Since picking up the game in 2005 with my old golf clubs, I've gradually replaced each club with new ones - except for my Orlimar Tri-Metal fairway woods. I just haven't found any reason to replace them. When I think back to my most amazing golf shots, they almost all involve my favorite 20-degree Tri-Metal. My first eagle came on the par 5 6th at Monarch Dunes after I hit my 5-wood from 215 yards out to just 18 inches for an easy tap-in. My favorite was a Mickelson-like shot from within a eucalyptus grove that after navigating a narrow row of trees, carried a large lake and landed safely back in the fairway, leading to a remarkable birdie. I'm simply fearless with this club.

I initially purchased these clubs eight years ago when I made an earlier attempt to pick up the game, but quickly gave it up due to severe tendonitis. At that time, Orlimar was a renowned club maker. The popular Tri-Metal products had transformed this small company into a big business. It's designer, Jesse Ortiz, had grown up shaping wooden drivers for his father, who started Orlimar in 1960 in the bay area. Although he had devoted clients like Ken Venturi and Johnny Miller, it was his metal designs that put the company on the map and eventually grew Orlimar Golf Company into a $100 million enterprise.


Bobby Jones by Jesse Ortiz

When I started playing again a few years ago and began looking at new clubs, I was shocked that Orlimar was nowhere to be found. I eventually learned that the small company had grown too fast and basically choked to death on its own success, only to be later reincarnated under different ownership.

Then, just a few weeks ago, I happened to run across Jesse Ortiz's new golf blog and learned that he has recently reemerged, designing and building clubs for Bobby Jones Golf. Citing a desire for expansion of the Bobby Jones brand name into equipment, the Jones-heirs and the Hartmarx Corporation, owners of the apparel company, partnered with Ortiz and entrepreneur Walter Rosenthal.

I contacted Bobby Jones Golf to find out if their clubs were available here on the Central Coast, and to share that I was still using my Orlimar woods. I got a reply from their Chief Interactive Officer, Jim McDonough. During our subsequent email correspondence, I learned Jim lived about 30 minutes away from me!

Jim asked if I'd like to review their 21-degree hybrid. I did of course. I then asked Jim if he'd like to play Monarch Dunes. He did. Last week, we finally hooked up. Jim treated me to a Bobby Jones hybrid to review. I treated him to a round of golf.

Just during the short time we stood on the first tee, I learned that we were both hockey fans, both served 6 years in the military, both had worked for local tech firms and knew several common co-workers, both had developed websites for a local golf course, and now both worked from home. By the end of the round, we both loved Bobby Jones hybrids!

During the round, I pulled the 21-degree hybrid out of my bag on 9 different occasions! I performed full swings, punch shots, and choked-up half swings, from the tee, fairway and rough. Other than a couple pushes to the right, the rest of my attempts were right on target with a high trajectory and soft landing. I found the club easy to hit from all lies and was even able to work the ball left and right with little effort. Even with all this experimentation - and a lot of conversation - I shot a pretty respectable round. I didn't get a chance to hit the club from a divot or fairway bunker, but it's curved toe seems designed specifically for such difficult lies.



The Bobby Jones hybrid has the same maraging face as my old Tri-Metal, only it's even thinner. It's now about 1.6 millimeters. No one else is making a face that is thinner on their hybrids or fairway woods. This allowed Ortiz to again distribute weight optimally into his tri-tiered sole, reducing drag and helping to disperse vibration. Their hybrids are also shorter in length to increase accuracy and truly be long iron replacements, not fairway metal alternatives.

When you set the hybrid on the ground, you notice it's longish toe and triangular shape, giving it a classic look, kind of a throwback to the old Cleek or Mashee. This nostalgic look turns out to be very important to the playability of the club. The apex of the club is slightly lowered and the particular location of this apex helps the club to be more stable on off center hits. So, as Ortiz shares, "even though the club looks like something Bobby Jones would be comfortable playing, it actually has state-of-the-art technology built in to it."

I got another chance to hit shots with the hybrid a couple days later in a Men's Club tournament at another local course. With 2 holes to go, I was 3-over and within 1 stroke of the lead. A friend in my foursome was currently tied for first and had just landed the green from 205 yards out on the long, uphill, 2-handicap par 4 8th. Knowing I had to get on too, I pulled out the Bobby Jones hybrid for this shot from the same distance in the rough. My ball faded slightly towards the pin and left a ball mark less than 2-feet from the hole, but rolled towards the back of the green, right next to my opponent's ball. We both underestimated the downhill speed and ended up 3-putting for bogie. He made up for it by sinking a long putt for eagle on the final par 5 9th for a 1-over 73. I birdied to get back to 3-over and my 75 took 3rd place.

It's pretty impressive that with just a dozen prior swings using this golf club, I already had the confidence to use it in this pressure situation... and nailed it. Now I'm eager to try their new 460cc driver!

Jesse Ortiz Design Studio | Bobby Jones Golf

Labels: Bobby Jones Golf, Club Review, Hybrid, Jesse Ortiz, Rounds