Titleist is out to convince you that a hybrid isn't just to get out of trouble, but rather that it's a multi-tool player that can help you score better from good lies just as well from the junk.
That's why the company is introducing its 816 hybrids as part of its iron cycle, offering the hybrids in two-degree increments for better, tighter fitting to integrate it more into a full set of clubs.
There are two models in the 816 line, like with recent Titleist hybrid releases.
The 816 H1 features a larger head and looks more like a small fairway wood. It's designed for players who sweep through the ball rather than dig in the turf. It flies higher and farther, coming down softer.
The 816 H2 model has a smaller head with a slight offset for players who tend to dig more into the turf. They feel and look more like an iron.
In both clubs, the Active Recoil Channel, which is channel that runs parallel to the leading edge on the sole, has been improved, particularly in how it interacts with turf, picking up less debris at contact, a complaint from the 915 line. The channel allows the face to flex and deflect at impact to deliver more ball speed with less spin. A Carpenter steel face insert, the thinnest Titleist has ever developed, improves ball speed through the face.
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An 11-gram SureFit Tour Weight sits behind the Active Recoil Channel, lined up with the middle of the face on the sole, to optimize center of gravity on both models. The center of gravity is lower and deeper in the H2 model, launching the ball at a slightly higher angle to stop the ball sooner. The adjustable hosel can change loft and lie in 1-degree increments, while SureFit Flatweights offer more flexibility in fitting.
The two-degree gapping in the hybrids, coupled with the adjustable hosel, allows for more precise fitting.
The Titleist 816 H1 and H2 hybrids are available Oct. 23, in 19-, 21-, 23-, 25- and 27-degree options, for $250 each.
