Two Bar Hybrid

The Two Bar Hybrid was Rife's attempt to fuse two of its own designs into one head. According to the maker's press release, it took "the most distinct features and performance benefits" from the 2007 Golf Magazine "Mallet of the Year" Island Series Barbados and the original TwoBar putter, calling the result "the worlds first hybrid putter." The maker's page lists the specs that came with that blend: a 431 stainless steel body, a "Dual Response" face insert of CNC milled anodized aluminum fused to high durometer polymer, milled 303 stainless steel rear weights, head weight of 345 grams with light weights or 360 grams with heavy weights, 70 degrees of lie, 2 degrees of loft, and lengths of 33, 34, and 35 inches. The same page credits it with RollGroove Technology, TwoBar Alignment, Twin In-Line MOI, the LieAline Fitting System, and adjustable speed weighting.

Putterzone.com's reporting largely matches the maker's numbers, putting head weight at 345 to 360 grams and describing the insert as blue in color, and adds that the putter shipped with a LieAline bending tool, an instructional DVD, and a head cover with magnetic closure and zippered pocket, at an MSRP of 199 USD. Masterofthegreens.com filed it as a mallet suited to a straight-back stroke, citing strong alignment aids and forgiveness as its selling points.

Opinion on the release is split down a familiar line: the sleek, shapely body and the firm, crisp feel off the Dual Response insert draw praise, including from putterzone.com, which called it "a high-performance putter that combines a distinctively sleek design with innovative customization." But the same body of Community opinion singles out the bottom stamp, with putterzone.com describing "Hybrid" stamped in a blocky font accompanied by airbrush-style blue striping, as a cosmetic misstep that reviewers felt looked out of place against the rest of the design. Putterzone.com also floats the notion that Rife's later Legend Z borrowed its shaping from this model, a point worth noting for anyone tracing the line's design lineage but not one this record can confirm beyond that single source.