Full Answer
Do heavier golf club heads make a difference?
Simply put, heavier heads create more ball speed given the same swing speed which is why you see so many manufacturers making their club heads heavier. While the differences weren’t as dramatic as they were with speed, swing weight did have an impact on each player’s launch and spin conditions.
How do you add weight to a golf club head?
The most common way of adding weight to a club head is by using lead tape. Lead tape is a very dense product with an adhesive backing that is attached to the club head to add weight. Golfers can adjust the swingweight of their golf club by changing the length of the club.
How is the length of a golf club measured?
The club length is measured from the ground line up to the edge of the grip cap along the back side of the shaft, which factors in the extra material at the end of the grip (approximately a quarter inch). Secondly, few heads exist today where the shaft goes through the bottom of the sole but stops at an arbitrary position above the ground line.
What is the average weight of a golf shaft?
Many of the new shafts in today’s drivers are tipping the scales in the 50 gram range instead of the 60g range since titanium drivers exploded on the market. I’ll also give you a head’s up for next year, more and more shafts are trending to weights in the 40g range.
How much do golf iron heads weigh?
Standard Swingweight Calculatin Through A SetClubHeadweightRaw Shaft Weight7 Iron272g125g8 Iron279g125g9 Iron286g125gPW293g125g13 more rows
How much does a club head weigh?
Lastly, the average driver head will weight approximately 200g. Instead of calling these standards, it is better to establish these as benchmarks. Another important consideration is the shaft installed into a 45" driver isn't the same length but shorter for two reasons.
How much weight should I add to driver head?
Perfect Driver Head Weight Vs Swing Speed In tests conducted by Mackenzie, et al (2015), they found that the best performing driver head weight is 174 grams for golfers across the board. During their study, various low handicap golfers tested drivers with head weights of 174 g, 190 g, and 200 g.
How many grams is a swing weight?
Golfers can add one swingweight point (increase from D4 to D5, for example) by adding 2 grams of club head weight. Conversely, decreasing club head weight by 2 grams will deduct one swingweight point. The most common way of adding weight to a club head is by using lead tape.
What is the lightest driver head?
Sooolong 168 Gram World's Lightest, Longest Non-Conforming Golf Driver HeadSize9.5*ColorWhiteHand OrientationRightMaterialBeta Titanium
How much does a Callaway mavrik driver head weigh?
UST Mamiya Helium Black 4 Graphite WomensSPECS AND OPTIONSHead Size460cc460ccLie Angle58°59°Interchangeable WeightOptifit Hosel12 more rows
What happens if driver head too heavy?
The biggest downside of a heavier driver head is that it reduces your clubhead speed. That makes it difficult for players with slow tempos to optimize their ball speed at impact, leading to a weak launching shot and a loss of distance.
What does a heavier driver head do?
Heavier weights in the head will increase the driver's swing weight. 2 grams of increase in head weight equals 1 increased SW point. Also, depending on how much weight you add to the head, it could soften the shaft a touch in comparison to how it play with the stock head weight.
Is D5 swing weight too heavy?
If it feels too heavy at D5, you can remove strips of lead tape one by one until it feels right. If your driver is heavier than D5, ask your club fitter to add a heavier grip or a counterweight to reduce swing weight to D5. Get Fitted By A TPT Authorized Fitter.
What Swingweight do pros use?
The swing weight of irons probably varies between D2 and D5 for 95% of Tour players. Most will be somewhere in this range. Players with high club head speed like Rory McIlroy or Dustin Johnson tend to be around D5-D6. Players with more average tour club head speed are around D3-D4.
What is a good swing weight for irons?
Basic information on the subject of swing weight and classification. The actual swing weight ranges roughly between C-0 and D-8. While C-0 is a swing weight that is recommended for senior women and ladies, D-8 is pretty much the maximum that is played on tour.
What is a C9 swing weight?
The swingweight scale goes from A-F with ten increments marked 0 to 9 within each letter category hence swingweights such as C9 or D3. The greater the letter and the number the heavier the swingweight. Therefore a swingweight of D2 is heavier than a swingweight of C8.
How does a driver head affect a golf club?
Altering the weight of your driver head will change the swing weight of your club. This is defined as the difference in weight between he grip end and the head end and both can be altered. A heavier head usually results in a faster swing speed with the same club.
What is the weight of the shaft in golf drivers?
The shafts in the drivers of most golfers are probably in the 60 gram bracket.
How much does an Autoflex driver shaft weigh?
The AutoFlex driver shaft can weigh as little at 39g and is baffling even the most experienced fitters with astounding performance, you need never struggle for speed again. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are shafts out there that can get into 90g and above.
What is the lightest shaft?
50 gram shafts are among the lightest you will see on the market. They tend to be favoured by golfers who struggle to generate clubhead speed.
Why is a heavier shaft better for golf?
Heavier shafts can feel stiffer which can be a pro for golfers with a high swing speed. This extra weight can also help control that speed.
Which is more important, shaft or flex?
Many shaft manufacturers say that weight and torque are actually more important factors in shaft selection than flex is.
How to get fitting right?
There really is only one way to get it right, book an appointment with a trained fitting technician.
How many swingweight points does a golf shaft increase?
By increasing the length of the golf shaft by one-half inch, the swingweight will be increased by three swingweight points (increase from D2 to D5, for example). Conversely, by decreasing the length of the golf shaft by one-half inch, the swingweight will be decreased by three swingweight points.
How much does a 9 gram shaft increase swingweight?
Assuming the shaft is not increased or decreased in length, an increase of 9 grams in shaft weight will increase swingweight by approximately one swingweight point (increase from D3 to D4, for example). Conversely, a decrease by 9 grams in shaft weight will decrease the swingweight by approximately one swingweight point.
How to change the swingweight of a golf club?
A golf club's swingweight can be changed by altering the club head, shaft, grip or length of the golf club. Swingweights are measured on a alpha-numeric scale, ranging from A0 (lightest) to G10 (heaviest).
What is swingweight in golf?
A simplified definition of swingweight is the relation of weight between the head end of the golf club and the grip end.
How to adjust swingweight?
Golfers can adjust the swingweight of their golf club by changing the length of the club. Adjusting the length of a golf club affects the weight relationship of the club head end and grip end of the golf club. By increasing the length of the golf shaft by one-half inch, the swingweight will be increased by three swingweight points ...
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I worked out a physics problem on here in the "golf myths" thread about a month ago and asked what the average 6 iron head weight was and got 260-270 grams as a response. I know you are asking about specific clubs, but hopefully this is a start. What are you planning on using this for?
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You can see the comparable headweights of the 6 irons from different manufacturers here:
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Why is it harder to change weight in golf?
They noted that golfers who play often may have a harder time changing weight because they are more “committed” to their current shaft weight. The occasional player has less sensitivity to weight and can often make a larger change.
What is Club Champion's look for?
Club Champion emphasized looking for the best numbers – ball speed, launch, spin, angle of attack, club path, and dynamic loft. This is why their fittings all include Trackman launch monitors – so they can see what produces the best and most consistent numbers.
Why are there so many counter balanced shafts?
So why are there so many counter balanced shafts these days? The main driver of this trend is the club head. As Fujikura explains, “High balance point shafts can be matched with heavier heads or longer club lengths to facilitate club builds with [“normal”] swing weights without having to change mass properties of the head. They can be used with standard heads at standard lengths to simply reduce swing weight.”
How to tell if a shaft is too heavy?
When you find the right shaft weight, you’ll experience a “high energy swing” with uniform contact.
Is weight important in golf shafts?
The majority of our panel agreed that shaft weight is very important . Club Champion told us that weight is the first thing they look at when fitting a shaft, and Nippon said, “If a golfer can’t feel a shaft that’s properly weighted, the other factors (flex, torque, bend profile) are moot.” Fujikura and MRC agreed that weight needs to be considered along with those other factors to produce a shaft that will perform well.
Is shaft weight more important in woods or wedges?
One question that intrigued me is whether shaft weight is more important in woods or the driver versus irons and wedges. Across the board, the consensus was that weight is equally important in all clubs.
Should slower swingers play lighter or heavier shafts?
One bit of common wisdom is that slower swingers should play lighter shafts and faster swingers should go heavier. This holds up sometimes, but is often wrong. As Fujikura pointed out, a slower swinger will be much better with a heavier shaft if that causes them to have more centered strikes.
Weight Adjustment Guidelines (Useful reference)
Here are some useful conversions that will help you when swing-weighting your clubs :
About the Author: Zach Gollwitzer
Hey!! I'm Zach, the founder of The DIY Golfer. I created this site in 2015 while playing D1 collegiate golf to help myself understand the game of golf better and improve as a player. Fast forward a few years, and it has become much more than a journal.
What determines the feel of a golf club?
Swing-weighting determines the “feel” of the club (does your club “feel” heavy, or light?)
What is swing weight?
As mentioned before, swing-weight is a measurement of clubhead weight relative to the grip end of the club.
What does it feel like to swing a golf club upside down?
When you swung the club upside down, you probably felt like your swing was extremely quick, and you had no sense of rhythm. When you swung two clubs at once normally, you probably felt a great sense of where the clubs were during all parts of the swing, but also probably didn’t feel much power.
What happens if you have too heavy of a swing weight?
These lessons apply to your golf clubs! If you have too “heavy” of a swing-weight, you might have an increased sense of the club-head during the swing, but lack the power necessary to return the club at impact squarely. If you have too “light” of a swing-weight, you might feel like the Hulk, but lack any regards to where the club-head is during different positions of the swing, which once again will limit your ability to return the club square at impact.
Is there a standard weight for swing weight?
There is no “standard” as to how you swing-weight your clubs, so it truly is up to you to figure that out!
Is swing weight a measurement of total weight?
Swing-weight is not a measurement of total club weight
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.
How much does a swing weight affect ball speed?
5 of 6 testers lost ball speed when going from D0 to D9, an average loss of 2.2 MPH, however, two players posted their highest ball speeds at swing weights above D0 – one at D6 and one ad D9.
What is the correlation between swing weight and spin?
The correlation between swing weight and higher or lower launch and spin appears to be entirely personal . Three testers had their highest launch at D0, but the other three launched highest at D6 or D9. Similarly, four testers had their lowest spin at D9, but the other two produced the most spin at D9.
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.
How far can you hit your irons?
As they worked through the range of swing weights, our testers saw their median distance change a minimum of 7 yards and a maximum of 39 yards!
Is swing weight a personal thing?
Just as with every other element that we’ve tested to date, swing weight is a personal thing that can’t be fit with simple rules of thumb.
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 many grams of golf clubhead to add to a golfer's club?
All else being equal, two and a half points extra will be achieved by adding five grams to the clubhead.
How much does 1 inch lead tape weigh?
My maths is a bit rusty, but by my reckoning one inch of 1" lead tape is going to be about 1.6g in weight.
