Offset, important or trivial in irons?

[Castor Hades]

My own preference during the last couple of years has been less offset.

0.10 is what I have in my current sets and I'm happy with it.

How much weight do you put on the offset while buying irons?

What does offset do for you? Does a a lot of offset help you, or distract you?

For me too much offset makes it difficult it address the ball and I feel that something isn't right. Make me twist my hands, my body and the club all sorts of ways. Usually ending up with a huge hook.

What do you have to say about offset?

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

Offset is good for the masses of average players. I'm happy with minimal offset in my irons. Makes it much easier to keep my hands in front of the ball at impact. I have had irons in the past that had too much offset which lead to a lot of shots pulled left for me. Offset is a good thing for most.

 

[Jersey Nate]

The last year or so I've preferred looking at an iron with a smaller amount of offset. It just inspires more confidence that I'll hit a good shot - a high-offset iron set can play with my head and make me think that I'll hook the ball off of the planet (my major miss).

This leads me to a question: Does anybody know if it is proven that high offset can exacerbate or help cause a hook, or is it all in our heads?

 

[Trout Bum]

I think it's pretty important in the design of them but it boils down to personal preference for the individual. I'm like you Castor, I can't stand over an offset iron for the life of me, they just look funky to my eye. For me it's all looks, I can hit them pretty well.

 

[Germerican]

Question, what is the difference in offset compared to holding the club closed?

 

[ChristopherKee]

Question, what is the difference in offset compared to holding the club closed?

The purpose of offset is to get the ball in the air easier based on writings from Wishon and most of the club designers. It moves the center of gravity further back.

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

Question, what is the difference in offset compared to holding the club closed?

Most people can't get their hands ahead of the ball at impact so offset is built into the club to help make this happen. Offset also helps close the face at impact (for the slicer).

 

[bellairemi]

With offset, the face is still square to the target - offset does not mean the face is closed. What I see often is that players either unaccustomed to offset or new to the game set up with an offset face closed. It is much easier to see square with a less offset club. As noted above, offset affects trajectory (slightly higher) rather than ball curvature. However, and this is a big caveat, you can never anticipate how someone will react to it.

Question, what is the difference in offset compared to holding the club closed?

 

[Johnny mojo]

I agree with others about a funky look and messing with my mind, but I can deal with it down to about the 7 iron. As it gets more pronounced into the bottom of the bag it drives me crazy.

JM

 

[v.man]

Interesting post, Castor, and I've learned a little already after just the first eight replies. I've never thought much about offset, and don't pay much attention to it overtly. I've always thought it was a matter of personal preference from an aesthetic point of view, but had some advantages from a "game improvement" design standpoint. Unless I'm uncomfortable with the look at address, I'm not really looking at the club head.

 

[Bullitt5339]

I learned to play with older clubs with very little offset. I played down to a 12hc and then decided that I would get something a bit easier to hit and bought a set of GI irons with a lot of offset. I was never able to hit them consistently, to be honest. And I didn't hook them like conventional thinking would say, I had more of a problem blocking them high and right.

Since I've went back to an iron with minimal offset, I'm hitting the ball much better although I haven't had enough time to gather real statistics on my ball striking yet.

 

[bellairemi]

This is the most common reaction I see from players used to little offset. They see that offset head and think the ball will go left if they release as normal so they hold it off - ball stays right.

I learned to play with older clubs with very little offset. I played down to a 12hc and then decided that I would get something a bit easier to hit and bought a set of GI irons with a lot of offset. I was never able to hit them consistently, to be honest. And I didn't hook them like conventional thinking would say, I had more of a problem blocking them high and right.

Since I've went back to an iron with minimal offset, I'm hitting the ball much better although I haven't had enough time to gather real statistics on my ball striking yet.

 

[blugold]

My opinion, and it's only that, offset reminds the golfer that they need help, that they're not as good as they wish. Offset doesn't mean lefts to me, all it means is that I am hitting something with forgiveness.


Offset is there to help. Not to make things more difficult.

 

[Castor Hades]

My opinion, and it's only that, offset reminds the golfer that they need help, that they're not as good as they wish. Offset doesn't mean lefts to me, all it means is that I am hitting something with forgiveness.


Offset is there to help. Not to make things more difficult.

This is true, but other things similar can make it hard instead of helping. Offset, is one, but wide and fat soles are another thing that makes my body and mind react in a funny way. My head in convinced that I cannot make good contact with a wide sole club. There fore I change my swing and end up with a sculled shot or a huge duff.

 

[War Eagle]

Offset does not bother me. If an iron has it, thats fine. If it doesnt, thats fine as well.

It just so happens that the set I gamed for the majority of 2013 had significant offset in them, being the 588 MT and TT set. I hit them quite well, and was able to lower my index significantly with them in the bag, but I guess I just needed the extra help because I am not as good of a golfer as I wish I was.

 

[ArmyGolf]

I greatly prefer irons and hybrids with little to zero offset. I don't think it really makes a huge difference for me with performance as I can hit clubs either way about the same. I don't think it's ego driven at all, it's just what I like to look at and what makes me comfortable.

 

[majBC]

This is the most common reaction I see from players used to little offset. They see that offset head and think the ball will go left if they release as normal so they hold it off - ball stays right.

Does offset change the effective loft of the club or does the golfers interaction with it do that?
Or does offset just change launch angle?

 

[Rambler]

Offset does not bother me. If an iron has it, thats fine. If it doesnt, thats fine as well...

This fits my approach to offset as well. My primary sets over the last 2+ seasons have had offset, sometimes a good bit of it (G25s, JPX800/800 Pro). My scoring is not normally impacted by this characteristic. I will admit, though, that there are times when I like having a club with a bit more offset, especially if I am in a swing funk; seems to help with my confidence during a "down" time in my golf game.

 

[Wicked Cool Bearded Man]

Personally offset bothers me. I find I have issues aiming as well as timing. I need a minimal amount to feel comfortable

 

[adwillingham]

Some offset helps me for sure, particularly to avoid the fade turning into a slice on longer irons. I don't like seeing an extreme amount, but some amount gives me a bit of confidence that the ball isn't going WAY right unless I put an atrocious swing on it.

 

[fupresti]

I have no issues with offset at all, I can play both since I focus on aligning the leading edge to the target. I played the G25 irons for a bit and no more pulled them then the MP-64's they replaced.

 

[bellairemi]

It moves the center of gravity back from the clubface thereby increasing your launch.

Does offset change the effective loft of the club or does the golfers interaction with it do that?
Or does offset just change launch angle?

 

[adamw238]

Some offset helps me for sure, particularly to avoid the fade turning into a slice on longer irons. I don't like seeing an extreme amount, but some amount gives me a bit of confidence that the ball isn't going WAY right unless I put an atrocious swing on it.

This ^

I'm a minimal offset guy. The Apex i went back to playing have about the most offset I'm willing to play. Too much offset is like too much topline too me. If it's there I can't stop looking at it. I haf a head come off of a club a couple of weeks back and used my buddy's clubs the rest of the round. He's got the burner 2.0s and I couldn't hit the ball to dace my life because of how the club looked.

But that's just my view.

Tapping away on my Galaxy 2 Note

 

[majBC]

I think for me offset helps to a certain degree. My biggest gripe is when the 4,5 and 6 iron of the set "look" to have more offset then the 9 or PW. I say looks like more offset because the specs say otherwise and I think it is more noticeable in lower loft clubs. I first noticed this when I took photos of a set of CG16 irons and the 4 looked to have more offset than the 9 iron. The photo was from the bottom of the clubs. Is this true or an optical illusion?

 

[bellairemi]

I'm not sure what sets you are referring to but almost all GI and SGI sets have more offset in the lower lofts. There are very few consistent offset sets (Golfworks makes some nice ones).

I think for me loft helps to a certain degree. My biggest gripe is when the 4,5 and 6 iron of the set "look" to have more offset then the 9 or PW. I say looks like more offset because the specs say otherwise and I think it is more noticeable in lower loft clubs. I first noticed this when I took photos of a set of CG16 irons and the 4 looked to have more offset than the 9 iron. The photo was from the bottom of the clubs. Is this true or an optical illusion?