Good idea: Adams' new Idea a2 hybrid irons

By Tim McDonald,
Contributor

Is there anything more hated in golf equipment than long irons? Long irons are just about impossible for your average, weekend player to hit in an even remotely consistent way.

If the golf swing is, as the experts say, unnatural, then long irons are downright perverted. They should be arrested and thrown in jail with the other perverts. It's like swinging an axe at a mosquito.

It wasn't always this way. Long irons used to have greater launch angles, but manufacturers kept teasing us with new long irons that were supposed to go further. How did they do that? They slowly decreased the loft to the point it became ridiculous.

Sure, they went further one swing out of 10 but the rest of the time you're flailing like a crazy person, or hitting infield practice, sending grounder after grounder across the fairway.

Hybrids were practically an inevitability. They were just sitting there waiting for someone to invent them. And when they were, everyone had to make them and now everyone has to buy them.

The world of golf is now lousy with hybrids. And why not? They're easier to hit, easier to get up in the air, and they travel just as far as a well-struck long iron. Garbage dumps are filling up with old long irons, replaced with the new hybrids.

There's now a dizzying array of hybrids, some no more than imitations of fairway woods. Some are much easier to hit than long irons, others only slightly more so. We tested a new set by Adams Golf, the Idea a2 hybrid irons. The set features four "progressively shaped hybrids integrated to fit perfectly into a set of irons," Adams says.

The center of gravity in these clubs is 11 percent lower and 2.5 times deeper than conventional irons. "This allows the (center of gravity) to flow evenly and consistently though the set and delivers high launch, increased distance and precise gapping," the company says.

The 3- and 4-irons are the only clubs that look like the kind of hybrids we have come to expect. The two "wood-like" hybrids are designed to deliver high MOI (moment of inertia) for forgiveness, and the generous offset and extreme low and back center of gravity are supposed to make them easy to get in the air and turn over. Adams claims they are the "easiest hybrids to hit in golf."

The 5- and 6- irons are two "iron-like" hybrids that also move the weight low and back. They "transition the launch conditions between the wood-like hybrids and the short irons for consistent gapping while providing the distance and forgiveness of hybrid technology."

The 7- and 8- irons, while appearing much like conventional irons, have a hollow back design which is supposed to integrate with the rest of the set, and the 9-iron and pitching wedge have large sweet spots that "allow you to hit your shots with pinpoint accuracy."

Let's get one thing straight: you hit shots with pinpoint accuracy only when you make a great swing with a good club. Yes, hybrids are easier to hit, but you still have to do your part.

Still, I found myself liking these clubs quite a bit after half a dozen sessions, both on the practice range and on the course, especially the 3- and 4- wood-like hybrids. I've tested other hybrids that helped me hit straighter and higher but I found that after getting used to the Adams, I could shape shots. That isn't always the case with other hybrids, especially those designed for beginners. The Adams Idea a2s gave me ideas and helped me, for the most part, carry them out.

I had two other mid-handicappers test them and, for once, we were all in agreement. These are good hybrids for the intermediate player, with good forgiveness and launch angles while still allowing for a certain amount of creativity.

For kicks, we compared them on the range with conventional long irons - no contest. One tester put up his long irons and said he'd never use them again. He didn't rush right out to buy the Adams Idea a2s, but said he would consider them when looking for a new set.

They fall into the mid-oversize category, smaller than the jumbos, but longer and fatter than others. I tried only the steel shafts, but they are available in graphite as well.

These are mid-priced iron sets - in the $600 range for pitching wedge through 3-iron - that perform well. Compare that to Callaway hybrids that sell for $200-$225 each, depending on whether you want steel or graphite shafts. How much do you want to spend?

January 26, 2006