How important is weight when fitting a golf shaft?
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.”
Do movable weights make a difference in golf drivers?
Do Movable Weights Make a Difference? – Golf Myths Unplugged Game Changer or Placebo? Movable weights in drivers is a topic almost as contentious as bifurcating the rules of golf. Some golfers won’t buy a driver without them.
What is swing weight in golf?
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 do you know if your golf shaft is too heavy?
Nippon suggested that a player should be able to tell largely by feel. A shaft that’s too heavy will cause a “labored golf swing.” A shaft that’s too light will hurt your ability to make solid contact. When you find the right shaft weight, you’ll experience a “high energy swing” with uniform contact.
Are golf drivers different weights?
GD: How much lighter are you making drivers, and what specfically is the impact on club head speed? Radcliffe: Most golfers don't know what their drivers weigh, but the average driver out on tour probably weighs about 330 grams and the average driver on the market probably weighs 310-315.
What is the average weight of a golf driver?
The average weight of a golf driver is around 0.73 pounds or 0.33 kilograms.
Are golf clubs heavy?
The heaviest clubs in the bag are usually the wedges, which typically weigh around one pound. The lightest club in the bag is usually the driver, which is also the longest and weighs around ¾ of a pound (340 grams).
Is a heavier or lighter driver better?
Conclusion of Heavier vs Lighter Driver Heads In Golf It is clear that a heavier driver head can help you to achieve longer distances, however you need to be able to generate sufficient clubhead and ball speed. Lighter driver heads can help you to get the ball airborne and provide consistent carry.
Are lighter drivers better?
A lighter driver shaft rarely leads to a faster swing. “Only 12 percent of golfers swing their fastest with the lightest club,” Mucklow says.
How heavy should my driver be?
Start with this one. Driver shafts for sale typically weigh somewhere between 45 to 60 grams, although there are heavier driver shafts available. Most shaft weights beneath 50 grams are reserved for ladies' golf shafts.
Are lighter irons better?
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 heavy should my clubs 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 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 happens if your driver is too heavy?
What Are The Signs Your Driver Shaft Is Too Heavy? If you are struggling to swing through the ball, and are pushing your shots, it is likely the driver shaft is too heavy for your swing. A heavy driver shaft will further reduce your clubhead speed, which will limit your ability to generate sufficient ball speed.
What is the best swing weight for a driver?
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 does a heavier driver do?
Heavier Driver Head Increases Spin Rate Furthermore, a heavier head induces a lower ball flight and less spin, making it difficult for slower swinging players to launch.
What is the lightest driver head?
Sooolong 168 Gram World's Lightest, Longest Non-Conforming Golf Driver HeadSize9.5*ColorWhiteHand OrientationRightMaterialBeta Titanium
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 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.
How much does a Taylormade m5 driver head weight?
The face itself is optimised to be 20% thinner around the edges and 3.4g lighter to make it faster and this results in a sweet spot that is 66% larger....TaylorMade M5 Driver - Product Details.UK Launch15 February 2019MaterialTitanium, CarbonHead Volume460 ccClub Length45.75 inchesSwing WeightD417 more rows•Jan 3, 2019
How many testers have the lowest spin?
Four of five testers did have their lowest spin with the weight forward, and three had their highest spin with the weight back. Since the movable weights impacted launch and spin so significantly, it follows that they also affected distance.
Why do we favor testing with low handicap players?
We favor testing with low handicap players because the data is much cleaner: there are far fewer wild shots and mishits. However, it would be interesting to see if higher handicap players would be more or less sensitive to the movement of weight.
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.
What Does it Mean to Have Your Weight Forward in Your Golf Swing?
Having your weight forward in a golf swing means that instead of having a 50-50 weight distribution at address, the golfer has at least 55% of his weight toward his front foot.
Should Your Weight Be on Your Front Foot During a Golf Swing?
Yes, to ensure maximum distance and a fluid swing, there must be a proper weight transfer during the swing at some point before impact.
Pros of the Weight Forward Golf Swing
There are lots of advantages to adopting a weight-forward golf swing. Here is a list of some of those benefits.
Cons of the Weight Forward Golf Swing
As most golfers know, there are positives and negatives to every type of golf swing. Here are some of the cons of adopting a weight-forward golf swing.
Common Golf Swing Weight Shift Problems
We already mentioned this one a few times but we’ll list it here as well. This is when the golfer shifts their weight to their back leg during the backswing but never shifts it to their front leg during the downswing.
Drills to Help You Practice Weight Transfer During Your Swing
Here’s a fun drill that doesn’t require any special items. When practicing your swing at the driving range, try to do a toe tap with your back foot while completing your follow-through. This is a great drill to do as part of your warm-up before a round of golf.
Difference Between Graphite and Steel Shafts
The major difference between graphite and steel shafts is their composition. Graphite golf shafts are made with composite shafts built to be lighter and offer different performance levels than other materials. Sheel shafts are stable, sturdy, and workable and can make the game easier for certain players.
Should I Play Graphite or Stiff Shafts?
Now that you understand the differences between the graphite and steel golf shafts let’s look at which one will be the best for your game. Certain golfers are going to fit into the graphite and steel category very clearly.
Should Beginner or High Handicapper Use Graphite or Steel Shafts?
There is a misconception in the world of golf that all beginners and high handicappers need to use graphite golf shafts. This is not true.
Which Golf Clubs Need Graphite Shafts
Throughout this guide, I have been talking about graphite shafts and steel shafts across an entire set of clubs. However, most golfers have a mix of both graphite and steel in their golf club sets. Let’s take a look at which clubs make sense to have in graphite and which should be steel shafted.
Do Pro Golfers Use Graphite Shafts?
Pro golfers use graphite shafts in the drivers, wood, hybrids, and sometimes even their long irons. Most of the players on the PGA Tour have so much swing speed and require feedback from their iron shafts that only steel is going to benefit these players.
Conclusion: What Is Better Graphite or Steel?
In the end, I can’t say that graphite or steel shafts are better. I think having a combination of options in your bag that works specifically for your swing speed and ball flight preferences is essential. There is no right or wrong golf shaft in the game.
What does a club champion say about weight?
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.”.
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.
Can high balance shafts be used with standard heads?
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.”.
Where does Matt live?
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 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 ...
Game Changer Or Placebo?
The Myths
- Myth #1 – Movable weights affect launch and spin Myth #2 – Movable weights affect shot shape and dispersion Myth #3 – Movable weights affect forgiveness Myth #4 – Movable weights affect feel
How We Tested
- For this test, we brought together five testers, all with single digit handicaps. Each player hit the same driver (TaylorMade M5) with the weights in four different positions: forward, back, heel, and toe. Each player selected a shaft that fit their swing and used it throughout the test. We collected data on every swing but only counted five drives per setting, each with a smash factor above 1.4…
The Results
- Though the results were not always predictable, there is no question that launch and spin were affected by the position of the weights. In comparing their highest launching setting to their lowest launching setting, our testers had differences of 3.2, 3.7, 2.1, 2, and 2.8 degrees. It is worth noting that the forward weight position, which should be...
For Future Testing
- One thing that we’re interested in is how different the results would be with mid or high handicap players. We favor testing with low handicap players because the data is much cleaner: there are far fewer wild shots and mishits. However, it would be interesting to see if higher handicap players would be more or less sensitive to the movement of weight. Our hypothesis is that high …
Conclusion
- This test provided at least as many questions and opportunities for further testing as it did answers, but one thing is very clear: if you have movable weights in your driver, you can gain a lot by having them positioned correctly. Don’t settle for the weight position that is supposed to work for you. Book some time on a launch monitor, preferably with a club fitter, and test a variety of w…