How Many Hybrids Should Amateur Golfers Carry?

Hybrids, which are also known as rescue clubs, started to gain popularity in the late 1990s/early 2000s (remember the Cobra 'Baffler'?) Designed in a way that makes them more forgiving and easier to get airborne than long irons, they have become a ‘go to’ club for many players, both on Tour and at club level.

More skilful players and accomplished ball strikers will often lean towards playing with a 2-, 3, or 4-iron, favoring the superior workability, feel and feedback that they offer. However, even Tour players enjoy the extra forgiveness the best golf hybrids provide, as well as their versatility from different lies, which is why many of the best players in the world now carry at least one hybrid.

WATCH: We test and compare the best golf hybrids in 2025

A lot of recreational/club golfers will carry two or three, for they’ve made the game significantly easier, especially for those who lack a bit of swing speed. Not everyone would agree, for some players don’t know how to hit a hybrid, and get confused over whether to strike it more like an iron or a fairway wood.

However, it’s safe to say that the number of golfers who have hybrids in their bag significantly outweighs those who do not. They are, quite simply, too much of a weapon to leave out - not just extremely helpful in helping us to hit more par 5s in two and long par 3s, but handy to have as a bump-and-run option around the greens.

So, if you’re looking to buy a new set of clubs or adjust your line-up, how many hybrids should you carry? Remember, as per the Rules of Golf, which are governed by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA), the maximum number of golf clubs a player is allowed to carry in their bag during a round is 14.

There isn’t a right answer as to how many hybrids you should carry, as it depends on your skill level and what you currently have in your bag. For example, you might really struggle to hit your long irons consistently and/or a lack of swing speed might making them hard to launch. In such cases, you might be better off swapping out as many two, three or even four of your long irons, which is something a lot of senior golfers do. But there's even a case for low handicap golfers to opt for a 4-hybrid over the long iron equivalent, based on a recent test we carried out.

It's crucial that you know how far you hit your long irons so that if you do replace them with hybrids, you’re still evenly gapped at the top end of your bag. You don’t really want two clubs in the bag that go the exact same distance - that’s a waste of one of the 14; nor do you want to have a big gap between your fairway wood and your longest iron or hybrid.

You should also be aware that a 4- hybrid will most likely go further than your 4-iron, as hybrids have larger clubheads and more mass than irons - so don’t go making that straight swap. Again, this emphasises the importance of knowing how far you hit each club. Most modern hybrids are adjustable for loft, so you can tweak the distance gapping if you need to but getting on a launch monitor is the only way to know if you've got your gapping spot on.

Let’s say you want to go from your 5-iron straight into your hybrids. You know your 5-iron goes 175 yards and your three wood carries 235 yards, so now you have some gaps to fill. How many clubs you use will depend on how many wedges you want to carry but let's say you have three clubs to use, you could opt for a 4-hybrid to go 190 yards, a 3-hybrid to go 205 yards and either a 2-hybrid or 5-wood to go 220 yards. This creates nice and even 15-yard gaps to ensure the different distances are covered.

The bottom line is this: you should carry as many hybrids as you need to allow you to hit the shots and distances on the golf course.