TaylorMade GAPR HI Hybrid

Club Tested: 4 Hybrid; 22° KBS Hybrid 80 Stiff;

The GAPR lineup features three distinctly different head styles, the HI, MID and LO. All three heads feature a thin C300 steel face, a hollow-clubhead construction filled with TaylorMade’s SpeedFoam for increased ball speed and overall feel, a strategically placed weight screw designed to precisely locate the CG in specific areas of the clubhead to create desired trajectories, and a Speed Pocket to enhance forgiveness on low strikes. A loft sleeve gives players ultimate setup control allowing +/- 1.5° of loft adjustability that concurrently adjusts the lie.

The HI is the most hybrid-like in appearance and as the name suggests will help players elevate the ball with ease. It has the most hybrid-like design, highest launching, most forgiving, lowered crown and weight screw low-back on sole create lowest CG

First Swings:

The first few swings I took with the GAPR HI were shots that came off the face a little low. Taking a step back I realized the reason, I decided to pretend it was a 5-iron and come down a little steeper after the ball. Due to its appearance, the natural inclination is to swing the GAPR HI like a hybrid instead of like an iron. Once I made the adjustment to a slightly more upright stance the ball instantly started launching quickly with a high, long carry.

Sound:

I find foam filled clubs tend to have a unique, muted sound to them. However, the muted sound does not diminish the feel.

Launch:

As its name indicates, the GAPR HI wants to launch with the steepest launch angle of all three heads. I found a relaxed, natural swing elevated the ball easily. I’d compare the apex to about the same height as my 5 iron (I tend to launch the ball fairly high with my irons, so the launch angle of the GAPR HI for you may vary when it comes to a comparable apex height).

Distance:

Designed to bridge the gap between your longest iron and your woods, the GAPR HI definitely produces solid distances, but I wouldn’t say its length is as crazy-long as some of the game improvement distance hybrids or irons on the market today. Though, I would say the goal with these clubs (especially the GAPR HI) is to gain control and forgiveness in the area between your woods and irons.

Feel:

Like the sound, foam filled clubs tend to have a unique feel to them. There is a softness from the foam that counter-balances the thin, high-strength C300 steel face resulting in a solid feel at impact. One aspect of the feel I was very pleased by was the clarity of feedback in terms of an impact location on the face. It was very simple to tell if I had toed, heeled or pured a shot.

Looks:

Quite simply, the GAPR HI looks like a hybrid. The face has a high, box toe and the head is the deepest of the three GAPR options. The sole features a recognizable speed slot right behind the leading edge and a weight screw that is back and away from the face for the lowest possible CG. A narrow, white paint-filled scoring line sits at the bottom of the clubface and is aided by a cutout with a subtle white alignment graphic on the crown.

Overall:

In a very un-hybrid-like way, the GAPR HI really protected against hitting the ball left. I hit a few shots specifically trying to shape the ball left and right, and I found that I could fade the ball a little or a lot with ease, but I could only get the ball to minimally turn left. Due to its launch angle, the HI is the shortest of the bunch, however, it will give players the best chance of the three heads at stopping the ball on a green from a long distance out of the fairway or off the tee.