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Swing Weight, do you know it? Does it matter?

Nippon Shafts
jdtox

jdtox

Lord Tox
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Due to a recent new shaft install I found out the swing weight on my driver and the repair guy and myself were a bit surprised so I thought I'd try and find some answers.

He measured my current setup (Callaway Alpha 815 w/Diamana S+ 62g stiff) fully assembled it came out D6. He rechecked it with the new Yellow HZRDUS in it and still came out D6. I don't know much about swing weight or how much it can affect anything except feel but we were a bit surprised by this for a couple reasons. He said that was pretty heavy for a driver.

1. According to Callaway's info the Alpha 815 with the Diamana S+ the swing weight is D4.
2. I have read things about the yellow HZRDUS that says its a counterbalanced shaft and could change swing weight up to 3 points lighter.

So what is making the setup heavier? Just trying to learn something here.
 
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Good question Jeremy. Something I'd be interested in knowing as well....especially since we have the same set up, basically.
 
The playing length as well as your grip weight contribute to your swing weight. You can either increase weight in the grip to go down in swing weight or reduce the length about 3/8" it should bring you down to D4.

It's all personal preference, but yes D6 is quite heavy. Assuming you dont have any extra weights in the head that makes it heavier than standard approx 200g
 
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No extra weights or lead tape on the head. So if I understand this correctly if the shaft is 1/2" longer it would cause SW to go up 2 points?

I had him match the length of shaft that was in there. Fully assembled with grip on came to 46". That could explain it I guess if thats how this works.


Stock info on Callaway website says 45.5". Hmm, I always assumed the shaft was stock setup. Now that its in my head I guess I'll have to see how it plays. If necessary I can trim another .5" off the end and regrip, can't hurt right?
 
I have no idea want the swing weight is on my clubs. When I order clubs I am expecting the OEM to have the swing weight set to what their standard is, but after reading info in another thread that isn't always the case.

guess when I tinker with shafts I need to check this
 
Wow, that's an interesting thought. My Bio Cell is stock, so I've always assumed it was D4, might need to get that checked out.
 
i have no freaking clue what any of my clubs are, and to my knowledge they've never been measured. honestly, i don't think i want to know because it's one more thing to second guess.
 
Swing weight is a relationship of the weight at the head end in relationship to the total weight. So even if two shafts weighed the same, the swing weight could be different depending on how the weight of the shaft is distributed throughout its length. If the HZRDUS shaft is lighter than the stock shaft, it could be the length of the shaft that is keeping the swing weights the same.

As for the stock SW being off, I've seen it on almost every club I've owned. And talking to manufacturer reps, fitters, and local builders I can't get a straight answer on why this happens. I think it's because there is no standard for the manufacturers to follow. So the listed D4 is likely for the shaft at a specific length with a specific grip.

My Titleist 915D2 is supposed to have a D2 swing weight with the stock shaft options according to the specs on their site, but mine is at D5.5 with the shaft I picked.
 
jdtox said:
No extra weights or lead tape on the head. So if I understand this correctly if the shaft is 1/2" longer it would cause SW to go up 2 points?

I had him match the length of shaft that was in there. Fully assembled with grip on came to 46". That could explain it I guess if thats how this works.


Stock info on Callaway website says 45.5". Hmm, I always assumed the shaft was stock setup. Now that its in my head I guess I'll have to see how it plays. If necessary I can trim another .5" off the end and regrip, can't hurt right?
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If you're longer than standard by 1/2" that's 3 swing weights. So yes if you trim it back to spec then it would be around where standard is.

Swing weight becomes crucial if you're having to compensate in your swing based on how heavy or light it is. Most important part of sw is its relation to the rest of the set.

Wedges/irons/hybrids+fw all should have sw similar to each grouping with driver being more or less related to fw but typically lighter in sw.

Keep in mind if you bought your club retail and not built, it's a good idea to measure its length loft and lie as well as sw just to make sure you're getting what you expect.
 
All I know is that I like something between D2 and D4 in order to feel truly comfortable.
 
I understand swing weight. I'm sure extremes matter. I have no idea what any of my swing weights are.
 
Plin said:
If you're longer than standard by 1/2" that's 3 swing weights. So yes if you trim it back to spec then it would be around where standard is.

Swing weight becomes crucial if you're having to compensate in your swing based on how heavy or light it is. Most important part of sw is its relation to the rest of the set.

Wedges/irons/hybrids+fw all should have sw similar to each grouping with driver being more or less related to fw but typically lighter in sw.

Keep in mind if you bought your club retail and not built, it's a good idea to measure its length loft and lie as well as sw just to make sure you're getting what you expect.
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Thanks. I did not buy my club retail, it was made for me by the awesome guys at Callaway during the 2014 Grandaddy. I never thought to check it before, why would I? Its not a big deal I don't think, but now that I am aware of it I am curious what would happen if I did cut the shaft a 1/2" and made it lighter.
 
Were you fit to 46" driver? From what I've noticed, the hzrdus yellow is very slightly counter balanced and doesn't affect swing weight much. As posted earlier, if you butt trim .5 inch it will lessen swing weight by 3 points.
 
jdtox said:
Thanks. I did not buy my club retail, it was made for me by the awesome guys at Callaway during the 2014 Grandaddy. I never thought to check it before, why would I? Its not a big deal I don't think, but now that I am aware of it I am curious what would happen if I did cut the shaft a 1/2" and made it lighter.
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If you're feeling at d6 you're having trouble getting the head to the ball it's a good idea to lower it.

Having a comfortable sw makes all the difference in getting a good shoulder turn and keeping in sync with the rest of your swing.

I found that I like a lighter sw to keep my hands out of the initial takeaway.



Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk
 
kc720 said:
Were you fit to 46" driver? From what I've noticed, the hzrdus yellow is very slightly counter balanced and doesn't affect swing weight much. As posted earlier, if you butt trim .5 inch it will lessen swing weight by 3 points.
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I was fit for the driver, but don't recall it needing to be longer. All my clubs are standard L/L. Like i said I don't think its a big deal, its just something I would never have known or even thought to check. It was brought to my attention when getting the new shaft tipped and gripped because I wanted it to be the same, then I started getting curious and wanted to know more.
 
buzz it down to D 4.5, or more to D3, then add weight to the head back to D4. D6 is hard to bring around unless you have a wide swing and nice pause at the top...timing will be essential at D6.
IMO: 45.75 max and the build has to be good in relation to shaft weight, head weight, grip weight to attain a good balance.
 
ArmyGolf said:
All I know is that I like something between D2 and D4 in order to feel truly comfortable.
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I agree. I'm at D3 with driver, woods and hybrids. D6 would be pretty heavy but the feel is subjective. I know I don't like anything much less than D2 or heavier than D4.
 
My irons are D5 and wedges are D7. My woods are all D3. I like to feel the head of the club. I feel like it's easier to swing the irons, even though they may have that heavier feel.
 
I know my driver is at D1.5 due to a shorter shaft and a heavier grip. I've considered adding a little weight to bring it up a point or 2 but I am very hesitant to mess with it right now.
 
Reading everyone's sw and realizing I'm a freak at C6

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk
 
Plin said:
Reading everyone's sw and realizing I'm a freak at C6

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk
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Not as much as Bryson DeChambeau and his B9 driver.

I got fit into D4 swingweight last year, turns out that I like a heavier feel to smooth out my tempo and let me feel the clubhead a little bit more. I will say that I have a 3 wood in the bag that isn't built to that spec, and I can't tell a huge difference.
 
You'd be surprised how much you can adjust based on the weight, it's just easier to have a more consistent setup.

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk
 
Longer can make it go up.
I commonly cut my drivers down so I always have to add head weight usually.
I measure all my clubs with a SW scale.
I like my driver in the D1 or 2 area.
Irons around D2 or 3.
Wedges even heavier.
 
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