Setting up with a slightly open clubface

[ThomasTheTank]

Should you set up with your clubface ever so slightly open? I know at impact the club should be slightly open and I've been playing about setting up with a open clubface to help me stop pulling. Because i have offset irons the face looks wide open but I think i've had it so shut in the past thats why it looks so strange and also why ive been going so left

With it more open I seem to be able to swing much more to the left ?

 

[multi]

You're already swinging left since you're hitting pulls. With the face more open your pull is going to turn into a fade. You probably don't want to swing even more left or it's going to curve even more.

 

[tank]

Instead of building a swing to accommodate your clubs, You should consider getting rid of the offset irons.

 

[ThomasTheTank]

Instead of building a swing to accommodate your clubs, You should consider getting rid of the offset irons.

Im getting to that point myself. I cant see why they build offset irons and then have little offset on the woods/drivers - You groove your swing with 7 irons and 3 irons having to leave the face open or not tunr it over as much and then start pushing the driver right !

Ideally Id like a cavity back iron with little offset - any ideas?

For now though i'll have to set it up open and I guess the lower the iron (bigger the offset) the more i'll have to open it a little

Saying that though, im probably only setting the face open a little but the perimeter of the club looks about 20deg open !

 

[ThomasTheTank]

You're already swinging left since you're hitting pulls. With the face more open your pull is going to turn into a fade. You probably don't want to swing even more left or it's going to curve even more.

I like to play a fade personally .. only club I cant fade with ease is the driver

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

offset is designed to create more dynamic loft at impact by creating a higher launch angle; that's it. Offset will not contribute to you hitting the ball left, however when I was teaching a lot of people would grip offset clubs closed and thus would have problems hitting it left. Check your grip in relation to the clubface and your ball position.

 

[ThomasTheTank]

however when I was teaching a lot of people would grip offset clubs closed and thus would have problems hitting it left. Check your grip in relation to the clubface and your ball position.

Yeah I think this is my problem esp from 8i down to 3i. The more the offset the worse it is. I think I line up the top line which would of course shut the face down - When I look down on what I think is an open face, is it just be the topline that I see as open?

 

[pecky987]

tbh i always thought that how the face looks at address has very little to do with how the ball flies. only thing that matters is how the clubface is in your grip. think brian has said this in one of his videos

 

[ThomasTheTank]

tbh i always thought that how the face looks at address has very little to do with how the ball flies. only thing that matters is how the clubface is in your grip. think brian has said this in one of his videos

No, Im one who really gets put off or turned on by how the club looks at address and where its facing .. if it 'seems' wide open im liable to make subconcious compensations if im trying to hit it straight . damn these offset clubs

I think (since all irons seems to be offset) im going to have to get used to having it open, at least to me 'eye' (it'll probably be straight)

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

With very offest clubs it will "feel" or "look" like you almost have to open the club at address to make sure you grip it "square." But don't be worried, the club will be sitting square.

You can double check this by checking the relationship of where the clubface is with how flat your left wrist is. Ideally, it should be neutral unless you are attempting to have more a less open look.

 

[niblick1]

From practical experience of fighting the pulls (hitting too far outside on ball), I think a good starting point is to try closing clubface and stronger grip and learning to hit more to the right (moving you plane line more to right field). This is counter-intuitive, but if your clubface is open and you are losing clubface control and coming very open it can be harder to learn to not hit pulls. Extreme twistaway and closed clubface make it easier to find the plane line you are really using (and figure out if it is a takeway/pivot issue) and then make a plane line adjustment.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

From practical experience of fighting the pulls (hitting too far outside on ball), I think a good starting point is to try closing clubface and stronger grip and learning to hit more to the right (moving you plane line more to right field). This is counter-intuitive, but if your clubface is open and you are losing clubface control and coming very open it can be harder to learn to not hit pulls. Extreme twistaway and closed clubface make it easier to find the plane line you are really using (and figure out if it is a takeway/pivot issue) and then make a plane line adjustment.

You realize that you just told him to start snap hooking the ball right? Unless you mean closed clubface in relation to his plane line; then that's ok.

 

[niblick1]

You realize that you just told him to start snap hooking the ball right? Unless you mean closed clubface in relation to his plane line; then that's ok.

Jim -

Exactly, I meant in relation to plane line.

And what I mean is that first you have to be sure you are really controlling the clubface, perhaps in an extreme way at first, to then move on to plane line issues (at least for some set of issues). If you start coming into impact with a flippy, open clubface and worsen it by opening your clubface more, then the cause of the problem gets harder to isolate. Or at least that was my experience as a reforming leakage hooker who hit a lot of pulls. Does that make sense?

But I suppose if you are trying to play a fade instead of a draw, then answer is slightly different...?

 

[ThomasTheTank]

From practical experience of fighting the pulls (hitting too far outside on ball), I think a good starting point is to try closing clubface and stronger grip and learning to hit more to the right (moving you plane line more to right field). This is counter-intuitive, but if your clubface is open and you are losing clubface control and coming very open it can be harder to learn to not hit pulls. Extreme twistaway and closed clubface make it easier to find the plane line you are really using (and figure out if it is a takeway/pivot issue) and then make a plane line adjustment.

Well I dont hit the driver left, i actually draw that and I can also hit my pal's callaway x-20's (minimal offset) pretty straight too. However the point iom making is that to set up the club face straight with offsets on my iron means the topline and club in general 'looks' and seems open which it probably isnt. I maybe need to tape a tee to it or something to see exactly when they are aiming dead straight

Jim when you say " Check your grip in relation to the clubface and your ball position" can you elaborate on how you used to square people up as Im sure im setting up with the face closed on these offsets?