Offset

Offset is the distance the face of the club is set behind the front edge of the hosel. Look down at an iron and notice whether the face sits flush with the shaft or tucked slightly back - that gap is offset, and it is built into the head by design.

More offset gives your hands a fraction more time to rotate the face closed before impact, which helps square the clubface and fights the slice that plagues most amateurs. It also tends to launch the ball a touch higher. This is why game-improvement and max game-improvement irons carry generous offset.

Better players usually prefer minimal offset. A blade or players iron sits nearly flush because skilled golfers do not need help squaring the face and often want to work the ball both directions - too much offset makes that harder and can produce a hook. The face also looks cleaner behind the ball, which many low handicaps prefer.

Offset is one of the visual tells of where a club sits on the forgiveness spectrum. The more help a club is designed to provide, the more offset you will generally see.