Back in October 2024, my fellow colleague Joe Ferguson alluded to the fact that hybrids appear to be dying out on the professional circuits.
However, is that really the case? Well, after looking at the top 50 of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings in 2025, it appears that Joe may have a point...
Firstly, it's worth noting the reasons why hybrids can be beneficial for your set-up, as they blend the playability of an iron with the forgiveness of a wood.
What's more, because of the design, they provide excellent turf interaction, meaning they can be used from a variety of lies.
All of this is great on paper but, on the professional circuits, just 20% of the top 50 have had a hybrid in the bag for the PGA Tour season, as only 10 players opted to use the club throughout 2025.
The 10 players in question who are using hybrids are Russell Henley, Akshay Bhatia, Harry Hall, Robert MacIntyre, Nick Taylor, Sungjae Im, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Thomas Detry and JT Poston.
In fact, out of the 10, Bhatia and Schauffele have the Callaway Apex UW in play which, unlike the more traditional hybrids, is marketed between a fairway wood and a hybrid model, but sits more towards the fairway wood scale.
It's not as if new hybrids have been put in play either, as five of the models are Titleist, specifically two TSR2s from 2023, the TSi2 from 2021, the TS2 from 2019 and the 818 H2 from 2017.
TaylorMade is represented via the Stealth 2 from 2023, while the Ping G430 was also released that year. The Callaway Epic rounds out the remaining brands, and that model was first available to the public back in 2021.
There will be many reasons as to why hybrids have lost popularity over the last decade or so and, looking at the clubs in play from the top 50, there's a considerable rise in fairway woods and utility irons.
Just in 7-woods alone there are 14 players using them, with 17 5-woods and even three 9-woods featuring on the list.
Providing a larger head shape than the hybrids, the center of gravity is also more towards the back of the fairway wood, which means more stability and, in turn, more control and feel.
It's a similar story with utility irons, which appear to be coming more and more popular in players' bags, as they provide more playability and shot-shaping capabilities. They are also designed to be hit hard, which is a trait the top players possess in abundance.
Obviously, hybrids are still used on the professional circuits and, when it comes to clubs, they are a personal aspect; however, with the gear trend continuing to move towards fairway woods and utility irons, will it be long before the old-faithful hybrid completely vanishes from the bags of the best?
