Can adding weight to a driver head help certain golfers increase club head speed?

[Daddio]

I've been working real hard on which driver to replace my gamer with and intend to finalize things very soon. In my testing, one of the best performing candidates consistently swings 2-3 mph slower for me than my gamer or the other top candidates. It's consistently slower over several test sessions, hundreds of swings, with several shafts and flexes. What's perplexing is that I get stellar ball speeds and distance off this slow swinging driver (it's tied for first on average) but I assume there's maybe another 10+ potential yards if I swung it as fast as the others. The driver head just feels light, and I seem to lose feel of the head after transition. I sense it's lighter feel might be leading to me losing lag and load versus the other drivers which is costing a little head speed. Is that plausible? Might adding a few grams to the club head help me? I'm one whose transition can get too quick and I also struggle to maintain lag to impact. Thanks.

 

[tequila4kapp]

All other things being equal I'd think heavier would mean slower.

 

[-CRW-]

The honest answer is “maybe”. There are too many variables to just make a blanket statement.

Even if it did slow you down some it’s possible to see an increase in ball speed due to other variables.

 

[ChristopherKee]

I increased my "swing speed" when I went to a 210g head with a back weighted 65g shaft. The heavier head allowed me to feel where the club was during my downswing and I started releasing the club much later allowing the stored energy to release closer to the point of impact. So in this example yes. Question is, if I could replicate the release pattern with a lighter head would that be faster?

 

[Daddio]

I increased my "swing speed" when I went to a 210g head with a back weighted 65g shaft. The heavier head allowed me to feel where the club was during my downswing and I started releasing the club much later allowing the stored energy to release closer to the point of impact. So in this example yes. Question is, if I could replicate the release pattern with a lighter head would that be faster?

The first half of your response defines exactly 'what' and 'why' I started this thread. The question you pose at the end though is something I hadn't even considered. Thank you. Figuring out how to do THAT, might offer the real key to unlocking what I sense is extra potential in the driver I'm swing slower. Lighter should be faster.

 

[tahoebum]

I don't do well with a lighter swingweight in any of my clubs. Most everything in my bag is a D4ish swingweight. To answer your question, a heavier club(swingweight) might not increase my swing speed but it increases ball speed because I find center face much more often with the heavier swingweight.

 

[dacatalyst41]

I don't do well with a lighter swingweight in any of my clubs. Most everything in my bag is a D4ish swingweight. To answer your question, a heavier club(swingweight) might not increase my swing speed but it increases ball speed because I find center face much more often with the heavier swingweight.

This is a great point.

 

[myspinonit]

As someone above said, many variables.
Including "feel", that can be very important in fitting. A lighter or heavier head- or shaft- or just plain static weight of the club as a whole- can make a huge difference in confidence and freedom during the swing. If one dislikes the bend profile of a shaft, one can (perhaps unconsciously slow down to "time" the hitting zone. Or get too quick and handsy if the shaft feels boardy.

etc. etc. Lots of good reading on this, by Tom Wishon for example. The importance of getting properly fitted as he has always said.