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what does golf club swing weight mean

by Quentin Schowalter Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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  • Swing-weight is universal, and is based on the comparative weights between the clubhead end of the club to the grip end of the club (D9 will “feel” heavy, while C9 ...
  • Swing-weights range from A0 to G9
  • D0-D6 are probably the most common swing-weights (anything you buy at a golf store off the rack)
  • Swing-weight is not a measurement of total club weight

Swingweight is not an absolute measurement of weight but rather a representation of the relationship between the amount of weight in the bottom two thirds of a golf club compared to the top third of a golf club. From a players perspective this translates to how the weight of the club "feels" during a players swing.May 24, 2014

Full Answer

How to change the swing weight of a golf club?

Using a Swing Weight Scale

  • Place the golf club for which you want to measure the swing weight over the swing weight scale.
  • Adjust the sliding counterweight until the golf club is perfectly balanced.
  • Note the point where the sliding weight gets aligned against the scale. The value at this point specifies the swing weight of your golf club.

How to Swing Golf Club for beginners?

Fundamentals of Swinging an Iron

  • Setup. We always emphasize that body positioning is of extreme importance when it comes to where the golf ball will land.
  • Takeaway. As you can imagine, how you begin your swing will greatly affect the rest of your swing. ...
  • Backswing. There are a couple of points that you should focus on here, as well. ...
  • Downswing. ...
  • Impact. ...
  • Finish. ...

How do you transfer your weight in the golf swing?

Let's take a more detailed look at the correct weight shift sequence:

  • Address: Equal weight on both feet, balanced between heels and balls of the feet.
  • Takeaway: During the initial 12” of the swing, weight should begin shifting onto the right instep.
  • To the top: Continuing the backswing, additional weight should transfer to the right foot. ...

More items...

How to properly shift weight in a golf swing?

Proper Weight Transfer in the Golf Swing

  • Athletic Base. As he indicates in the video below, it all starts with “an athletic base; weight distribution on the balls of your feet; shoulders a little bit out on ...
  • Shift versus Slide. ...
  • Hip Moves Up and Behind Back Leg. ...
  • Baseball Drill. ...
  • Contact John. ...

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What is the difference between D1 and D2 swing weight?

Swing Weight System Each letter is then subdivided into tenths -- from zero tenths to nine tenths. The greater the letter or number, the heavier the club's swing weight. Therefore, a club with a swing weight of D1 is heaver than a club with a C1 swing weight, and a D4 club has a slightly greater swing weight than a D2.

What is the ideal swing weight for irons?

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 should my swing weight be?

The lightest possible swing weight is A0 while the heaviest possible swing weight is F9. If you pick up a men's golf club off the rack with stock options, the swing weight will generally be between D0 and D2. With women's golf clubs, the standard range will be from C5 to C7.

Is higher swing weight better?

The higher the swing weight the more power, so if you have a powerful frame with a high swing weight, it's very difficult to control. A player like Djokovic uses a control-oriented and flexible frame, so he needs more weight and swing weight to achieve power.

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.

Does swing weight affect distance?

How Much Does Swing Weight Affect Distance? Both swing weight and the total weight of the club are going to affect distance. In order to hit the ball far, you must be swinging at a high rate of speed, and the ball has to be hit in the center of the clubface.

What does a higher swing weight mean?

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.

What swing weight should a senior golfer use?

A swing weight between C-8 and D-1 is the best swing weight for a senior driver, and the shaft should be 55-60 grams. Loft should be 12-13 degrees or higher, and seniors should look for 2-4 degrees of hook in the face or consider an offset driver head to prevent slicing.

What is the difference between D2 and D3 swing weight?

Some differences between D2 and D3 swing weights golf clubs are as follows. The D2 is often more forgiving and has a lower spin than a D3 for most players. The D2 tends to have a bigger clubhead and a lighter swing weight as against a D3.

What swing weight does Tiger use?

D4The swing weights were D4, which Tiger preferred on every club from driver through pitching wedge, with his other wedges a little heavier, around D6. Tiger used a 43.5-inch steel-shafted driver during his time at Titleist.

Does higher swing weight mean more power?

Power. The trend among rackets is that as swing weight increases, power increases. This is because a high swing weight allows the racket to plow through the ball at contact. Less swing weight behind the ball at contact causes the racket to move more on impact, taking less energy out of the ball.

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.

What is swing weight?

There’s a machine that essentially measures how heavy or light a club feels during the swing, and the measurement is called swing weight.

How does the weight of a golf club work?

Here’s how it works: the swing weight of a golf club is measured on a 14-inch fulcrum that assesses the balance point of a club, which is displayed on an alphanumeric scale. The heavier a club “feels,” the more the club will tilt toward the club head side when balanced on that fulcrum.

Why is it important to use a heavier swing weight in wedges?

The heavier swing weight in the wedges and short irons can possibly help club and club face awareness for greater precision. It’s important to remember that swing weight and overall weight are mutually exclusive. A heavy club can have a light swing weight and vice versa. That’s because swing weight is merely addressing the balance point ...

What happens if you swing heavy?

A light swing weight can prohibit the golfer from properly feeling where the head is during the swing and cause issues with squaring the face at impact, while a heavy swing weight can cause fatigue and negatively affect performance over time. ADVERTISEMENT.

Is progressive weight better than swing weight?

On one hand, some golfers/fitters prefer that each club in the set has the same swing weight to keep feel consistent. On the other hand, some say a progressive swing weight is better, with the longer clubs having a lighter swing weight and the scoring clubs having a heavier swing weight. The heavier swing weight in the wedges and short irons can possibly help club and club face awareness for greater precision.

Is swing weight too heavy?

Finding the proper swing weight for your game is mostly preference-based, but according to Tim Briand, Senior Vice President of GOLF’s sister company True Spec Golf, issues can arise if swing weight is too light or too heavy. A light swing weight can prohibit the golfer from properly feeling where the head is during the swing ...

What is swing weight?

In non-technical terms, swingweight is a measure of how the weight of the club feels when you swing it. It is not the same thing as a club's overall or total weight, and isn't even expressed as a weight measurement (swingweight is expressed through a letter-and-number combination code explained below).

What Is Swingweight Used for in Golf?

The key application of swingweight is in matching the clubs within a set. You want all your clubs to feel the same weight during the swing. If you are replacing a club or adding one, you want the new club to match the swingweight of your current clubs.

How to adjust swingweight?

Swingweight can be adjusted post-production by adding lead tape or changing out components (i.e., going to larger clubhead, or a different shaft or grip, or trimming the shaft ). Custom clubmakers can also adjust swingweight in some cases by adding different types of fill material inside shafts at different points, or inside clubheads.

What is swingweight expressed with?

Swingweight is expressed with a letter and number; "C9," for example.

Why is swingweight important?

Why is swingweight important? Because if your clubs do not match in swingweight, they may not all feel the same to you during your swing.

What does Lamanna say about swingweight?

Lamanna, for one, says, "In my experience, most players can only sense large differences in swingweights, and even Tour pros have a hard time telling the difference in swingweight between clubs with different shafts.". Lamanna says the focus seems to be shifting back to total weight as the key weight measurement.

What does less weight mean in golf?

Less weight produces shots of greater distance and accuracy for beginning and intermediate players. The low handicappers and pros have higher swing speeds, more control over the movements of the club and they possess an acute sense of 'feel' for the head of the club.

What is a golf swing?

In contrast, the golf swing is just that – a swing of the club. You have total control over where the ball is going to be so that you can be quite precise in the relationship between your body and the ball and the target line. You can swing when you want to at the pace you find comfortable.

What is swing weight fitting?

The goal in the swing weight fitting is to get the golfer to a point where he reports that the club head is starting to feel a little bit too heavy, or the club is starting to require a little more effort to swing than the golfer would prefer. At that point, the club fitter removes a little of the head weight. Then a few more shots are hit to determine if the golfer still senses the head weight feel to be too much, or just right.

What is the interaction between shaft weight and swing weight?

Good clubfitters also realize that the interaction of shaft weight and swing weight is such that it is always possible to find strong/aggressive transition/faster tempo golfers who achieve their best tempo consistency with a lighter shaft, but with a higher swing weight to prevent the light shaft from making the clubs feel too light in some manner.

What is the key to a successful weight fitting?

That really is the key of a successful total weight/swing weight fitting — when the golfer does not have to consciously think about his swing tempo and timing.

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 ...

How many weight points does a golfer put on lead tape?

Usually, it goes like this. As the golfer hits shots with the test clubs, the fitter adds lead tape to the clubs heads — about two swing weight points at a time — while observing the ball flight and on-center hit performance.

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 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 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 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.

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.

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 does a golf club swing affect the weight of the club?

A club’s swing weight is affected by the weight of its three main components -- the head, shaft and grip -- as well as the shaft’s length and balance point. Altering any of these five items will change the club’s swing weight.

How to increase weight of golf club?

A quick and easy way to increase a club’s swing weight is to add lead tape to the club head. Adding tape to the grip will decrease the swing weight. The precise amount of increase or decrease will depend on the club’s overall characteristics.

How to increase swing weight from D2 to D4?

To increase swing weight from D2 to D4 you can add about 4 grams of weight to the club head, subtract 10 grams of weight from the grip or lengthen the shaft by 1/3 inch. Altering the swing weight by changing the shaft’s weight is a little trickier, but you will increase the swing weight by approximately one unit for each 9 grams ...

Who invented the swing weight scale?

The swing weight scale was developed in the 1920s by club maker Robert Adams, although some credit Kenneth Smith, who developed the fulcrum scale used to measure swing weight. While the scale is basically arbitrary, it has survived to become the standard.

Can two golf clubs weigh the same?

Indeed, two clubs that weigh the same may have different swing weights. For example, if one of the identically-weighted clubs has a heavier head, it will have a greater swing weight.

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Swingweight, Technically Speaking

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As for the technical definition of swingweight, here's how clubmaker Ralph Maltby describes it: "The measurement of a golf club's weight about a fulcrum point which is established at a specified distance from the grip end of the club." OK, then. Michael Lamanna, Director of Instruction at The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, …
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Swingweight vs. Actual Weight

  • Swingweight and the actual weight of the club are different things, and understanding the difference goes a long way toward understanding the role of swingweight. The actual weight of a golf club is expressed in grams. Swingweight is expressed as "C9" or "D1" or some other combination of letter and number (more on that in a moment). Those measurements are taken u…
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What Is Swingweight Used For in Golf?

  • The key application of swingweight is in matching the clubs within a set. You want all your clubs to feel the same weight during the swing. If you are replacing a club or adding one, you want the new club to match the swingweight of your current clubs. But how important is swingweight, really? Recreational golfers who fancy themselves equipment "experts" might argue that it is ver…
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The Swingweight Scale

  • Swingweight is expressed with a letter and number; "C9," for example. The letters used are A, B, C, D, E, F and G, and the numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 (G goes up to 10). Each combination of letter and number is known as a "swingweight point," and there are 73 possible swingweight measurements on this scale. A0 is the lightest measurement, progressing up to the heaviest, G1…
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