If you have been around the game of golf for quite some time, you probably have heard that there are different names for different golf clubs.
The names of the clubs vary, and it can be confusing to know which club you should use and which club your friend or coach is referring to.
A rescue club is something that most golfers have in their bags, and some don’t even know it.
If you are ready to find out exactly what a rescue club is and how it can help your game, we have you covered.
What Is A Rescue Club?
A rescue club is the same as a hybrid.
Rescue clubs are a mix between fairway wood and iron.
The club is designed to be one of the most forgiving in your golf bag and can help ensure that you have no trouble getting the ball close to your target.
Rescue clubs are known for being forgiving and coming in a variety of lofts and styles.
The rescue clubs have become quite popular, enough that they even make full iron sets made with just hybrid irons.
Most golfers will have a mix of fairway woods, irons, and hybrids in their golf bags.
The average golfer will have about two hybrid or rescue clubs in their bag, and this is how many complete sets are sold.
Now that you have figured out what a rescue club is, it’s time to determine when to use one.
When To Use A Rescue Club?
Many golfers find that the rescue club becomes their favorite club in the bag.
If this describes you, then you can use your rescue club wherever you see fit.
However, there are some spots that will be very beneficial for using a rescue club and can help lead to a lower overall score.
The most important area of the course to consider using your rescue club is from the rough.
Hitting a shot out of the rough is difficult because of the way it grabs the club head.
With a rescue club in place, this is going to be much less of a concern.
1. Thick Rough
There is nothing more frustrating than hitting a great drive and then seeing the golf ball land in the thick rough.
Hitting shots out of the rough is really difficult, and it will cost you distance, spin, and accuracy.
When hitting shots from the thick rough, you need a club that is a bit heavier and can hold its own and remain stable through impact.
The thick rough calls for a rescue club or a hybrid.
When hitting a rescue club out of the rough, you will need to make very few adjustments to your swing.
Simply swing as you always would, and you will end up with some really impressive results.
The ball may get quite a bit of forward roll, but this is to be expected with the way that the rough is around a golf course.
Thick rough does not have to mean a bogey.
Instead, you can take out the hybrid golf club or rescue and get the ball back into play.
Overall, a rescue club is something that you will want in the bag simply for the ability to hit great shots out of the rough.
2. Approach To A Green
Rescue clubs are often used as an approach shot to a green in place of a long iron.
Long irons are difficult for many players to hit well.
Since long irons have a low loft and are meant for a more penetrating ball flight, golfers tend to have difficulty hitting these clubs consistently.
However, for a player who wants more consistency in their game, the approach to the green may be better with the rescue club.
Sometimes the spin on these rescue clubs won’t be quite as much, so you have to prepare for a few yards of roll.
However, for the most part, the approach to the green is very easy to hit with a rescue.
Since these clubs are also very forgiving, you will find that your approach to the green will be really straight.
Hitting an approach shot to the green takes a bit of time to learn how to do correctly, but a rescue club can make the learning curve a bit easier.
This is why you will see golfers start with something like a 4 hybrid and then add in a 5 hybrid, a 3 hybrid, and more.
3. Long Par 3
On a long par 3 a hybrid can be used from a slight tee.
The long par 3 is hard for players to hit with a long iron, and it may be too short for a fairway wood or a driver.
The hybrid is the perfect golf club to try.
Although this club will excel from the rough, it does quite well when it is propped up on a little tee as well.
The rescue clubs are versatile, but you will need to learn how to hit them from various lies.
When you have a long par 3 in front of you, don’t hesitate to take out a rescue club and see how close you can get it to the pin.
4. Layup On Par 5
Now all par 5 golf holes need to be reached in two shots.
In fact, many times, a golfer will lay up on a par 5 to yardage that they know they are confident from.
If you are very strong from 125 yards, you may hit a golf shot with your hybrid to a 125-yard distance and then hit your approach shot from there.
The hybrid makes an excellent layup shot because it is relatively easy to hit, and the accuracy can be quite good.
Most golfers know that when they get used to their hybrid, they can pull off a shot eight or nine times out of ten.
This is not the same with something like a four-iron for most golfers.
In addition, the accuracy is quite a bit better than a fairway wood.
If you think a par 5 is a bit too narrow to swing away with a fairway wood, use the hybrid instead and try to get the ball as close as you can.
Why Do They Call It A Rescue Club?
One of the things that attract golfers to the rescue club in the first place is the name.
If you are a serious golfer, you know how nice it can be to be rescued from a bogey or a double bogey.
A rescue club is exactly the tool that you need to be able to rescue the ball from a poor lie and get it back into play.
Statistics in golf show that if you miss the fairway, it is equivalent to a penalty stroke.
When you are stuck trying to hit the ball out of the rough, get ready to be putting for par instead of a birdie.
However, the rescue club can step in and change things for golfers.
Players can hit the rescue club instead of trying to muscle an iron, and they may end up with a very easy chance at par instead of a save.
The rescue can save you from a high score, and that’s how it gets its name.
Some companies like TaylorMade call their hybrids rescue clubs, and others will just call it a hybrid.
Regardless of what the club is called, it is always a mix between a hybrid and a fairway wood that makes it easy to hit shots from the rough.
What Is The Difference Between A Rescue Club And A Hybrid?
The rescue club and the hybrid are the same things.
For branding purposes and sales reasons, companies may change the name of their clubs to catch the attention of potential buyers.
There are times when a hybrid or rescue club can also be called a utility club.
However, it should be noted that utility irons and hybrid golf clubs are two different things.
Overall, a rescue club and a hybrid should be a good fit for almost any player’s ability and style.
Who Should Use Rescue Clubs?
If you don’t have any rescue golf clubs or hybrids in your bag, then you may be wondering if it is a good idea for you to have these clubs in your bag.
Let’s take a look at all types of different golfers and how the rescue clubs can benefit or inhibit their game.
1. High Handicappers
A high handicapper needs several rescue clubs in their bag.
If you currently only have fairway woods and irons, we highly recommend taking out the long irons and putting in a rescue club or two.
High handicappers who are interested in becoming better players need to find clubs that help to make them more consistent.
The biggest difference you see between high handicappers and low handicappers is consistency.
Start with something like a 4 hybrid, and then from there go with the 5 hybrid.
It will often take a bit of time for a golfer to get adjusted to the idea of how to hit a hybrid.
The club will feel very similar to a fairway wood, but it is shorter and performs more like an iron.
If you are interested in taking your game to the next level, it makes sense to have a hybrid golf club in the bag.
2. Mid Handicappers
Mid handicap golfers are those who have a handicap that ranges anywhere from around 11 to 21.
These players are going to have days where they shoot a really predictable and solid round of golf.
On other days, it will appear that there is almost another player out on the golf course, as nothing seems to come together with the way it should.
Mid handicappers should have about two golf rescue clubs in their bag.
Most of the time, we see a 3 rescue and a 4 rescue in the low 20-degree lofts.
If the 5 iron becomes a problem, many golfers will take it out and put in another rescue, but for the most part, mid handicappers are going to do just fine with the 5 iron.
Remember that it is easier to control ball flight and get the ball to stop on the greens if you are using a hybrid as opposed to an iron.
Mid handicappers typically like to keep a mix of clubs so that they are prepared for any situation.
3. Low Handicappers
Low handicap golfers are those who worry about precision, accuracy, and feel.
With low handicap players, we typically see just one hybrid in the golf bag.
These players like to have a bit more of a selection of long irons and sometimes even utility clubs in addition to the hybrid.
Of course, this is not the situation for all low handicappers.
Some players are able to hit great shots with rescue clubs, and they prefer them.
The bottom line for the lower handicappers is that they will have much more of variety in the clubs that they can choose because of their abilities.
4. Senior Golfers
Senior golfers love rescue clubs.
As a senior player, swing speeds start to slow down, making it difficult to get the same distances with their golf shots.
With a senior golfer, this is easily fixed by adding in a lighter-weight golf club that has the ability to travel considerably further out of any lie.
Senior golfers are known for taking a good portion of their golf bag and switching it over to hybrid or rescue clubs.
In fact, the entire concept of hybrid irons was created to benefit the senior player.
Since the hybrids are almost always sold in graphite shafts, it is easy to find these in a senior shaft and make them an excellent match for golfers.
If you are a senior player and still have your long irons in play, it makes sense to switch to something like a hybrid or a rescue club.
5. Women Golfers
The game of golf has been forever changed for the woman golfer as soon as the hybrid or rescue clubs came to the market.
Women golfers have similar difficulties as senior golfers in the fact that they struggle to get clubhead speed and distance from their shots.
With women starting to lose a bit of clubhead speed, it is best to have a lightweight graphite shafted club in their hands that can travel a considerable distance.
Most of the hybrids for women are made to be lower spinning golf clubs.
This means that, as long as great contact can be made, the ball will roll for a long time.
More and more women golfers are taking the irons out of the bag and adding more hybrids in.
Some women players rely on the rescue club several times in the course of just one hole.
Overall, you will find that women golfers have plenty of options when it comes to technology because of the rescue club.
6. Junior Golfers
It’s a good idea to introduce junior golfers to the rescue club as early as you can.
Many junior golf sets are produced with a driver, hybrid, iron, wedge, and putter.
The junior golfer needs all the help they can get out of the rough, and that is where the rescue clubs come into play.
Junior players don’t have as much strength as an adult.
Therefore, when they swing through the impact position, the clubhead can turn and twist, causing some issues for the players.
The best way to avoid this is to give a golfer the right equipment.
With the rescue golf clubs, junior players have a much better chance of hitting their shots through the rough and getting the ball back into play.
Conclusion
We hope that you now feel that you can fully understand what the rescue club is.
The rescue club is the same as a hybrid, and all golfers should think about having one of these in their bag.
Overall, this club will make it much easier to get a ball out of the rough.
In addition, the rescue club does a great job of replacing the long irons and making it easier for golfers to get the distance they need, regardless of their swing speed.
It takes time to put together the right set of golf clubs for your game.
Keep learning about the different clubs and their roles, and you will have no problem shooting the scores you want.
Leave a Reply