Even the slightest shift in a shaft’s weight, or how flexible or stiff it is, can result in an immediate change to the ball’s flight. The effect of a shaft that’s too light. A shaft that’s too light can increase the speed of the ball.
How much does loft affect ball speed in golf?
In all three swings, the ball speed is roughly 153-155 mph, which shows that regardless of the loft, ball speeds won’t change much when using the same club head. The ball speed may change, however, when a player manipulates his swing due to the “look” of different lofts, which can cause them to hit shots in different areas of the face.
How much does weight affect ball flight?
Moving around weights can favor more of a fade (left to right) or draw (right to left) ball flight. While I know how much influence loft can have based on plenty of testing, this is an area I have not experimented with much.
How much do club heads affect your golf swing speed?
They can make even more of an impact on your launch conditions. In all three swings, the ball speed is roughly 153-155 mph, which shows that regardless of the loft, ball speeds won’t change much when using the same club head.
How does your grip affect your ball flight?
It’s all about your left thumb at setup (if you’re a righty), where your clubface is at the top, and the effect these two factors can have on your ball flight. “Your grip has a substantial influence on the club face angle at the top of the swing,” says Kolloff, “especially where you position the left thumb.
How do driver weights affect ball flight?
According to the manufacturers, when the weight moves back, the driver becomes higher launching and lower spinning, and with the weight forward, the ball flight is lower with more spin. I also think that moving the weight forward and back has the biggest impact on feel.
Does swing weight affect ball flight?
If the swingweight is too light, you will sense you're having a harder time controlling your tempo and the number of times you hit the ball on the heel or top it will increase. If the swingweight is too high, you will find yourself pushing the ball more, and the club will feel too heavy and more laborious to swing.
How do weights affect golf clubs?
Swing weight is important to get the most out of every swing. If a golf club feels too heavy, the golfer has to swing harder, can find it difficult to swing, and tires out through the round. Heavier clubs and a tired golfer means less speed and less speed means less distance.
Do heavier clubs make the ball go further?
The mass of the club head including the mass of the first 4 inches of shaft attached to the club head is the only mass that will affect the ball at impact. All other things being are equal, the heavier the mass of a clubhead plus the first 4 inches of shaft, the more ball speed (and thus more distance) will be created.
What does a heavier swing weight do?
Swing weight is the measurement of the head-weight feel of a club. A club with a heavier swing weight will feel heavier to a golfer than one with a lighter swing weight, because its balance point is closer to the club head.
Does losing weight affect golf swing?
There's no doubt that losing that extra weight (particularly in the mid-section) can help improve your swing, while becoming stronger can inject more power into your drive.
Do heavier drivers hit the ball farther?
Conclusion of Heavier vs Lighter Driver Heads In Golf It is clear that a heavier driver head can help you to achieve longer distances, however you need to be able to generate sufficient clubhead and ball speed. Lighter driver heads can help you to get the ball airborne and provide consistent carry.
What does adding weight to back of driver do?
Placing weight more toward the rear portion of the head will make it higher spinning, higher launching and more forgiving. To simply add weight to the head, place lead tape directly in the center of the sole; this will slightly lower overall CG, as well, which can be beneficial for most golfers.
What is the ideal swing weight for a driver?
What Should Be the Specifications for Your Next Driver?Cut Shaft Weight (Grams)Driver Length (Inches)Swingweight Range4546D0-D34545.5C8-D15546D1-D45545.5C9-D26 more rows
Do lighter clubs increase swing speed?
A lighter driver shaft rarely leads to a faster swing. “Only 12 percent of golfers swing their fastest with the lightest club,” Mucklow says.
Should older golfers use lighter clubs?
The good news for senior golfers is that there are not steel shaft options to choose from. Senior golf shafts are almost always going to be graphite. The graphite is lighter and helps seniors get the ball flight and distance that they need.
Do lighter golf balls go further?
Because the ball is not slowed down as much if it is heavier, it will travel farther than a lighter ball. A heavier ball will have an unfair advantage to that golfer.
How does swing path affect ball flight?
A club face angle that is open relative to the swing path line places clockwise spin on the ball. The more open the club face is relative to the swing path line, the more side spin it places on the ball. And it's vice versa for a club face angle that is closed relative to the swing path.
Do heavier drivers hit the ball farther?
Conclusion of Heavier vs Lighter Driver Heads In Golf It is clear that a heavier driver head can help you to achieve longer distances, however you need to be able to generate sufficient clubhead and ball speed. Lighter driver heads can help you to get the ball airborne and provide consistent carry.
Does swing weight affect smash factor?
Smash factor stays consistent but does increase in the middle swingweights. Total distance decreases substantially and control decreases.
What your ball flight says about your swing?
The flight of your ball can tell you almost everything about your swing. There's a reason you're pushing it, or pulling it, or slicing it, or hooking it, and the quicker you understand why the ball is moving the way that it is, the better you will be at fixing your swing and making adjustments.
Where is Matt from Plugged In Golf?
He's worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking. Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
Why do we favor testing with low handicap players?
We favor testing with low handicap players because the data is much cleaner: there are far fewer wild shots and mishits. However, it would be interesting to see if higher handicap players would be more or less sensitive to the movement of weight.
What is swing weight?
In simple terms, swing weight is how heavy the club head feels when you swing it . More technically, it’s how much the club tips towards the club head when you balance the club on a fulcrum.
What is the difference between a D0 and D1 swing weight?
The difference between two swing weights, D0 and D1 for example, is approximately two grams of weight in the club head.
Where is Matt from Plugged In Golf?
He's worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking. Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
How easy is it to learn golf ball flight?
And learning the basics of ball flight is very easy — it takes just a minute or two to grasp the simplest, most common explanations for why the golf ball does what it does in flight.". Having the most basic understanding of ball flight cause-and-effect lets every golfer do his or her own coaching. 01. of 02.
Which position has a bigger influence on direction than the path of the swing?
"Clubface position has a bigger influence on direction than the path of the swing," Andrisen said. "You could be making a pull-slice swing but because the clubface is very open the ball might not fly to the left before it starts slicing."
What does "toe deep" mean in golf?
Toe-deep means the toe of the club digs into the ground more than does the heel of the club. Battle scars (skymarks) on the top and toe of the driver from hitting the ball straight up. Tee marks on the bottom of the driver that are at an angle. Contact on the toe of the club. Ball flight is high with a loss of distance.
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I now have a new driver that has the same shaft but 70g. The head is now 8 deg and not 8.5 deg
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You will change the flex some making it a little softer. Especially if you go more than 3 SW points.
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If I remember correctly it's something like 24 grams of weight or more to have "some" effect on ball flight and when I say some I mean very little. I may be off a few grams but for some reason the number 24 seems to come to mind. Tape placement/location also has no effect on flight.
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Cheers guys, so I'm better off putting the shaft in the 9 degree version to get the flight I want and adding some lead powder to get the club up to D2
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Well, some people don't like the looks of it but the simple solution to avoid pulling the shaft and installing tip weights is just use some high density lead tape or these tungsten adhesive pads.
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And even at the 25/30 gm range, only the better, more consistent and higher swing speed players will even be able to notice a fairly small, subtle difference. At least according to Tom Wishon.
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Calvo90
I was playing around with my Ping G410 PLUS driver and M5 fairway wood, specifically moving weight, different weight (4-20g) and hosel settings. I noticed moving weight had substantially less pronounced effect on ball flight than changing loft (and subsequently face angle). Often moving weight had counterproductive effect on shot shape.
ZenGolfer
Id say probably hosel setting. Ive played around with the different settings on the hosel of my Tommy Armour Atomic driver and I can tell a big difference when I changed it from 10.5 to 12 degrees and when I set it to draw, I started hitting dead pulls with it.
golfinnut
Definitely hosel setting. Changing the face angle would have a much greater impact on dispersion & ball flight. Weights are there to tweak the ball flight. But @jlukes is correct .... the shaft is all about feel and player dependent. Everyone's attack angle, swing speed, kick point, etc. is going to be different.
Camille Bissarro
I'm an inveterate tinkerer and 'feel' guy (although I test my mods on a launch monitor), and I would have to agree that shifting head weights has less effect on ball flight than about any other adjustment to loft/lie or shaft.
jlukes
One thing I'm wrestling with now (in case anyone has some thoughts on the matter) is why my driver seems to launch higher at 8.5* (std -1) than 10.5* (std +1), all other variables constant. I'm observing this on the course, as the C-19 shelter restrictions preclude my using a launch monitor these days.
Camille Bissarro
I suspect it's an issue of squaring the face as it definitely sits more open at address, and my miss is right with it lofted down. In terms of contact point, I can feel that (and see the ball mark on the face) so I'm generally aware of that variation after a shot.
zrumble
I was playing around with my Ping G410 PLUS driver and M5 fairway wood, specifically moving weight, different weight (4-20g) and hosel settings. I noticed moving weight had substantially less pronounced effect on ball flight than changing loft (and subsequently face angle). Often moving weight had counterproductive effect on shot shape.
Why is loft important in golf?
More loft is great for golfers who produce slower ball speeds and less spin, as they need more loft to launch the ball higher so it stays in the air longer.
What is the landing angle of 8.5 degree loft?
The flatter the landing angle, the more the ball will run out when hitting the ground. The 8.5-degree loft produced a landing angle of 34.3 degrees.
Do golfers fit into a standard setting?
Many golfers do indeed fit into a standard setting, but the majority of golfers I teach on a daily basis do not. If you were just fit for a driver at your Demo Day, why would you not adjust it as the fitter recommended? You’re losing distance! The good news is that you can add yards with the turn of a wrench.
Does lowering lofts help with spin?
For the high-spin player, lowering the loft will reduce your spin. But be careful, as it also makes something called the “D-plane” easier to tilt, causing more aggressive offline shots. The key is to find the happy medium. Related: Understanding the D-Plane.
Does loft increase spin?
More loft will not always lead to more spin, due to things such as impact points, spin lofts, face-to-path relationships, and the ball you play — but it is a good general rule of thumb. Many golfers are obsessed with lowering their spin, but remember that low spin is not great for everyone.
Game Changer Or Placebo?
The Myths
- Myth #1 – Movable weights affect launch and spin Myth #2 – Movable weights affect shot shape and dispersion Myth #3 – Movable weights affect forgiveness Myth #4 – Movable weights affect feel
How We Tested
- For this test, we brought together five testers, all with single digit handicaps. Each player hit the same driver (TaylorMade M5) with the weights in four different positions: forward, back, heel, and toe. Each player selected a shaft that fit their swing and used it throughout the test. We collected data on every swing but only counted five drives per setting, each with a smash factor above 1.4…
The Results
- Though the results were not always predictable, there is no question that launch and spin were affected by the position of the weights. In comparing their highest launching setting to their lowest launching setting, our testers had differences of 3.2, 3.7, 2.1, 2, and 2.8 degrees. It is worth noting that the forward weight position, which should be...
For Future Testing
- One thing that we’re interested in is how different the results would be with mid or high handicap players. We favor testing with low handicap players because the data is much cleaner: there are far fewer wild shots and mishits. However, it would be interesting to see if higher handicap players would be more or less sensitive to the movement of weight. Our hypothesis is that high …
Conclusion
- This test provided at least as many questions and opportunities for further testing as it did answers, but one thing is very clear: if you have movable weights in your driver, you can gain a lot by having them positioned correctly. Don’t settle for the weight position that is supposed to work for you. Book some time on a launch monitor, preferably with a club fitter, and test a variety of w…