We've received many questions on the 2010 Hot List, most involving individual requests for club-buying advice. This one on the Hybrids list fell in that category, but gave Golf Digest Equipment Editor Mike Stachura a chance to explain a bit more about the process of creating the Hot List.
Hoping for your opinion. I am looking at hybrid iron sets. Was wondering if the "lesser" companies like Orlimar, Lynx, Hippo etc. can stand up to the "big boys" like Adams, Cleveland, Ping, Wilson (D-FY or even Di-9) etc. ? Is the quality close? I have been playing for about 5 months now and shoot in the low 100's and want to get to the 90's by the end of summer if possible. So am looking for a quality set of irons, preferablly all hybrids, without breaking the bank. Thank You for your help!
Stachura's reply:
First, in each year's Hot List process, we consider the ENTIRE marketplace.
Those products that make the Hot List fundamentally enhance the paradigm of
that particular club category. Those that don't make the Hot List, in the
simplest terms, fail to move the needle in any meaningful way in some or all
of our four Hot List criteria (Performance, Innovation, Look/Sound/Feel,
Demand). In other words, we've evaluated all of these products and they
simply do not measure up.
Why? First, any club that is significantly less expensive than main line
equipment very likely will use cheaper component materials (shaft, grip).
This can be particularly deficient in something like a graphite shaft. In
other words, don't be fooled by a sporty paint job.
Second, most of these lower level entries do not spend the time, money and
manpower to develop an innovative product. There has been little testing
done to ensure performance is superior to past products, and there is little
sense that elements like turf interaction or sound or even consistency of
manufacturing are at the highest levels.
Third, how much exactly would you save by purchasing a low-level product?
You might find a set of Orlimar Spectre hybrid irons for $400, but for $600
you can get a set of Cobra S2 Max irons (Gold, Hot List 2010), or Cleveland
HiBore XLi (Gold, Hot List 2009). For that same $400, you can still find an
Adams a3OS set (Gold, Hot List 2008). That's a significant amount of money,
perhaps, but don't forget that the Cobra, Cleveland and Adams sets have a
trade-in value, while the Orlimar Spectre's trade-in value on the PGA.com
Value Guide is exactly $0.00.
Finally, I'm not saying that you can't enjoy yourself to a sufficient degree
by opting for an off-brand. Instead, what we do with the Hot List is
determine the products that are superior across our four criteria. If that's
not important to you, and if price is the only thing that matters, then you
may choose to go another direction. Golf Digest, however, is only
recommending the clubs that appear on the Hot List.
Thanks, Rob and Mike.
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