Why offset the irons??

[sandylc524]

I play with Tourstage V3000 irons. I have NO IDEA if these are what they consider OFFSET clubs or not.

I'm considering buying the new Ping G400 irons - which I saw on youtube are "offset, game improving" irons. I don't really know how to shop for irons. So some questions:

1) Does anyone know if the V3000 Tourstage irons are offset? I just need to confirm if these will be hugely different from the Ping G400.

2) What are Game Improvement Irons? If they can improve you game - why doesn't everyone buy it?

3) Are there significant benefits from using offset irons?

Thanks!

 

[BubbaP]

Just look down on them in the address position.

How would you rate/describe your ball striking?

 

[sandylc524]

Just look down on them in the address position.

How would you rate/describe your ball striking?

There is a bit of offset (read about it some more and realized what it means).

P to 8 flies more straight, and i get fades from 7 onwards.

Almost never draw from 7 onwards.

Don’t even bother hitting the 3 iron.

 

[Imurg]

Offset irons move the C of G back from the line of the shaft.
This makes it easier to launch the ball for less skilled players and/or those with slower swing speeds.
GI irons, and Super GI irons are, generally, offset. They also have wider soles.
Wider soles help to keep the clubhead in the right place and help to hit straighter
All of this helps the high handicapper play better shots.
Better players have the swing speed and swing to generate sufficient launch and may also have to ability to move the ball in the air - not impossible with GI irons, but more tricky.

 

[Foxholer]

Tourstage V3000 are indeed relatively offset, though not a huge amount. They are by no means 'GI' clubs! Relatively old and superceded, but still perfectly fine if suited to the player! Tourstage is the 'Premium' brand of Bridgestone! Some seriously great sets over the years! I have a combo set of US Spec/US Blades that I treasure!

Even blades tend to have some offset, so it's not a huge deal!

Head design is all about the target purchaser and optimizing performance advantages while minimizing consequent performance disadvantages! If target purchaser has great trouble with hitting the middle consistently, then GI clubs will 'perform better' for him/her than more strike critical heads like blades. The 'benefits' of the likes of blades is that - for those who are more consistent strikers - such clubs are perceived as more 'workable'. Offset tends to help get the clubface square at impact - for those that need help, those that don't simply adjust/compensate! And it also helps launch the ball!

There is also an unquantifiable attribute - feel! GI heads tend to have less feel, while the likes of blades provide more. It's up to the player what balance (if they know/care) they want! BTW...Feel is as much based on sound as it is on actual vibration!! If a blade is hit slightly off-centre, then the player will notice the difference in feel. With a GI head, that 'feel' is suppressed.

Selecting the 'best' head is all about getting the balance between all the attributes of the head and the player's requirement right!

And then there's 'snobbery/1 up-man-ship' about head styles too!

Now don't get into Forged vs Cast

 

[drdel]

The offset puts the CoG behind the club's natural yaw centre/centre of rotation. This creates a lever action/force as the impact occurs which has two helpful consequences - the vertical component helps lift and the horizontal component helps straighten the flight along the line of the swing path. More offset equals more 'help' but for low handicappers this can limit shot shaping.

 

[sandylc524]

@Foxholer, thanks for the detailed explanation.

My misses tend to be fat or thin shots - no much on off center hits. I'm guessing GI clubs won't really help me right?

I'm also thinking of switching to the Muira CB501 or the CB57. Also Japanese forged clubs. Any thoughts? Been hearing feel for these clubs are phenomenal.