Adjusting the swing weight of a driver?

[Ake84]

I have tried to search on this topic, but could not find anything. So here it goes.

I have adjusted the length of one of my drivers, a 10,5* nickent 4dx, I cut it down to a 44" length. I lost 2 mph on my average swing speed, so that was not a big deal, and it seems like I am hitting the sweet spot a lot more than before. But the old swing weight was a d2, and now it feels a bit to light in the swing, all my other clubs are d2 as well. So I am thinking of adding some weight to the head, if I have understod the theory right, but I`m not sure on how much to add, and where I should put it on the head of the club. Since I have read that it could alter the performance of the head depending on where the weight is put on the head. Any tips? Am I overthinking this, or are there something to my thoughts?

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

I have cut almost every driver I have ever owned down a inch or so to 44 inches. I do this to gain a little more control (and it works for me) without much lose of distance. There will be some distance loss simply because the swing arch is a little shorter. SW wise, I have never been able to really feel the difference. If trimmed from the butt, you could weight the peice cut off and add that much weight in lead tape under the grip. The more you trim from the butt, the more towards the head the balance point will move without adding weight back to the butt end.

 

[Ole Gray]

I have cut almost every driver I have ever owned down a inch or so to 44 inches. I do this to gain a little more control (and it works for me) without much lose of distance. There will be some distance loss simply because the swing arch is a little shorter. SW wise, I have never been able to really feel the difference. If trimmed from the butt, you could weight the peice cut off and add that much weight in lead tape under the grip. The more you trim from the butt, the more towards the head the balance point will move without adding weight back to the butt end.

Cool info Hoosier! So if you do this (add lead tape), I wonder if it would affect sliding the grip on the shaft?

 

[ddelise]

Assuming you cut about 1" from the club, you have reduced the SW by 6 points. You will need to add approximately 12 grams in lead tape to the head to add the 6 SW points back. It does not matter where you add it. Note that both shortening the shaft and adding tape to the head will soften the flex of the shaft. I believe that doing both will just about reduce the effective flex 1 full designation (i.e. from a Stiff to a Regular).

http://www.equip2golf.com/clubmakin...?jackson_articles/swingweight.html~clubmaking

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

Cool info Hoosier! So if you do this (add lead tape), I wonder if it would affect sliding the grip on the shaft?

OG, I have done this a few times by just adding short strips and then cover with grip tape. I know this method is not science, but for me it is all about feel. I have tried just about everything once or twice when it comes to clubs and putters.

 

[Ole Gray]

OG, I have done this a few times by just adding short strips and then cover with grip tape. I know this method is not science, but for me it is all about feel. I have tried just about everything once or twice when it comes to clubs and putters.

That's the ticket Hoosier. There are several golfers including myself who do not like the longer shafts and had rather have better control with miminal loss of distance. I think this is a good thread for tips on how to get a club back in balance, when making alterations.

 

[Ake84]

Thanks for the replies! But I`m still a bit curious, Would not adding more weight in the grip end reduse the swingweight even further?
And second, are you guys sure it would not alter anything on where you add the weight on the head. As far as I have read, most OEM add weight in different places on the driver head to give it more forgiveness or a higher ball flight? Some even have the possibillity to change weights, why should it not matter where i put the lead tape then?

 

[Griff]

Thanks for the replies! But I`m still a bit curious, Would not adding more weight in the grip end reduse the swingweight even further?
And second, are you guys sure it would not alter anything on where you add the weight on the head. As far as I have read, most OEM add weight in different places on the driver head to give it more forgiveness or a higher ball flight? Some even have the possibillity to change weights, why should it not matter where i put the lead tape then?

Yes it would. When you cut down you have to add weight to the head to get back the SW. OR get a lighter grip. This is probably the simplest option given the wide variety of grips out there. As to where to add the weight best to keep it balanced. Too much weight in one spot could affect the angle at which the club face meets the ball. Way out on toe the face will close slower and could cause balls to go right. Way back and the ball could go higher. Could mess with the center of gravity as well, but I am not that smart to speak intelligently on that.

 

[Ake84]

Yes it would. When you cut down you have to add weight to the head to get back the SW. OR get a lighter grip. This is probably the simplest option given the wide variety of grips out there. As to where to add the weight best to keep it balanced. Too much weight in one spot could affect the angle at which the club face meets the ball. Way out on toe the face will close slower and could cause balls to go right. Way back and the ball could go higher. Could mess with the center of gravity as well, but I am not that smart to speak intelligently on that.

Thanks Griff. I have cut my driver 1,5" And added a midzise grip, I belive it was 8 grams heavier than the old grip. So that Means I should add about 24 grams to the head? And try to distribute that weight evenly on the head?

 

[ddelise]

Thanks Griff. I have cut my driver 1,5" And added a midzise grip, I belive it was 8 grams heavier than the old grip. So that Means I should add about 24 grams to the head? And try to distribute that weight evenly on the head?

Where you put the lead tape will have a negligible effect on the ball flight. Do an experiment and have a friend put all the weight on one side of the club and then the other, without telling you where it is. Then take some swings and see if you can see a huge difference. As for adding 24 grams of weight to the head (coupled with the fact that you chopped it down 1.5"), this is going to severely weaken the stiffness of the shaft. And this may be a good thing depending on your swing speed.

So, don't worry too much about where you put the lead tape. If you slice, put it more towards the heel. Do opposite if you hook the ball. As mentioned earlier, I don't think this will do much of anything, but if it makes you more confident, then it is worth the effort.

 

[Ake84]

I will have to try it out, but severely weaken the stiffness of the shaft may not be the best idea, I have a swing speed of 103-105 mph any lower than regular would not be great for me I think. Maybe I should just get used to the new swing weight instead.

 

[ddelise]

I will have to try it out, but severely weaken the stiffness of the shaft may not be the best idea, I have a swing speed of 103-105 mph any lower than regular would not be great for me I think. Maybe I should just get used to the new swing weight instead.

The beauty of the lead tape is that you can very easily do your test with/without it, and see if the weight works or hurts your ballflight/distance/and feel. Give each way a few hits and report back the results. Good luck!

 

[ddelise]

I will have to try it out, but severely weaken the stiffness of the shaft may not be the best idea, I have a swing speed of 103-105 mph any lower than regular would not be great for me I think. Maybe I should just get used to the new swing weight instead.

just curious, did you get a chance to experiment with the lead tape?

 

[Ake84]

I`m still waiting for my order on lead tape, they don`t sell that up here. But I will come back with the results as soon as I have gotten my tape.

 

[mastapp]

+1 with everyone who says do not add weight back to the are where it was cut off, as that will further reduce swing weight.

I'd think that it would be best to put the lead tape on the back and bottom of the club, so that it would move the CG back and lower, increasing launch angle.

Good luck, I'm a 5'8" golfer, I always cut my driver the 43.75". I never add weight back, and the driver is usually the best club in my bag.

 

[Jeanthemachine]

Comments about where to put tape being unimportant suggests that the moveable weights in many products are useless. I do not think that is so.

If you hook, put weight near the toe; if you slice, put it near the heel.

Just like all of golf - a game of opposites

 

[Ake84]

I ordered quite a lot of lead tape so I should be able to test a bit. I will try the different positions with the same weight and see if I can notice the difference.