Swing Weight in Golf Clubs
- Identification. In the 1920s, club manufacturers invented swing weight as a measure of the dynamic feel of the golf club.
- Measurement. ...
- Expressing Swing Weights. ...
- Considerations. ...
- Adjustment. ...
How to change the swing weight of a golf club?
Apr 11, 2022 · Swing weight, simply put, is how heavy a golf club feels when you swing it. It is not a finite measurement and is not something measured in grams like the weight of a golf club’s shaft or grip. This measurement was invented in the 1920s to describe the dynamic feel of a golf club as the player swings it.
How to Swing Golf Club for beginners?
Mar 31, 2020 · They’re referring to the club’s swing weight. 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...
How do you transfer your weight in the golf swing?
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. When fitting swing weight, good club fitters really know that they are instead fitting for the head weight feel of the golf club.
How to properly shift weight in a golf swing?
So, according to this scale, A0 is the lightest swing weight, while G10 is the greatest possible swing weight. If the club is for men’s use, the recommended swing weights should range from D0 to D2. With golf clubs for women, the golden standard for clubs will range from C5 to C7. How To Measure Your Club’s Swing- Weight
What is a good swing weight for irons?
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. at the club head, about the weight of a penny.
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.
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 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
Is D2 swing weight heavier than D3?
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.
How many grams is swing weight?
Weight can be removed from irons and wedges by grinding material from the club head. 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.
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.
Should driver swing weight be the same as irons?
All of Your Clubs Should Have the Same Swing Weight Even if you think your clubs are a bit light or heavy for you, all the clubs in your bag should at least be very close to the same swing weight. Using clubs with different swing weights typically leads to poor performance on the course.
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
How do I know my swing weight?
An accepted rule of thumb is that increasing or decreasing the weight of the clubhead by 2 grams will increase or decrease the swingweight by 1 and the same impact would be achieved by adding or subtracting 5 grams to or from the grip and 9 grams to or from the shaft.May 24, 2014
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Answer
Swing weight refers to the amount of weight in the bottom two thirds of a golf club compared to the top third. It matters because it reflects the feel of a golf club to the player, more so than a club's total weight. This is important to match all the clubs within your set.
More about swing weight
Swing weight is measured using a balance scale that was patented by clubmaker Robert Adams in 1934. The scale goes from A0-G9 with the greater the letter and number, the heavier the swing weight. An average men’s golf club would have a swing weight of D2 whilst a ladies club would be C6.
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.
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.
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.
Why is precision important in golf?
The precision is very important because a small error in weight or position of the center of gravity will result in the swing weight point of errors in the final measurement. Measure the balance point distance of the golf club in inches from the end of its grip cap.
What is the best scale to measure swing weight?
This is one of the most common methods of measuring the golf swing weight of your golf club. The 14-inch Lorythmic scale is a popular swing weight scale that has a sliding weight and a fulcrum.
How to get a comfortable feel in golf?
Attach the lead tape near the grip end of the golf club. This will lessen the swing weight of the club while increasing the weight of the grip. This will give you a comfortable feel without affecting the flight of the ball.
Is the Taylormade M4 driver adjustable?
Is the TaylorMade M4 driver adjustable? Yes, the TaylorMade M4 driver is adjustable. It’s possible to have twelve different options for the loft, lie angle and face angle, including the standard...
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 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.
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.
What is the difference between D4 and D2?
Differences Between the D4 & D2 Swing Weight. If you increase the weight of your club head, you will increase the club's swing weight. A golf club’s swing weight measures its "resistance to being swung in a circle,” according to Leaderboard.com. Swing weight does not measure a club’s total weight, but rather its distribution.
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…