What Is an Offset Golf Club? — Disadvantages and Benefits

As the leader of the golf coach team at Tell Me More Golf with over 50 years of golf experience, I’m here today to talk about offset golf clubs. 

Offset golf clubs are golf clubs that are designed in a way that means the position of the club head is set back slightly from the neck of the golf club. 

We’re going to look at different things such as who offset golf clubs may be for, as well as other aspects such as face progression and offset vs non-offset. Let’s get into it. 

Disadvantages Of Offset Golf Clubs

There are of course a few disadvantages to using an offset golf club.

Draw Turns Into A Hook

For example, most players tend to have a natural shot shape, meaning that they’ll either fade the ball or draw the ball. Now, if you’re a golfer that tends to draw the ball, then using an offset golf club could often turn your draw into a hook, which can be hard to control and can lead to a lot of poor shots. 

Hamper Improvement

One thing that most golfers have in common is a desire to improve. We all know that golf is a game that we never master, which means that golfers, whether they’re beginners or experienced players, are always looking to get better. A disadvantage of offset golf clubs is that they can hamper game improvement. Once a player gets to a certain point in their improvement journey, they’ll no longer require offset clubs. Doing so could prevent further improvement. 

Does Not Inspire Confidence 

When it comes to clubs that are particularly offset, most players don’t like how they look at address. If you don’t like how the club looks at address, then you’re likely to feel uncomfortable, which in turn can lead to a lack of confidence. When you hit shots with a lack of confidence, then mistakes often follow. 

Benefits Of Offset Golf Clubs

There are some benefits to using offset golf clubs. These are as follows: 

Encourages Better Attack Angle 

One benefit of using offset golf clubs is that the way the clubs are set up encourages an angle of attack that promotes clean ball striking, which can not only lead to better shots, but can help to avoid mishits and slices, which means that they’re great for new players and high handicappers,  allowing such players to find the fairway or the chosen target more often. 

Squaring Club Face 

Due to the design of offset clubs, with the club head slightly further back from the shaft line, players are naturally encouraged to square the club face when making contact with the ball. 

This is because the design allows the club head just that extra split second before it reaches the ball. The difference in time is marginal, but it’s often all that’s needed for players to get the club face squared correctly at impact. 

Improves Slice

Lots and lots of golfers slice the ball, so if you’re struggling with a slice, fear not, it’s completely normal. 

By having the club head’s center of gravity further from the shaft, offset golf clubs can help players to hit the ball without slicing it. At the very least, an offset golf club is more forgiving and  should help players who slice the ball significantly to hit straighter shots. This is because the center of gravity being further back also promotes better squaring of the club face. 

Best Offset Golf Clubs

If you go down the big-name brand route, then there are some excellent clubs to choose from. 

These are best offset golf clubs by club category: 

Drivers

• Callaway Big Bertha B21 
• Cobra Air X Driver 
• Wilson Launch Pad 

It depends what you require. If you’re looking for a very usable offset driver but are working with a budget, then the Wilson Launch Pad is probably the best option. If you’ve got less restrictions in that sense, but are looking for something this quite forgiving, then the Cobra Air X driver is a great choice. 

From the current crop of offset drivers, my personal favorite is the TaylorMade STEALTH HD Driver. Not only is it a great club performance wise, but it looks great too. The black and red design is very eye-catching, that’s for sure. 

Irons 

• Cleveland Launcher HB Irons
• Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal Irons
• Wilson D7 Irons

The above irons are all quite forgiving, so they’re ideal for offset seeking golfers who need that extra forgiveness.

I’ve worked with numerous students who were struggling with squaring the club face, several of whom found some joy with Cobra’s Golf F-Max irons. The students who used these golf irons enjoyed how lightweight they were, which inspired confidence, while the heel-bias was hugely beneficial too. Ultimately, the progressive offset allowed for more accurate shots, which was greatly appreciated. 

Best Offset Golf Clubs Manufacturers

It does of course depend on what you want. If you don’t really have any budget constraints then, you’ll probably be looking to go down the big brand route. The following well known golf brands all produce some top-of-the-range offset golf clubs: 

• TaylorMade
• PING
• Callaway
• Cobra
• Titleist

There are many manufacturers of golf equipment that currently cater the golfer looking for offset golf clubs. 

If you want to veer away from the typical big-name brands and perhaps go for something a little different, there’s always the Japanese brands, which produce some outstanding golf clubs, many of which can be tailored to suit your off-set needs. Brands such as: 

• Honma 
• Mizuno
• Muira
• Vega

If you wish to go down the cheaper route, then you can still pick up some excellent off-set golf clubs from the likes of Wilson, whose Launch Pad driver is great for players looking for some help squaring the club face without breaking the bank. 

Offset Vs. No Offset Golf Clubs

There is one key difference between offset golf clubs and clubs that feature no offset. The difference is that offset clubs are slightly angled to reposition the clubface’s leading edge, while non-offset golf clubs are straight shafted. 

What this means is that if you stand at an address with the golf ball positioned in the middle of your stance, using an offset club, your hands will be in front of the ball. With a regular golf club featuring no amount of offset, your hands would be in line with the ball. 

Face Progression

If you look into offset golf clubs, you will likely come across something known as “face progression”. What’s that?, I hear you ask. It’s a good question.

First things first, face progression and offset do not mean the same thing. Face progression can be defined as the measurement from the leading edge of the club face to the centerline of the shaft. It is essentially the distance between two vertical parallel lines. 

Face progression is defined by number, with the higher numbers indicating more face progression. So, if a club has a face progression of 0, the leading edge would be in the same vertical plane as the shaft hosel’s centerline. 

TellMeMoreGolf.com – Frequently Asked Questions

Do pros use offset clubs?

In some cases, professional golfers will use offset clubs, but as pro golf is played by exceptional players, there isn’t much call for help in terms of squaring up the club face. This means that they require less offset. Any offset found on clubs used by pros is very minimal. 

What is offset golf clubs vs non offset golf clubs?

Offset golf clubs feature shafts that are angled, which means that a player’s hands will be in front of the club head during a shot. Golf clubs that are not off set or non-offset clubs are designed in a way that means that the shaft sits completely straight from the hosel all the way to the top of the grip. 

Who should use an offset driver?

Offset drivers are essentially designed for golfers with a slower than average swing speed. If you’re a golfer that has a high swing speed, then you’re unlikely to benefit from an offset driver. 

Players that tend to slice the ball when hitting a driver may benefit from using an offset driver, as it can help to promote a straighter ball flight. 

Are offset irons harder to hit?

This depends on the amount of offset. Clubs that are heavily offset certainly aren’t for everyone and can be difficult to hit. 

Clubs that feature a low amount of offset are popular and are generally considered as being just as easy, if not even easier to hit than clubs featuring no offset. 

Patrick Corley

From a golf scholarship to a Southern California University, to a private golf coaching career and an instructor position at a nonprofit organization, I’m here to help you get better at golf! With my 50+ years of golf experience; I bring you Tell Me More Golf. A golf coaching website that helps your game with instructional golfing content that’s ultimately geared toward making you a better golfer and having more fun!

Our golf instructor team brings it all to you, so enjoy!

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