Adams A12 Hybrid (compared with Pro Black)

After much patience and waiting, the A12 I ordered finally arrived.

It looks beautiful, almost too beautiful to hit.









Compared side by side with the Adams Pro Black hybrid.

The Pro Black is sleeker with a lower profile. The A12 has a more rounded head and bottom, designed to plow through rough better.











The A12 is more forgiving, but not SGI-type of mindlessly forgiving, so you'd still need a decent swing to get it going.

Once you do, the ball flight is high, being easier to launch than the Pro Black, yet distance is impressively long.

My A12 is 20 degree compared to the 18 degree of the Pro Black, both on GD Tour AD DI Hybrid 85 shaft, yet both carry about the same. The A12 has a higher flight, so it should roll out less, while the Pro Black will continue to run on landing. So, A12 for holding greens, and Pro Black for long fairways.

The sound of the A12 is more muted than I expected, certainly not the metallic sound of the Pro Black. That was a bit unexpected.

Other than that, the A12 lives up to its reputation for me, a reputation well-deserved.

IMO, the a12 is like the Idea Pro and Peanut 1 combined. Peanut 1's crazy long, low spin and a little anti-left while the Idea Pro was easy to hit and higher launching. Having hit all 3 of them, I can say that the a12 has the best of both world. High launch, stupid long, easy to hit, low spin but not so much anti-left like the Peanut 1. You just need to shaft it up with the right one...

The Pro Black is more like an iron IMO. For me, it is so demanding that my 3 iron is easier to handle.

Yarra wrote:

IMO, the a12 is like the Idea Pro and Peanut 1 combined. Peanut 1's crazy long, low spin and a little anti-left while the Idea Pro was easy to hit and higher launching. Having hit all 3 of them, I can say that the a12 has the best of both world. High launch, stupid long, easy to hit, low spin but not so much anti-left like the Peanut 1. You just need to shaft it up with the right one...

The Pro Black is more like an iron IMO. For me, it is so demanding that my 3 iron is easier to handle.

Well put. You really know your Adam hybrids.

Yeah, I know what you mean about the Pro Black; I smiled reading that comment.

When I first tried to hit it, I was like "WTF? Who is the @#$% that designed this???"

Then, gradually, I begin to appreciate its genius.

When I get everything right, and the ball takes off with a metallic "Tsing!" from the face, there is nothing like it in the world. That sound is somewhat missing from the A12, which takes away a little bit of the satisfaction.

But, still amazingly long.

looking at the size of the ball mark on the pro black....

makes me think that lee36328 comes from shaolin temple.....

it seems the sweet spoy not really in the middle.

quite odd though. my first thougth you;d have been push or slice alot (no offense).

I always thought adams made forgiving clubs, but looking at these 2, they look pretty hard to hit....made for the better player

Quote :

golfool2009 wrote:

I always thought adams made forgiving clubs, but looking at these 2, they look pretty hard to hit....made for the better player

there you go......time for you to change to adams

Duval_S wrote:

Quote :

golfool2009 wrote:

I always thought adams made forgiving clubs, but looking at these 2, they look pretty hard to hit....made for the better player

there you go......time for you to change to adams

With the exception of my nike FW, my clubs are senior men's specs....

golfool2009 wrote:

Duval_S wrote:

Quote :

golfool2009 wrote:

I always thought adams made forgiving clubs, but looking at these 2, they look pretty hard to hit....made for the better player

there you go......time for you to change to adams

With the exception of my nike FW, my clubs are senior men's specs....

senior man = senior golfer = sharp short games = buayas

Looks great w Tour AD shaft

slinger wrote:

looking at the size of the ball mark on the pro black....

makes me think that lee36328 comes from shaolin temple.....

I come from the Crouching Tiger Hidden Eagle school of wushu!

[quote="cwpei8888"]it seems the sweet spoy not really in the middle.

quite odd though. my first thougth you;d have been push or slice alot (no offense).[/quote

None taken bro.

I have consciously hit at the center before, using impact tape to check the spot. But somehow, it is actually less solid. When I hit slightly toward the heel, I get better results.

I used to push, found the flaw, and corrected it, but that was before I even bought this club. This club is pretty straight for me, if anything I sometime tend to draw/hook it too much when tired.

golfool2009 wrote:

I always thought adams made forgiving clubs, but looking at these 2, they look pretty hard to hit....made for the better player

Or, learn to hit them, and become a better player!

Actually the A12 is quite ok. The Pro Black on the other hand, your swing has got to be really on.

Which is why I bought it in the first place; it's like my discipline master for my swing. No slacking allowed!

hwdq wrote:

Looks great w Tour AD shaft

The shaft is good, I like it.

With a torque of 2.4, it is truly stable at impact, and you can load it as hard as you like, the shaft can take it while returning accurately to impact without distorting.

Just came from the range, hitting these two lovelies side by side.

Instead of writing two thousand words, here are two pictures.

The Adams A12 is sweet, forgiving, and approachable.

This is the A12.



The Pro Black is tough, demanding, and ego-bruising, yet somehow very compelling.

This is the Pro Black.











...and yes, I am an insomniac.

So, I guess the a12 will get a spot in your bag replacing the Black...

Yarra wrote:

So, I guess the a12 will get a spot in your bag replacing the Black...

No, not at all.

The Black is deadly sharp, and the ball runs. So if I have a long narrow fairway, it's perfect.

I find in the courses I play that I seldom hit 5 iron, so I can take that out.

Or I can take out the 4 iron and use the A12 to replace it, since a choked down A12 has about the same distance.

i like this tips. bring longer club you can hit well to replace shorter club you hardly hit by choking down to it.

replace one you can't hit by wedges and that will improve your score tremendously.

good tips Lee.

cwpei8888 wrote:

i like this tips. bring longer club you can hit well to replace shorter club you hardly hit by choking down to it.

replace one you can't hit by wedges and that will improve your score tremendously.

good tips Lee.

If you have clubs you can't hit, yes, that would work.

When there's a club you can't hit well, my preferred approach would be, practice it until you hit it well. But make sure the club (flex, kick point, weight) fits your swing in the first place.

What would do even better for your scores is when all your clubs work as intended, and you have an abundant choice of shots.

The 4 iron did so well for me in my last couple of rounds, both teeing off and from the fairway, that it is now my favourite iron. But there's a gap between it and the Pro Black, a gap the A12 was intended to fill. Just that I did not expect the 20 deg A12 to be almost as long as the 18 deg Pro Black.

I have to say, it is growing on me faster than I expected. I have four clubs from Adams so far, and Adams Golf seem to put a little magic in all of them.

I was looking for further reviews on the a12 when I came across this.

Can anyone understand what this guy is saying?

"Adams Idea Pro a12 Hybrids and Artificial Irons

Following a continued band of acknowledged adamant and amalgam sets, such as the Idea Pro Black, Idea Pro Gold, and Idea A7 curve is the new Idea Pro a12 hybrids and artificial irons. Created with the bigger amateur in mind, the Idea Pro a12 hybrids and band both accept a amount of characteristics to enhance that bigger players game.

The hybrids in this band affection a bunched arch (which progressively gets abate as attic increases) with a aphotic accomplishment in adjustment to abate glare. The ultra-thin maraging animate face produces college brawl speeds and a the preferred, biting brawl flight adapted by many. On the cast side, the sole is bigger over antecedent models via the use of a animate drift place. Within that drift bowl is a even army weight screw. Together, they access the ability in which the sole moves through the turf, ensuring you're finishing your backswing instead of digging into the dirt. Each of the 5 accessible lofts (16°, 18°, 20°, 23°, and 26°) is accessible alone as able-bodied as allotment of a beyond set."


http://golfdriverreviews18.blogspot.com/2011/05/adams-idea-pro-a12-hybrids-and.html