In the framework of the finite volume method, a robust and easily implemented hybrid flux-splitting finite-volume (HFF) scheme is proposed for simulating hydraulic shock waves in shallow water flows. The hybrid flux-splitting algorithm without Jacobian matrix operation is established by applying the advection upstream splitting method to estimate the cell-interface fluxes. The scheme is extended to be second-order accurate in space and time using the predictor-corrector approach with monotonic upstream scheme for conservation laws. The proposed HFF scheme and its second-order extension are verified through simulations of the 1D idealized dam-break problem, the 2D oblique hydraulic shock-wave problem, and the 2D dam-break experiments with channel contraction as well as wet/dry beds. Comparisons of the HFF and several well-known first-order upwind schemes are made to evaluate numerical performances. It is demonstrated that the HFF scheme captures the discontinuities accurately and produces no entropy-violating solutions. The HFF scheme and its second-order extension are proven to achieve the numerical benefits combining the efficiency of flux-vector splitting scheme and the accuracy of flux-difference splitting scheme for the simulation of hydraulic shock waves.