As loft decreases, it becomes more and more difficult for golfers to hit their irons the distance required to create meaningful distance gaps. That’s true for beginning golfers, all the way to the golfers on the PGA Tour.

The solution is to identify the longest iron a golfer can hit effectively, and replace the remaining irons with clubs that perform better for them. For most golfers that means adding a hybrid (…or two, or three), which is why Titleist made the decision to release its new line of 816 hybrids alongside its new 716 irons.

After all, if golfers are being fit for new irons, shouldn’t they be fit for new hybrids at the same time?

The 816 hybrids use Titleist’s redesigned Active Recoil Channel (ARC), which has pre-worn edges for better turf interaction. It also won’t hold as much dirt and grass as the 915 hybrids.

• Price: $249 steel
• Lofts available: 19, 21, 23, 25, 27 (H1 only)
• Stock Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder HB 8.8 Tour Spec (S, X), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana D+ White 90 Hybrid (S), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana S+ Blue 70 Hybrid (R, S), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana M+ 60 Red Hybrid (A, R, S), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana M+ 50 Red Hybrid (L),
• Availability: In stores Oct. 23

While there are similarities between Titleist’s 816 hybrids and the 915 hybrids the company released in November 2014, several improvements were made to help golfers more easily fill the gaps between their fairway woods and irons.

The 816 hybrids are offered in two models: the 816H1 and 816H2. The 816H1 is similar to Titleist’s 915H hybrid, with a round profile that appears more fairway-wood like at address. The 816H2 hybrid has a pear-shaped head that includes a slight amount of offset, and its club head is slightly larger than the 915Hd it replaces.

According to Marni Ines, director of product development at Titleist, the center of gravity (CG) of both hybrids is fractionally deeper than the 915 models, creating up to a 1-degree higher launch than their predecessors, with similar ball speeds and spin rates. Compared to each other, the 816H2 is said to be between 150-300 rpm lower spinning than the 816H1.

Both hybrids are available in lofts of 19, 21, 23 and 25 degrees, with the H1 also being released in a 27-degree loft. Changes to their loft, as well as the lie angle of the clubs make adjustments simpler than ever on a Titleist hybrid thanks to the company’s new 1-degree SureFit Tour hosel. Thankfully, previous SureFit Tour sleeves will still work with the new hybrids, although golfers should consult Titleist’s chart to ensure accurate loft and lie adjustments.

Titleist decided to move to the new loft and lie system, which gives golfers a 3-degree range of loft (-1 to +2) and lie adjustability (1-degrees flat to 2-degrees upright) because it is more similar to the way irons are adjusted. I can relate, too. When people ask me what loft my 915Hd hybrid is, their eyes often roll when I tell them that it’s 19.75 degrees.

The hybrids also come with a skinnier SureFit “Flatweight,” which is available in weights of 6, 9, 11, 13 and 16 grams, the heaviest of which give golfers the ability to play shorter-length hybrids and still retain a normal swing weight.

The most noticeably change to the hybrids, of course, is the switch from Titleist’s traditional glossy black-painted crowns to a glossy gray grown, which contrasts with the black PVD faces and soles of the hybrids to improve alignment. Detail-orientated golfers will also notice that the bulge, or the horizontal curvature of the club face, has been reduced to more closely mimic that of an iron.

Both 816 hybrids ($249) come stock with Fujikura’s Motore Speeder HB 8.8 Tour Spec shaft. They are available with steel shafts, however, which will be built with a taper-tip- accepting SureFit Tour sleeve at a stock length of 0.5-inches shorter than stock graphite length.

See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the 816 H1 and H2 hybrids in our forum. 

Related

• Review: Titleist’s 716 AP1 irons
• Review: Titleist’s 716 T-MB irons
• Review: Titleist’s 716 AP2 irons
• Review: Titleist’s 716 MB/CB irons