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what can happen if my golf iron swing weight is to light

by Dr. Armand Howell Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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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.

If a golf club feels too light, the golfer will find it difficult to control and keep the club on the proper path through their swing. It is important to have the proper swing weight for your swing and tempo.

Full Answer

What is the swing weight of your Irons?

For the sake of simplicity, we are only talking about irons here, because there are definitely large deviations for drivers and wedges. The swing weight of irons probably varies between D2 and D5 for 95% of Tour players. Most will be somewhere in this range.

Does the weight of your golf clubs affect your swing speed?

Be that as it may, with variances in how clubs are weighted, as well as the different outcomes associated with different weight schemes, there remains a single consistent factor that’s widely agreed upon: The lighter the club, the faster you’re going to swing the club. Seems logical, but is it true?

Does your iron shaft affect the flight of your golf ball?

Using an iron shaft that’s too soft for you will also affect the flight of your golf ball. Your golf ball will consistently fly much higher than you intended if you use an iron shaft that’s too soft for you.

Do lighter golf clubs affect your swing?

Usually, lighter clubs produce higher spin rates. And with spin rates that are too high, you might actually lose distance. Second, a lighter club is sometimes more difficult to control and can wreak havoc on your ability to make a smooth, rhythmic swing that accelerates through the ball.

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What happens if your swing weight is too low?

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.

What happens if irons are too light?

Worse, a clubhead that's too light often results in poor swing mechanics like deceleration in the downswing, sequencing issues and a swing path that hits the ball with a glancing blow.

Should golf irons be heavy or light?

Usually, lighter clubs produce higher spin rates. And with spin rates that are too high, you might actually lose distance. Second, a lighter club is sometimes more difficult to control and can wreak havoc on your ability to make a smooth, rhythmic swing that accelerates through the ball.

How do you know if your shaft is too light?

A shaft that is too light will make you feel like the club is going too fast for your swing. It will feel like you have less control over the club throughout the swing and it will make you feel a little uneasy until you slow everything down, this can be dangerous.

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.

Does a heavier golf club hit the ball farther?

Together, the speed and mass determine the magnitude of the force that is applied to the golf ball. It stands to reason that given the same swing speed, a heavier golf club will apply more force to a golf ball than a lighter one and will, therefore, result in greater distance.

How important is golf club swing weight?

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.

Does a lighter shaft increase distance?

Using a lighter shaft allows more weight to be placed in the clubhead through adjustable weights, hotmelt, etc. without increasing the total weight of the club. This “redistribution” of shaft weight into the clubhead can be one of the last tweaks in a fitting that unlocks more distance off the tee.

What should my iron shaft weight be?

In general, golfers with slower swing speed and tempo can and should play a lighter shaft. Golfers with very fast speeds and tempo should play heavier shafts. Driver shafts typically weigh 55-60 grams for men and 45-50 grams for ladies. Iron shafts can be as light as 55 grams in graphite, and 130 grams in steel.

What happens if a golf shaft is too weak?

A golf shaft that is too weak will flex excessively throughout the golf swing, creating an inconsistent release point. Swinging with a weak shaft flex can hurt you in both windy and wet conditions.

What happens if shaft is too weak?

Generally speaking, a driver shaft that's too stiff will cause shots to launch too low, with too little spin and low peak heights. A shaft that's too weak, on the other hand, may cause shots to spin too much, fly too high, and widen dispersion patterns.

Is a 50g shaft too light?

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. These shafts are often favored by junior and senior golfers, they can give a nice boost to the driving distance of these groups.

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For me, both weight issues typically mean increased swing speed but significant loss of control. I did reduce overall club weigh in my irons about 5 years ago. Installed SteelFiber i95's / had been playing Project X steel for many years. Overall swing weight didn't really change - still around D1. This was a good change for me as i have aged.

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I have two clubs where I'm not loving the feel, a driver and a driving iron. They are a bit light. I tend to lose these clubs high right more than any other clubs I use.

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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.

Why is a heavier swing weight heavier than a lighter swing weight?

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. As with the fitting of the shaft weight, the club fitter also has to evaluate the golfer’s transition force, tempo, strength and any pre-determined feel preference the golfer may have ...

What is the difference between a baseball hitter and a golf swing?

He has to rely on quick eye-hand coordination. In contrast, the golf swing is just that – a swing of the club.

What is shaft weight?

Shaft weight is by far the biggest contributor to the total weight of the club, which is simply a measurement of how heavy a club is. 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 ...

What happens if you don't hold your golf club properly?

Then you learn good posture and setup. If you don’t start in a good position, the body can’t perform the swing motion properly. With a good grip and a sound setup posture, I believe anyone can learn a functional golf swing pretty easily.

How wide is a golf ball?

The ball is 1.68 inches in diameter, and the functional striking area on a golf club is about 1.5-inches wide. If you vary in your setup by even 3/4 inch, you have imposed a serious obstacle to success. If you do nothing else to improve your golf game, learn how to set up the same way every time.

Do you fit shaft weight and swing weight at the same time?

Both elements — shaft weight and swing weight — are influenced by the same golfer swing characteristics, which is why good club fitters will fit for both the shaft weight and the swing weight at the same time in the fitting process. In the actual fitting process, however, the shaft weight comes first. This is because the test clubs required ...

Is swing weight measured in grams?

Remember, swing weight is NOT an actual measurement of weight as are grams, ounces or pounds. Swing weight is an arbitrary measurement of the relationship of weight in a golf club about the 14-inch fulcrum point on a swing weight scale.

How does swing weight affect performance?

The swing weight has a big influence on how you can move and accelerate a club during the swing . Among other things, it determines where the club head is at the moment of impact and how it can be controlled. As you can see, these are all important points that have a great influence on performance. But why is the swing weight not right ...

How many swing weight points does half an inch of shaft make?

And that is the last thing you want: a set of irons with varying length and swing weight. With the shaft, you can roughly say that half an inch makes up about 3 swing weight points.

What weight swing does Sergio Garcia use?

The wedges are extremely heavy, but the long irons are very light. Sergio Garcia plays with a swing weight of C-8, which is very light. On the other hand, he plays one of the heaviest shafts of all, the Modus 130, and adds some weight to the end of the shaft.

How to make a club head lighter?

To make the club head lighter, the shaft must be removed, the weight removed (drilled out) and the shaft remounted . Both processes are not very simple and require a lot of experience.

What is swing weight?

Swing weight is probably something that only a fraction of all golfers have ever heard of. Every player knows the difference between steel and graphite shaft. Or between stiff and regular. But if you ask a player what swing weight he has in his irons, you'll probably only get questioning looks. And yet, the swing weight is of elementary importance.

Can you make sure the swing weight does not fit you?

On the contrary: by making small changes you can even make sure that the swing weight does not fit you at all. Two short examples: - You buy a new iron but choose a shaft that is 1 inch longer because you are quite tall. The manufacturer makes this club for you by simply adding a longer shaft.

Is shaft weight a reliable indicator?

Always assuming the weight distribution in the shaft is identical - which it rarely is. In this respect, the shaft weight is not a reliable indicator, especially since one rarely knows the exact weight distribution. The grip also has a great influence and is often underestimated.

How to put your golf clubs on a diet?

If you’ll willing to put your clubs on a diet, we’ve got some advice: 1. Start with a lighter shaft that performs like your heavier one. Before you hop on the lightweight bandwagon, consider swapping shaft (s) in a few clubs before you lighten up the rest of your set. This is to make sure you like how it feels.

What does lighter shaft mean?

Remember though, a lighter shaft means the clubhead will feel heavier even though the overall club is lighter. This refers to what clubmakers call swing weight — it’s a measurement of how heavy a club feels as you swing it, not how heavy it actually is. 3.

Can lighter clubs help you hit the ball?

Well, sometimes, yes, a lighter club will help you hit the ball further. But sometimes, no, it will not. Let’s dig in. Lighter clubs, whether via a lighter clubhead, shaft, grip, or any combination thereof, are in fact easier to swing faster. But not without a few consequences. The first is with regards to spin.

Does adding length to shafts negate weight?

Adding length to your shafts not only may negate your reduction in weight, but you’ll also run the risk of losing accuracy. I can’t attest that will happen to everybody, but I’d bet $5 with almost anyone that it will. 5. Beastmode requires more than just lightweight clubs.

Can you lose distance with a lighter club?

And with spin rates that are too high, you might actually lose distance. Second, a lighter club is sometimes more difficult to control and can wreak havoc on your ability to make a smooth, rhythmic swing that accelerates through the ball.

Can you use lightweight clubs on a slow swing?

Not at all. For some players, usually those with slow to mid swing speeds, lightweight clubs can be very advantageous. It can also help players who are solid strikers but who don’t hit it far (or high) enough.

What is the swing weight of a golf swing?

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. This swing weight can usually only be achieved with heavy heads, heavy shafts and light grips. Few tour pros actually play longer shafts so this is rarely an option.

Can you build a swing weight with a special construction?

In short: both a very heavy and a very light swing weight can only be achieved with a special construction - at least if you build the club "correctly". With incorrect construction, as we have seen in this test, it is indeed very easy to achieve such a swing weight.

Do drivers and wedges swing heavier?

In drivers and wedges, many professionals prefer a slightly heavier swing weight than in irons and woods. Basically, if you don't see yourself in one of these categories and you deviate significantly from the swing weight, you should be able to justify this and question it.

Do tour pros play longer shafts?

Few tour pros actually play longer shafts so this is rarely an option. To achieve a swingweight of C-0, the exact opposite is needed: very light clubheads and shafts. Heavy grips and shorter shafts are often not an option because, for example, ladies cannot play thick grips.

What does it mean when a golfer holds his weight back?

This means that they’re holding their weight back, and when their weight stays back, they essentially pull their swing arc back, too. As a result, the bottom of their swing happens farther back behind the ball, and they wind up making contact on an upward motion instead of a downward motion.

Why do golfers struggle to get contact?

So many golfers struggle to get pure contact because their golf ball is in the wrong position within their stance. More often than not, they’ve got it too far forward. Now, that might be a great position for your driver shots, when the goal is to hit up on the ball. But when it comes to your irons, you want to catch the golf ball on ...

Where should the golf ball be placed when hitting a driver?

Rather than having the golf ball positioned in the center of your stance, for your driver, you should position the golf ball on the inside of your lead foot. Slightly forward in your stance. It might feel weird at first, but this is the correct golf ball position for when you hit your driver. This will allow your driver swing to catch up with ...

Why is pulling on the handle so frustrating?

Because the club head is behind the rest of your swing, it makes it very easy for the club face to open or close. It also might feel like you’re swinging the golf club with more speed, when in truth your swing speed is actually going down.

magnus7319

I've read a few posts concerning too light of a swingweight maybe causing pulls or hooks and a too fast tempo, but what about too heavy a sw? A few say it may lead to fatigue, and maybe some issues not squaring the clubface.

magnus7319

Update: clubs with d-0 straight and draw. S300. Clubs with d-6 30 yard push. S300. Impact pretty consistent some of the heavy clubs shots were hit thin.

magnus7319

I like that idea of increasing the sw of the light set to see if the pushes happen with that set.

Milfordlefty

Are the lie angles the same for each set? Same lie angle, but +1" will also make a difference. Lie angles are not universal across all Mfgers. Just a thought.

Hot Rod 71

The longer shafts could possibly be preventing you from squaring the face properly.

magnus7319

So, to update... yea, I really messed these up. I pulled these shafts out of a set of irons from which someone wanted just the clubheads, so I kept the shafts. Apparently they were soft-stepped and not trimmed, which then they played +1".

magnus7319

haha You didn't notice the shafts were 1" longer than std? How the heck did that even pass the eyeball test addressing the ball? Sorry for the "haha" but I did get a little chuckle out of it... :)

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