The Monza Fairway Hybrid: Is This Club as Game-Changing as It Claims?

Have you been hearing the buzz about the new Monza Fairway Hybrid?

(January 2023 Note: we have found a better true driver replacement, and we didn’t have to look very far to find it. Learn more here).

This new club promises to banish chunk shots and low bullets. It guarantees higher launch, incredible carry distance, and more roll… all without demanding insane clubhead speed. The Monza is said to be forgiving, allowing golfers to achieve consistency and accuracy.

It even promises to nearly eliminate the slice and help you hit a draw.

If this is true, the Monza could be a game-changer for casual golfers. Consistency, accuracy, distance… these are the details that separate golfers from players.

You just might have to see past the unique sound first.

When a golfer of any experience level can lock in these skills, they can break 90 or even 80. 

If there’s a club that really can help you improve your game, we want to make sure you know about it. But first, we need to try it for ourselves.

Here are the answers to all your questions about the new Monza Fairway Hybrid…

…including the results we got when we tested the club using the average golfer’s swing speed. 

What Problem Does the Monza Solve?

First things first: why would you even need another club in your bag?

If you’ve ever had to choose between a fairway wood and a hybrid, you know the answer.

It’s tough enough to launch the ball from the actual fairway with a fairway wood. And from the rough? Forget it. When you do pull it off, you probably find yourself sending the ball sideways. Most casual golfers do.

So maybe you reach for your hybrid instead. Then what do you get?

An easier hit, for sure. Probably better accuracy. But you’re losing distance. 

The lowest loft you can get on a hybrid is around 18 degrees. It’s a club designed to pop the ball up into the air, which means it’s not going to serve you very well on those monster par-threes or long approaches. 

Do you recognize this dilemma? You’re stuck trying to decide between the lesser of two evils. Do you want to risk hitting a low bullet or a wayward shot with your fairway wood? Or do you opt for the hybrid and probably add an extra stroke to the hole?

The goal of the Monza Fairway Hybrid is in the name. This club is designed to give you the best of both worlds: the distance of a fairway wood with the launch, ease, and forgiveness of a hybrid.

It’s a pretty decent concept. But how does it work?

Who Designed the Monza Fairway Hybrid?

The concept behind the Monza Fairway Hybrid definitely drew us in. But what intrigued us most was where this club comes from.

The Monza is the creation of Jeff Halstead, a major innovator in the industry. Halstead has worked for major equipment manufacturers like TaylorMade. Several of his products have received Hot List Gold Medals from Golf Digest. He’s kind of a big deal.

More recently, Halstead has turned his attention to the challenges faced by casual golfers. While most of the industry has been investing research and resources in the development of pro-level equipment, Halstead took an interest in serving a neglected market:

Golfers who don’t have a lot of time to practice between rounds. 

Guys and gals who want to enjoy the game in their retirement years, when they can’t get the same clubhead speed and range of motion they once could.

Weekend warriors who want equipment that helps their game without having to shell out loads of cash for a club designed for professionals.

Halstead started developing equipment customized for casual golfers. Unsurprisingly, his products have taken off with rave reviews. The Monza Fairway Hybrid is his recent effort to fill another unaddressed need.

So how does it work?

The Technology Behind the Club

As we mentioned, Jeff Halstead created the Monza to unite the best qualities of fairway woods and hybrids in a single club. Here’s how he did it.

For Explosive Distance

The Monza Fairway Hybrid uses Cantilever Technology to rocket the golf ball off the tee or turf. It works like this:

The crown tapers down sharply behind the clubface. The face itself is constructed using ultra-thin steel. These two qualities combined create a cantilever effect. The clubface bends back on impact, propelling the ball sling-shot-style down the fairway.

For Height and Hang Time

There are a few features of the Monza that serve the goal of high launch and low backspin.

First, there’s the super low center of gravity. The Monza’s center of gravity sits really low and far back in the clubhead, helping you get the ball up easily from fairway lies and ensuring longer shots off the tee.

This club also features a 14.5-degree loft for great launch without the extreme height of an 18-degree (or more) hybrid.

Finally, Halstead developed the proprietary, high-launch graphite shaft with height, carry distance, and accuracy in mind. The shaft is available in five flexes.

For Quality Contact

The low center of gravity comes into play once again. The center of gravity is positioned towards the heel, making it easier to square the clubface on impact. More draws, fewer slices. That’s the promise, anyway.

You’ll also notice that the Monza features an extra-wide, softly rounded sole. This design allows the clubhead to glide across the turf or through the rough without ever digging into the ground. The result—according to Halstead and his team—is sharp, clean contact and an end to fat shots.

For Easier Aim

The top-line alignment guide on the clubhead is different from what you might expect. 

Instead of a single directional line pointing towards the target, the Monza features four parallel lines that run the length of the clubhead above the face. The goal is to help the golfer find greater ease and more accuracy in their aim.

What Happened When We Tested the Monza

This all sounds pretty great, but we wanted to put the Monza Fairway Hybrid to the test. 

We tried a few shots off the ground. Because we wanted to know how this club would play for the average golfer, we aimed for a swing speed of about 70-80 miles-per-hour. That’s pretty standard for most weekend warriors. 

Right away, we noticed a few things.

First thing you’ll notice is the unique design, the next thing you’ll notice is the sound.

It made a pinging sound like an aluminum bat, which can be a bit jarring at first. However, the club did perform well and had good action off the turf. The Monza creates surprisingly clean contact even with limited clubhead speed.  The Monza just felt powerful, and the proof was in the carry distance.

We hit a few imperfect shots… hit it off the toe and tried to chunk it. Halstead’s promise of consistency turned out to be true. It was harder than normal to chunk the ball using the Monza. And our shots off the toe still stayed pretty close to the target line.

We also liked the low profile, especially for those shots off the ground. When you’re getting set up to the ball, that low profile gives you the feeling that you won’t have any trouble getting the ball up in the air.

After confirming the Monza’s solid performance for fairway shots, we tried it off the tee. 

The verdict?

This club could replace your driver, if you really need more consistency. It’s going to play closer to the middle of your stance for more of a downward iron strike, but it does feel easier to control than a traditional driver.

(If you are looking for a true driver replacement, we give the nod to this ingenious new driver built specifically for experienced golfers.) 

Because the Monza gets great height right off the ground, we decided to tee it down a bit. Sure enough, we had no trouble getting great launch. As for distance? Our shots carried at least 210-230 yards, then rolled out to about 250 yards. 

That’s the kind of distance that helps you break 80. 

The Monza vs. The VLS Maxvert 1 Driver

If the Monza works as a driver replacement, how does it compare to the VLS Maxvert 1 Driver?

We get this question a lot.

For one thing, the Maxvert is a true driver, while the Monza is going to be more in that hybrid driver category. They’re both helping  casual golfers better, straighter drives, but only one is an actual driver (and one goes farther).

The Maxvert also has a unique design history as the only driver designed by a major golf champion coach.

As part of his mission to serve golf’s neglected majority—amateur golfers—USGolfTV’s own Todd Kolb approached one of the industry’s top designers about creating the first-ever driver made with older golfers in mind.

His goal was to engineer a driver that wouldn’t merely forgive an imperfect swing but actually help the everyday golfer swing better. As a result, the Maxvert includes features such as:

• A Fairway Finder to help you aim the club better
• Vertical shaft lie to promote correct setup position and a longer, more vertical swing path
• Stable draw-biased weighting to help you keep the clubhead steady, centered, and square
• Plus much more

Like the Monza, the Maxvert forgives imperfections and gets results without requiring practice or changes to your swing. 

But based on the results we’ve seen from senior golfers, our money’s easily on the Maxvert for finding more distance, accuracy, and consistency off the tee.

Especially if you’re looking for a club that not only forgives off-center shots, but also helps you become a stronger golfer in the process.

You can learn more about the Maxvert Driver here.

In Short

We found that the Monza Fairway Hybrid does, in fact, do what it promises. Using the swing speed and technique suited to casual golfers, we were able to achieve:

• Longer carry distance
• Less backspin and more roll
• Higher launch
• Zero chunk shots
• Better accuracy
• More consistency
• Way more forgiveness

The Monza is also fairly versatile—an effective tool for a variety of shots between the tee box and the green.

As for whether you need a club like this… that’s up to you. If your fairway wood and your hybrid aren’t covering all your needs on the golf course, this could be a decent alternative.

How to Get Your Own Monza Fairway Hybrid

So what will this cost you?

The Monza Fairway Hybrid is priced at $279, but at the time of this writing, it’s available  for $229 right here. 

That’s a pretty decent price for a club that can perform on and off the tee. Even so, we all want to minimize risk, so let’s talk return policy.

The Monza comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the club, you can return it for a refund, minus shipping and handling charges. 

The company also encourages you to “give the Monza a full workout” before you return it. This frees you from the unused-returns-only paradox. (How are you supposed to know whether something met your expectations if you can’t use it?)

Bottom Line:

The Monza Fairway Hybrid can make it easier to achieve higher launch, longer distance, better accuracy and more consistency. 

It’s a great option for anyone who just wants to hit more satisfying shots, hit fewer slices, and get more enjoyment out of their golf game. If you’re into the challenge of mastering your fairway wood, however, this option might not be for you.

It’s all a matter of how you like to play the game.

One thing we can say for sure:

If you are looking for a true driver replacement, we recommend the new VLS Maxvert 1 Driver.

What Do You Think?

Had you already heard of the Monza Fairway Hybrid? Does this sound like your kind of club? Have you already tried it for yourself?

Drop us a line in the comments and let us know what you think!