Hybrids Fill 20 of 24 Bags at 2026 Solheim Cup

Twenty of the 24 players at the 2026 Solheim Cup carried at least one hybrid club at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, roughly 80% of the field, a rate far higher than what is typical on the men's tours.

How many hybrids are in play, and whose bags?

Eleven of Team USA's 12 players and nine of Team Europe's 12 carried a hybrid this week. Lofts ranged from 17 degrees up to 26 degrees, with Lauren Coughlin and Andrea Lee both carrying a 26-degree model. Charley Hull carried two hybrids, while Leona Maguire's set runs down to a hybrid as low-lofted as a 6-iron. Five manufacturers were represented in the field's hybrids: TaylorMade, Titleist, Ping, PXG and Callaway.

Why are hybrids fading in the men's game?

On the men's tours, players have increasingly swapped hybrids for high-lofted fairway woods such as 5-, 7- and 9-woods. Golf Monthly equipment editor Joe Ferguson attributed the shift to center-of-gravity placement: hybrids' shallower front-to-back profile puts the CG closer to the face, which he said makes them less forgiving on off-center hits, while the larger footprint of a high-lofted fairway wood sets the CG further back for more stability.

The gap between the women's and men's equipment trends shows no sign of narrowing as the winter buying season for 2027 clubs approaches.