Golfers can only have 14 clubs in their bag at any given time.
This makes it difficult sometimes to narrow down which clubs are going to be best suited to your needs as a player.
Luckily, if you are good at analyzing your own golf game, you can gain a pretty quick understanding as to which golf clubs to use and when.
We are going to look at the 4 hybrid and 3 hybrid to see which of these golf clubs is the better one to use in a variety of situations.
Depending on your abilities as a player and the specifics of the equipment you own, you should be able to make a great choice about the 4 hybrid vs. 3 hybrid.
4 Hybrid Vs. 3 Hybrid: Which One Should You Use?
For the majority of mid handicap to high handicap golfers, the decision between the 4 hybrid and 3 hybrid will be whichever club is easier to hit.
However, some other factors play into this decision that should be considered.
We are going to look at a variety of situations on the golf course and help you determine if you should use a 4 hybrid or a 3 hybrid.
In the end, you will want to make a decision based on your individual skill level and how you play the game.
However, these factors will also ensure that you are satisfied with your overall club selection and your chance to make a great score on the hole.
1. Out Of The Rough
The hybrids are known for being a great golf club to hit out of the rough.
When your ball ends up in the rough, the hybrid helps to guide it out with the weight that it has located in the bottom of the club head.
This weight pulls the club down and through the thick grass and increases the MOI to ensure a better overall ball flight.
Hitting out of the rough with either a 4 hybrid or the 3 hybrid can be beneficial.
However, with the 4 hybrid, you will notice that the extra loft can make it even easier to release the ball from the rough.
As the loft comes through the ball and increases the overall ball flight, you will notice that the distance increases as well as the forgiveness.
Hitting shots out of the rough does not need to be as difficult as you think.
In fact, the more you practice with the 4 hybrid, the more you will realize that hitting from the rough may not be all that much different than hitting from the fairway.
2. From A Tee
Sometimes a hybrid is the perfect distance for a par 3 shot.
If you find yourself on a par 3 and ready to choose between the 4 hybrid and the 3 hybrid, you will need to choose a club that gives you the better yardage.
Again, from a forgiveness standpoint, the 4 hybrid has a bit more loft and will be easier to launch.
This can help make it a better choice if there is quite a bit of trouble on the hole.
Look around and see if the distance or the direction is more important on a par 3.
If you find that there is trouble left and right, but just short of the green will be a good miss, then you may consider taking the 4 hybrid out of the bag.
For players who want to ensure they get the full distance at times when you have to go over a hazard, etc., the 3 hybrid could be a better choice.
From the tee box, the 4 hybrid and the 3 hybrid can both be good choices; just ensure that you tee it very low as the extra loft on a tee is not necessary.
3. Approach To A Par 5
Hybrids are very popular clubs to use for an approach to a par 5.
With a hybrid in your hand, you can really attack a pin and make sure that you are giving yourself a chance at an eagle.
The approach to a par 5 is sometimes a layup, but other times, you may be going for the green.
The 4 hybrid is a good club to consider when looking at a difficult layup-type shot that has some trouble on the left and right sides.
The 4 hybrid, because of its loft and workability, makes a better shot option when you need the control.
The 3 hybrid is the club to use when you can swing away.
If your goal is distance and you just want to get the club to go as far as you can, then the 3 hybrid is the smartest option to consider.
An approach to a par 5 should not be entirely difficult for a golfer with hybrids in the golfer’s hands.
The hybrids are more forgiving and easier to control than fairway woods.
This is just another reason to take the hybrid out of the bag and narrow in on that target.
4. Higher Ball Flight Needed
Golfers need higher ball flight from time to time.
Sometimes this is because there is trouble in front of them, like a water hazard or a sand trap.
The other reason for needing higher ball flight could be when the greens are really fast, and you need the ball to stop when it hits the putting surface.
The 4 hybrid will typically have three or four more degrees of loft on it than the 3 hybrid.
Although this may not seem like a lot, in the world of golf clubs, it will make a big difference.
Some players who are great at manipulating their golf shots can use a 3 hybrid in a certain way that increases ball flight.
Golfers can open their stance and increase overall ball flight with a 3 hybrid, but this is not as natural of a shot.
Overall, when a higher ball flight is needed, stick with the 4 hybrid.
5. Faster Greens
Golfers know that each club has a different amount of roll and spin that it will produce.
For the most part, the fairway woods and hybrids are lower spin golf clubs.
When you hit a shot with a lower spin golf club, you can expect a straighter shot, but there will be a little less spin stopping the ball on the greens.
Faster greens are known for being difficult to stop a ball on.
Golfers will need higher ball flight and the ability to spin the ball when they are looking to stop the ball on the greens.
Overall, it takes time to learn how to spin a shot, and sometimes it happens as a result of a great swing.
The 4 hybrid has a chance of spinning just a little bit more than a 3 hybrid, and therefore, the 4 hybrid makes a better choice for approaching a faster green.
When greens are fast, make sure that you are thinking about leaving the ball in front of the green and letting it roll onto the green.
The faster greens are hard to approach with a hybrid, and leaving the ball just in front may be the best overall solution.
Golfers will find that neither the 4 hybrid nor the 3 hybrid offers as much spin as the 4 iron or 3 iron.
6. From The Fairway
When your ball is sitting perfectly in the fairway, you will have a choice as to which club is going to be the best to use.
The 4 hybrid and 3 hybrid can both be hit from a perfect lie in the fairway and towards the green.
The great thing about hybrids is that they will offer you plenty of distance even when you are in a tight spot.
The hybrids are some of the best golf clubs in the bag because they are easy to hit from both the fairway and the rough.
Short grass is the easiest place to hit a shot from, and if you can hit a drive into the fairway, you can really choose between the 3 hybrid and the 4 hybrid.
Many golfers will take the opportunity of a golf ball being in the center of the fairway to hit a shot with the 3 hybrid.
With so many other shots leaning towards the 4 hybrid because of its ease of use, it can make sense to go with the 3 hybrid when the lie is perfect.
Most players will find that the 4 hybrid is used so much more than the 3 hybrid that, over time, it makes sense to take the 3 hybrid out of the bag.
This is something you will have to consider as a whole and determine which other fairway woods you have in your bag.
As long as you have a solution to bridge the gap between the 4 hybrid and the driver, it really doesn’t matter if you have both the 3 hybrid and the 4 hybrid in the bag.
7. Higher Handicappers
Higher handicap golfers are going to want to consider using the 4 hybrid more often.
A typical 4 hybrid has a loft of about 22 degrees.
The 3 hybrid is going to usually be around 19 degrees of loft.
For a higher handicapper, there is no perfect golf club because there will always be a chance that the ball could go too far right or left, or skip along the ground.
Higher handicappers need to consider the clubs that give them the best overall results.
For the most part, the higher loft is the better solution for higher handicappers.
As you add loft to golf clubs, you get more forgiveness and straighter shots.
8. Lower Handicappers
The lower handicappers have a better chance of hitting a more precise golf shot.
Therefore, the lower handicappers should consider using a 3 hybrid as opposed to a 4 hybrid when they have the chance.
The 3 hybrid will give golfers more distance and increase their overall ability to hit great shots.
With the 3 hybrid in place, lower handicappers will enjoy the ability to work the ball as well.
If you want to hit a fade into the target or learn to hit a bit of a draw, the 3 hybrid can help ensure that is the case.
Lower handicappers enjoy playing golf with a variety of clubs.
However, when your precision becomes this good, it really does make sense for the lower handicappers to try and get as much distance as they can.
9. Into The Wind
When hitting into the wind, you will want to keep the ball quite a bit lower.
This lower ball flight into the wind can really help to increase the overall distance that you get.
Keeping the ball down into the wind is the only way to ensure that you get the shot to the target.
Golfers will want to consider using the 3 hybrid when hitting shots into the wind.
The 3 hybrid will have quite a bit of roll and will stay lower than the 4 hybrid.
You can also learn how to hit a controlled knockdown-type shot with the 3 hybrid in your hands.
When you are playing with the 4 hybrid, it tends to get up into the air a little bit too much, and the ball can move around more than it should.
Hitting shots into the wind is something that you will have to practice, but using the club with a lower loft will certainly increase the chance of being successful with these types of shots.
10. Out Of A Bunker
Many golfers do not consider hitting a hybrid out of a bunker.
However, if you want to hit a great shot from a bunker that makes it a good way to the hole, the hybrid can be the perfect club.
Golf bunkers can have a tremendous lip on them.
However, when you are hitting out of the bunker, the lip can catch the golf ball and send the ball back into the bunker.
If you are going to try and hit a hybrid out of a bunker, you need to consider the club’s loft and whether or not there is enough clearance to get you out of the bunker.
Overall, it takes time to learn how to hit long bunker shots from the fairway.
If you are a great player with a good bit of club head speed, the 3 hybrid, and the 4 hybrid should work.
For the higher handicap player who struggles to get a lot of ball flight, only use the 4 hybrid out of the bunker.
What Is Easier To Hit: A 4 Hybrid Or A 3 Hybrid?
Now that you have a better idea of where to hit the 3 hybrid and where to hit the 4 hybrid, it’s a good idea to recap this information and have a general idea of what you should use and when.
The 3 hybrid and the 4 hybrid can both be good golf club choices.
However, we find that the 4 hybrid is easier to hit.
Most of the time, this club has a slightly larger sweet spot and more loft than the 3 hybrid.
In addition, the 4 hybrid is slightly shorter than the 3 hybrid.
When you have this small difference in the length of the club, you will find it much easier to control your golf shots.
The 3 hybrid and the 4 hybrid can also be more forgiving or less forgiving depending on the model or brand that you choose.
If you choose an offset hybrid with a wide sole, expect it to be quite a bit easier to hit.
With a player’s style hybrid the club head will be a bit sleeker, and it is hard to get quite as much forgiveness.
Conclusion
We hope you learned a few things about course management and the 4 hybrid vs. 3 hybrid.
Scoring on the golf course is typically made more difficult by players choosing the wrong golf club.
When you want to hit great golf shots, you must choose the right golf club.
Overall, we have found that both the 4 hybrid and 3 hybrid can be a good choice, but the key is to know your golf game and to know your lie.
Learning to evaluate the trouble on the course and which clubs make the most sense will be what helps you become the best player you can be.
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