Pinemeadow Excel EGI Hybrid Golf Clubs Review 2020
For many new comers to golf, there can be a lot of obstacles to overcome. For a start Green Fees and memberships can cost an arm and a leg and then you also need to kit yourself out with all the latest clubs and equipment to play the game and that it is before you even get to the most challenging aspect, actually learning how to play the game well and improving your scores.
For many players, beginners and high handicappers especially, hitting the club flush every time is the first major obstacle you need to overcome. Many beginners find that fairway woods are too long to swing effectively and often end up hooking or slicing the ball more often than not. They can control their Irons a bit better but often struggle to get the ball up the air with their longer irons.
Hybrids are relatively new to the golf scene, they were designed with high handicappers in mind to allow them get the control and accuracy of their irons, along with good loft and the same types of distances they can get with their fairway woods.
Who Are The Pinemeadow Hybrids For?
If you have tried out Hybrids and are able to play the game better with them, you can now replace your entire Iron set with the Pinemeadow Excel EGI Golf Hybrids.
Pinemeadow are a name that have been involved in the golf game for a long time, creating affordable clubs for beginners since 1985 and the EGI Golf Hybrids are one of their best selling club sets from their own online store to generating nearly 1,000 positive review on Amazon.
As players improve and reach those coveted mid to low handicaps, they generally like to move towards more expensive brands like Taylormade, Callaway, Ping and Titleist but there are also those who don’t have the money to splash out on the most expensive clubs, especially when just starting out and that is exactly who Pinemeadow has in mind when they make these clubs.
As someone who started out swinging around an old set of my dads clubs until I became good enough to get my own junior set, and someone that has tried and tested some of the best Hybrids on the market like the Taylormade M2 and M6, I was very happy to give these Pinemeadow Hybrids a go for a round at our local club.
Design And Looks
The clubs are designed quite simply and they don’t have the extravagant appeal of the M6 Hybrids but they are effective and get the job done which is what is most important.
The heads are not overly bit at 120cc but they have got a large sweet spot which gives them a lot of forgiveness.
The club heads do get smaller as we move through the range towards the pithing wedge hybrid and the forgiveness is the key feature throughout. This will definitely cater to the target market for these clubs which is beginners and high handicappers.
What Lofts Do You Get With The Clubs
Before we get into how these clubs performed over a couple of rounds, let’s take a look at exactly what is on offer with the Pinemeadow Hybrid Set.
The Lofts
We can literally replace all of our Irons with the Pinemeadow Set from 3 -9. A typical Iron set will have lofts for 19/21 for the three iron up to 42 degrees plus for the 9 iron.
The degree of loft refers to the gap between the ground and the back of the club head when you line up your shot.
The higher the loft the higher trajectory you are going to get when you strike the ball.
The lofts we are getting with the Pinemeadow Hybrids are:
- 19 Degrees – Replaces 3 Iron
- 22 Degrees – Replaces 4 Iron
- 25 Degrees – Replaces 5 Iron
- 28 Degrees – Replaces 6 Iron
- 32 Degrees – Replaces 7 Iron
- 36 Degrees – Replaces 8 Iron
- 40 Degrees – Replaces 9 Iron
- 45 Degrees – Replaces Pitching Wedge
Club Specs:
| Club # | Loft (°) | Lie (°) | Weight (g) | Volume (cc) | Length (“) | Headcover Included? |
| 3 Hybrid | 19 | 59 | 242 | 120 | 40.5″ | Yes |
| 4 Hybrid | 22 | 60.5 | 249 | 118 | 40″ | Yes |
| 5 Hybrid | 25 | 61 | 256 | 116 | 39.5″ | Yes |
| 6 Hybrid | 28 | 61.5 | 263 | 114 | 39″ | Yes |
| 7 Hybrid | 32 | 62 | 270 | 112 | 38.5 | Yes |
| 8 Hybrid | 36 | 62.5 | 277 | 110 | 38 | Yes |
| 9 Hybrid | 40 | 63 | 284 | 108 | 37.5 | Yes |
| PW Hybrid | 45 | 64 | 291 | 106 | 37.5 | Yes |
Having never hit a high degree hybrid before, I was a little bit sceptical as to how it would work out but I was pleasantly surprised. While I usually leave my approach shots short with my shorter irons, I was naturally striking through the ball more fully with the Pinemeadow Hybrids and the result was landing on the green more often and even off the back of the green which is quite uncommon for me.
Overall Performance
There are a number of advantages in using the hybrids over traditional irons and it is not just in hitting fuller shots on your approach.
Distance And Accuracy
When I hit fairway woods, in can end up anyway and when I’m hitting Irons, I usually pull up a bit short. With the Hybrids, I was able to get closer to the green consistently and keep the ball flying straight and the end result was hitting from a better lie more often.
Off The Tee
I’ve been able to hit the 3 Hybrid off the consistently and while they all haven’t gone exactly at the pin, I have been happy with the consistency and accuracy for 95% of my tee shots which you could probably come to expect from any good club on the market.
I would say I am a good bit more accurate with the Hybrid off the tee with my fairway wood or driver.
Off The Fairway
These are beautiful to hit off the fairway and no matter how close you are to the pin, there is a club that you can use to get you there. If you hate your short irons and can’t hit them properly, the short Excel EGI clubs will be perfect for you to give a go.
Personally I am able to get more spin and control with the shorter irons and pitching wedge than with the shorter hybrids but again, they are worth a shot if you are not a fan of hitting irons but love hitting hybrids.
Off The Rough
With The Extra loft, we really enjoyed hitting these clubs out of the rough especially from a distance. We were able to get the loft and the distance even when the lie wasn’t favourable.
Again, in the rough close to the green, I’d be more of a fan of being able to really slice through the ball with a short iron than the larger head of the hybrid. I think they are more suitable for good lies when you are getting closer to the green.
Cons
Inconsistent distance
One of the biggest issues we faced is that while we were getting good contact, loft and accuracy with the clubs, the distances seemed to vary a lot from one shot to the next.
On one shot we would hit it flush and get 220 and on the next hole we would hit it the exact same way and get 180 yards in distance.
This probably has a lot to do with the large club face and although we were hitting it flush, we were making contact with a different part of the club face each time.
Quality
While the clubs are aimed at high handicappers and those on a budget, they are lacking a bit of the quality of the more expensive clubs like the Taylormades and Callaways of this world. We have heard that clubs can be prone to denting and the paint chipping off over time but we found them to hold up well over a number of rounds.
Overall
Overall we were impressed with Pinemeadow Excel EGI hybrids, especially the longer clubs, we were able to get good distances, straight shots and good trajectory from the tee, fairway or the rough.
As we got closer to the green, we were struggling a bit with the shorter clubs when the lie wasn’t perfect.
Costs
Where Pinemeadown comes into their own is with the pricing, you can get an individual clubs for about $36 dollars if you play your cards right and you have two different options.
Amazon
If you buy the clubs on Amazon you get a better price with less customization. You can buy a single club for around $30 or you can buy the set for around $360 dollars.
You can get left or right hand clubs but they come only with graphite shafts which will suit slower swing speeds.
You only have the option for regular flex on Amazon and you can only get the standard grips which are good enough to get the job done.
The Clubs come with headcovers no matter which provider you end up going with.
You also only get the standard length when you shop on Amazon but they do offer the same quality product at a better price and with ultra fast delivery.
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Pinemeadow Website
Pinemeadow website is like a custom fitting in a pro shot and the only difference is that you cant actually physically try the clubs before you buy them.
They may also take a bit longer to arrive and cost a bit more but you get a lot more customizable options like different club lengths, Flex to suit your swing for ladies and gentlemen along with your choice of grips from standard to Lamkin to Golf Pride.
Overall
These are a good set of clubs to help beginners hit it straight and get the height they need. Pinemeadow claim there is a Revolution going on right now for people switching their irons and fairway woods out for Hybrids.
We really like the height, distance and accuracy of the longer clubs but we recommend you to try out a could and not the full set to see how you like them.
Personally the Long and Mid Hybrids were perfect but I would still prefer to keep my 9 iron and pitching wedge.
Different clubs are likely to suit different people.
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Hi, I am Matthew, a mid handicap golfer who likes to play as much as possible. I love trying out new gear and this blog is where you can find all the gear I have tested over the years!
