Offset irons causing a draw?

[Chris5573]

I have never been able to hit a draw in the past no matter which technique I tried. I finally found a way to do it on the range, and I am now drawing most of my iron and driver shots...but now I can't seem to fade it and that used to be my natural shot. I am currently playing Taylormade RAC OS-2's, which have a fair amount of offset to them. (I have been thinking of trying the LT-2's which have much less). Does offset cause the ball to draw more, or could it be something in my swing? It just seems strange to be missing greens and fairways on the left side as opposed to the right.

[CG031]

I have those same irons. The offset makes it draw more FOR SURE. It's supposed to be a 'slice-proof' type of designer for the typical hacker. I know when I first picked these up last summer I was hitting huge hooks and I was loving it. Now, I hit them fairly straight but sometimes I'll get nasty hook with a PW! It's quite annoying for the good ball strikers out there, but I can control it most of the time which has restrained me from getting a new set of irons.

[Dub]

I had a set of Titleist DCI irons years ago that started off doing very well for me.....took some lessons and learned how to hit natural draws. That shot shape became ingrained in my game. For some reason, I'd overcook it at times and get these large sweeping hooks.

I fought this for the better part of a year....going around just fine.....five, six, seven holes and then whamo...here comes the big hook off my irons.

I traded out the irons and went to non or minimal offset sticks afterwards and have been very pleased.

Square clubs definitely make it easier to work the ball either way when you want to. It was hard to hit cut shots with the offset irons.

[atltony]

I would say I would at least check my grip before going out and buying a new iron set. While a lot of offset will have the tendency to draw the ball a bit...a lot of people (including myself) tend to let their grip wander towards the "strong" side of things. Check and see if you grip is neutral or if you have changed anything about your grip and go from there.

[Chris5573]

I would say I would at least check my grip before going out and buying a new iron set. While a lot of offset will have the tendency to draw the ball a bit...a lot of people (including myself) tend to let their grip wander towards the "strong" side of things. Check and see if you grip is neutral or if you have changed anything about your grip and go from there.

Thanks for the advice, I'll take a look at my grip.

[mikelz]

Offset is there to put your hands in front of the ball. That does lead to a stronger grip just because of the location of the butt end of the club. I did weaken my grip on my Pings and I don't hit many hooks anymore but I get the occasional push that doesn't come back.

[JKilgore44]

I definitely think that your clubs could have a lot to do with it. The OS-2's aren't exactly a "players" club. They have a considerable amount of offset compared to other clubs which could be a big contributor to the right-to-left ball flight.

Recently, I had the Titleist DCI 981's with R300 shafts. They had a good bit of offset and I hit them decent. My typical ball flight was med-low with a nice 5yd draw. As my swing progressed over the years and became more "well-rounded" I began to hit a bigger draw. Eventually it came the point where I was hitting a consistent 12-15yd draw with every iron! It was very controlled, but still, an 8-iron with a 15yd draw is not my ideal scoring situation.

I decided to make a big change and move up to clubs with less offset and stiffer shafts. I decided of the Titleist 735.cms (which I absolutely love) with S300 shafts. Almost instantly I noticed the difference. There is no 15yd draw anymore, unless I want there to be. When I need to, I can hit them straight as an arrow. It has added so many different shots to my bag with the new-found workability. But the biggest improvement I've found is in the clubs that matter the most, my scoring irons.

I was in a similar situation to you. I was drawing everything I hit and it was almost starting to hurt me more than helped. I made a switch to "better" clubs and it has really helped me. Hopefully it can help you as well. With a 7.3 handicap, it could really be time for you to move up to a new set of irons.

[mikelz]

I definitely think that your clubs could have a lot to do with it. The OS-2's aren't exactly a "players" club. They have a considerable amount of offset compared to other clubs which could be a big contributor to the right-to-left ball flight.

The shaft change alone might account for that.

[JKilgore44]

It could be the shaft alone, but I do think it is a combination of both. The shaft was the biggest contributor to more consistent ball flight, whereas the offset contributed to the added workability. The combination of both has lead to what seems like a rejuvination of my golf game.

[mikelz]

It could be the shaft alone, but I do think it is a combination of both. The shaft was the biggest contributor to more consistent ball flight, whereas the offset contributed to the added workability. The combination of both has lead to what seems like a rejuvenation of my golf game.

As long as it works, I'm happy for you.

I have a set of forged, cavity backs with S200s that I built. Maybe it's time to let them try out again.