclusion

Believe the hype about these clubs! When people watch the infomercials on the Golf Channel, they tend to not believe everything they hear. While I can’t speak for all the others, the infomercial about the Bobby Jones hybrids are 100% accurate. These clubs are very easy to hit off the tee and fairway, but the rough, bunkers and bad lies are where they really shine! These clubs are truly extremely playable, and usable in many different situations!

The 4 hybrid has already earned a spot in my bag, replacing my 4 iron. The 2 hybrid and my Adams Idea Pro are in a shootout. I’ve played the Adams for a while now, and have a lot of confidence in that club, but the Bobby Jones Hybrid has a strong chance to take that out of the bag. They perform about the same off the fairway, but the Bobby Jones, just like with the 4 hybrid, seems to be more versitle.

I currently play with a Driver and the 18* hybrid as my 2nd longest club. If their 3 wood is as easy to hit as their hybrids, I’d love to put that in the bag as well! I may have to pick up a Bobby Jones 15* 3 wood with Aldila VS Proto 80s or 80x and review that as well!

Thanks again for the opportunity to review these hybrids! They are truly some of the best hybrids I’ve ever played.

You can pickup the Bobby Jones Hybrids online starting at $199.95.  You may be able to find them for a little less on eBay.

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