Swing-Weight “Language”
- 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
How to change the swing weight of a golf club?
Swing weight refers to the weight of a golf club at one-third of its top section (head) and two-thirds of its bottom section (grip). Although swing weight can have a major impact on a golfer’s performance, it can’t be considered as an absolute measurement There are four key factors that can have an impact on the swing weight of a golf club:
How to Swing Golf Club for beginners?
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 will “feel” light) 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)
How do you transfer your weight in the golf swing?
You could have a club with a swing-weight of D8 that weighs 20 grams (although I’d be suspicious if someone sells you a club that light). I would look into more flex in the shaft (senior or ladies flex) and make sure that you’re adhering to the principles …
How to properly shift weight in a golf swing?
A typical men’s club has a swing weight of about D0, while the standard swing weight for a women’s club is approximately C6. Swing Weight Elements A club’s swing weight is …
What is the standard swing weight for irons?
Expressing Swing Weights A0 is the lightest, and F9 is the heaviest. Most men's clubs fall in the range of C9 to D8, with D2 being the standard, and ladies' clubs are usually between C4 and D0. One point on the scale is equivalent to a weight difference of . 07 oz.
What weight should my golf swing be?
5:2910:46How To Shift Your Weight In The Golf Swing - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipStart from here. Step my weight shifts. Then i swing down so it's going to look just like this whenMoreStart from here. Step my weight shifts. Then i swing down so it's going to look just like this when i take the paws. Out. Notice how i'm finishing with all my weight going toward the target.
How do I know my golf club swing weight?
Measure the distance of the balance point of the club from the end of the grip (in inches).Subtract 14" from the result, and multiply it by the club's total weight in ounces or grams.The result is the torque (in inch-grams or inch-ounces) about an axis 14" from the butt, the base definition of swingweight.More items...•Jan 2, 2021
What do golf club swing weights mean?
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.Mar 31, 2020
How much weight should be on your back foot in golf swing?
How much weight should be on your back foot in the golf swing? The amount of weight you should have on the back foot changes throughout the swing. At set up, the weight should be about 50-50, before moving up to 80% of your weight into the back foot at the top of the swing.Nov 14, 2021
Should you shift weight golf swing?
If you're only swinging with your arms, you won't be able to throw it very far. You'll naturally want to shift your weight in order to get the ball to travel far. So, do the same thing with your weight once you go back to a golf club and ball.
What is the difference between D2 and D3 swing weight?
The difference between each swing weight measurement is incredibly small. For example, all it takes to make a golf club go from a D2 to a D3 rating is about . 07 ounces in the club head. That is approximately the weight of a single penny.
What is a good swing weight for a driver?
But the good news is that a trend around swing weight has developed during Sinclair's thousands of hours of testing TPT shafts with golfers of all abilities. More than 80% of the time, he finds that golfers are creating the best results with a swing weight of D5 with Red Range shafts.
What swing weight 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.
Which is heavier D1 or D2?
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.
Does swing weight affect swing speed?
Does Swing Weight Affect Swing Speed? Swing weight has a direct impact on swing speed. If you are swinging a club that feels too heavy for you, you will not be able to swing it as fast. If, instead, you have a club that feels lightweight, you should be able to get quite a bit more distance.
Does swing weight matter?
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.Mar 4, 2015
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 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 Golf Swing Weight?
Contrary to what we first think about the term golf swing weight, it is simply the measure of how the gold club’s weight feels whenever it is swung.
What factors impact golf swing weight?
Now that we know what is golf swing weight – the feel on how weight is distributed and balanced in a golf club.
How is the golf swing weight measured?
Since we’ve already discussed what are swing weights in golf clubs, let’s now see how they measure it.
Can Swing Weight Affect Performance?
We know what are swing weights in golf clubs. Let’s now dive deeper and check if this can affect your performance.
Final Takeaways
In this article, we were able to answer the following questions: what is swing weight in a golf club, how is it measured, and how does it impact performance?
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 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.
Can you use a swingweight scale on a golf club?
Those measurements are taken using a swingweight scale, and yes , individual golfers can buy and use one if they really want to. Take a club, say a 5-iron. Imagine adding lead tape to the 5-iron. No matter where you put the lead tape, the actual weight of the club will be identical. That is, if the lead tape is placed on the clubhead, ...
Is swingweight important for golfers?
But not everyone is convinced that swingweight is something most recreational golfers need to lose sleep over.
Who is Brent Kelley?
Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. Swingweight is a factor that casual golfers rarely concern themselves with and serious golfers often concern themselves with.
Is a lighter shaft better for golf?
"Research indicates that lighter shafts are, in general, better for the average golfer. Less weight produces shots of greater distance and accuracy for beginning and intermediate players.
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 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 MOI match?
Matching all clubs in a set to their MOI has become a viable alternative to swing weight matching for many golfers. MOI matching may also be thought of roughly as building the clubs in a set to progressively increase swing weights from long to short irons in the set.
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 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.
Can a strong tempo golfer fit into a lighter shaft?
It is not uncommon for strong/aggressive transition/faster tempo golfers to end up being better fit into lighter shafts, but with a higher swing weight. While it certainly is less common for weaker/smooth transition/smooth tempo golfers to do better with a heavier shaft, it is not impossible. This is why a very experienced club fitter can be worth ...
What is swing weight?
Swing weight refers to the weight of a golf club at one-third of its top section (head) and two-thirds of its bottom section (grip). Although swing weight can have a major impact on a golfer’s performance, it can’t be considered as an absolute measurement.
What are the factors that affect the swing weight of a golf club?
There are four key factors that can have an impact on the swing weight of a golf club: Weight of your club’s grip. Weight of your club’s head. Weight of your club’s shaft. Length of your club. Altering just one of these parameters will modify the swing weight and in turn the feel of your golf club when you use it.
How to increase weight of golf club?
Using a lead tape to increase the swing weight. Stick a few lead tape strips on the clubhead of your golf club. Depending on the width of the tape, a 1-inch long strip of tape will increase the weight of the club by 1 gram. Apply the strips on the lower back of the golf club towards its center.
What does shaft weight mean?
As the name indicates, shaft weight refers to the weight of the shaft of your golf club. Shaft weight is an important aspect of any golf club and can have various consequences on your game. Incorrect shaft weight can affect your ball speed, result in wrong shots, lessen your distance and increase your dispersion.
How to adjust golf swing weight?
As a general rule of thumb, increasing the weight of the clubhead by two grams increases its swing weight by one point. Similarly, increasing the length of the golf club by one inch boosts the swing weight by six points.
How does the weight of a golf club affect the shaft?
The swing weight of a golf club is often directly proportional to the weight of its head. If the clubhead is heavy, the swing weight will also be heavy. This will result in the shaft playing soft. When the clubhead is light, the shaft will play stiff.
Why is my golf ball fat?
Turf contact. A heavy swing weight may result in hitting the golf ball thin. In contrast, you may be hitting the ball fat because of too light swing weight. Shot contact with the club. If the swing weight is heavy, the shots tend to get hit towards the golf club’s heel.
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 swing too light?
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.
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.
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.
Is there a preset swing weight for senior golfers?
Posted May 22, 2019. Swing weight has to do with "feel" of the club head more than anything else. There is no preset swing weight points for a senior golfer. If it means anything, the overall static weigt of the golf club for the golfers with slower swing speed should be lighter.
Is it bad to shoot for particular values?
And trying to shoot for particular values is usually just as bad an idea because it's also too much of an incomplete viewpoint. e.g. if those C8 irons have jumbo grips or even some counterbalancing, your actual head weights could be no different than a stock D2 iron.
Swingweight, Technically Speaking
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…
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…
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…