P2 Hybrid Review by Bill Baxter

At first the P2 looks like any other hybrid, but after hitting one, the P2 is anything but ordinary. The P2 was designed to help the beginner and high handicap player to play shots from longer distance with more confidence. The P2 hybrids have the lowest face height of any hybrid in the GigaGolf catalog, which helps to get the ball up quickly and easily without the ball “ballooning” on the player.

I tested the P2 hybrids both on the range and on the course from a variety of lies including a perfect lie in the fairway, hard pan or “thin” lie, thick rough, and even played one out of a divot. The results were solid, accurate, towering shots landing right where I was aimed.

Golf is a game that is deep with tradition. New club ideas come and go like the rising and falling of the tides. However, every so often a club comes along that changes the way people play the game. The sand wedge changed how we play shots from bunkers and around the greens. Titanium drivers have given us more distance compared to the old persimmon woods. The newest club on the block is the hybrid. The hybrid is a unique club in that it is part fairway wood and part long iron.

Originally designed for the high handicapper and weekend warrior, hybrids have begun to find their way into the bags of some of the best players in the world. Let’s take a look at hybrids versus long irons, and more specifically the P2 hybrids.

Long irons like the #3 and #4 have been the clubs that most players avoid hitting at all cost; even with a perfect lie. When you look at a typical 3 and 4-iron, you notice that the sole is not very wide, the top line does not inspire a lot of confidence, and you do not see much of the clubface due to the lower amount of loft. Long irons also have a flatter sole, which can hinder the performance from various positions on the golf course such as, the rough, fairway bunkers, or playing the ball out of someone else’s divot. Does this sound like your 3 and 4-irons? Now let’s look at hybrids.

Hybrids are basically a smaller version of a fairway wood. As the name implies, they are a cross between a fairway wood and an iron. There is more mass behind the ball to look at, and thus a more inspiring sight to see because as you glance at the clubhead, subconsciously you are thinking, “Look at all the mass behind the ball. I don’t have to swing hard to get the ball in the air.” Therefore, you take a smoother swing, commonly referred to as “swinging within yourself”, and the ball takes off on a nice arcing trajectory.

Another advantage that hybrids have over long irons is the design. The size of the hybrid allows us to move more weight to the sole and back of the clubhead, thereby repositioning the clubhead’s center of gravity lower and further back away from the ball. This is what helps to get the ball airborne quickly and easily and allows you to maximize your carry distance potential. The sole of the club has a lot to do with why hybrids are more forgiving than long irons. The sole of a hybrid has a more rounded leading edge, which helps to prevent the club from “digging” if the swing arc is too steep at impact. The sole is also more rounded from heel to toe. This allows the hybrid to be played from a variety of places around the golf course such as the rough, fairway bunkers, playing out of a divot, and even around the green. So as you can see, hybrids offer more versatility and forgiveness than long irons. Let’s take a look at GigaGolf’s newest member of the hybrid family, the P2.

If you are tired of struggling or dread hitting your long irons and are ready to take your game to the next level, I recommend giving the new P2 hybrids a shot.  You'll be glad you did.