Please explain swing weight to me please
SaskeyInWash
New member
I borrowed this from elsewhere on the internet but it is the best definition I have heard.
What IS Swingweight?
Swingweightis an arbitrary expression of the weight distribution of a golf club, as measured about a specific 14” fulcrum point on a measurement device called aswingweight scale. The output is expressed in a letter number designation most of you are well aware of. The lower the letter and number, the less the headweight will be noticed by the golfer when the club is swung.
Swingweightis NOT an absolute measurement of any type of weight or force. But more on that after I explain a few other things.
Why is it Important?
The purpose of swingweightis to try to express a specific amount of headweight FEEL in the golf club. Why is that important? There is a headweight feel for each golfer that will allow them to better control their swing tempo to be able to repeat their swing tempo/timing/rhythm more consistently so they can hit the ball more consistently.
Get that headweight feel TOO LIGHT for the golfer’s strength, swing force and personal tastes and the golfer will struggle with swinging too fast, struggle with turning an outside in path to a worst outside in path, fight releasing the club too early and overall have problems with hitting the ball more off center and more off line with a loss of distance.
Get that headweight feel TOO HEAVY and the golfer will struggle with all the logical things you would associate with the clubs feeling too heavy – possible loss of clubhead speed, tiring out sooner and losing swing consistency because of that, moving the body around too much during the swing in an effort to generate the strength to swing the club – and overall the sense that the club simply takes too much effort to swing.
Why Swingweightis NOT an Absolute, Actual Measurement
Swingweightis NOT an absolute measurement because it is controlled by the length, shaft weight, grip weight and headweight of the club. Let's say you have a club or clubs in which you really like the headweight feel. You go measure the swingweightand let's say it is D2. YOU CANNOT ASSUME THAT ANY CLUB YOU BUY OR USE IN THE FUTURE WITH A D2 SWINGWEIGHTIS GOING TO HAVE THE SAME HEADWEIGHT FEEL unless it has the same length, same shaft weight, same grip weight and same headweight.
This is because the swingweight scaleis an arbitrary device that can only measure one form of weight distribution for a golf clubabout one fixed fulcrum point. Remember - the HEADWEIGHT FEEL is the element that is most important about what swingweightis trying to tell us. And the headweight feel is determined by more than a simple reading on a swingweight scale. It is a product of ALL THESE THINGS - length, shaft weight, grip weight and headweight (and sometimes the shaft balance point too, if that is different enough).
Let's say you have a driver that has the perfect headweight feel for your swing tempo, timing and rhythm. Let's say it is 44" in length, 65g shaft, 50g grip and a D2 swingweight. If you hit a driver that is 45" with a 55g shaft with a 40 gram grip and a D2 swingweight, in no way will this club display the same headweight FEEL as the previous driver - because the length, shaft weight, grip weight and headweight were all different even though the scale measured the same D2 swingweight.
What IS Swingweight?
Swingweightis an arbitrary expression of the weight distribution of a golf club, as measured about a specific 14” fulcrum point on a measurement device called aswingweight scale. The output is expressed in a letter number designation most of you are well aware of. The lower the letter and number, the less the headweight will be noticed by the golfer when the club is swung.
Swingweightis NOT an absolute measurement of any type of weight or force. But more on that after I explain a few other things.
Why is it Important?
The purpose of swingweightis to try to express a specific amount of headweight FEEL in the golf club. Why is that important? There is a headweight feel for each golfer that will allow them to better control their swing tempo to be able to repeat their swing tempo/timing/rhythm more consistently so they can hit the ball more consistently.
Get that headweight feel TOO LIGHT for the golfer’s strength, swing force and personal tastes and the golfer will struggle with swinging too fast, struggle with turning an outside in path to a worst outside in path, fight releasing the club too early and overall have problems with hitting the ball more off center and more off line with a loss of distance.
Get that headweight feel TOO HEAVY and the golfer will struggle with all the logical things you would associate with the clubs feeling too heavy – possible loss of clubhead speed, tiring out sooner and losing swing consistency because of that, moving the body around too much during the swing in an effort to generate the strength to swing the club – and overall the sense that the club simply takes too much effort to swing.
Why Swingweightis NOT an Absolute, Actual Measurement
Swingweightis NOT an absolute measurement because it is controlled by the length, shaft weight, grip weight and headweight of the club. Let's say you have a club or clubs in which you really like the headweight feel. You go measure the swingweightand let's say it is D2. YOU CANNOT ASSUME THAT ANY CLUB YOU BUY OR USE IN THE FUTURE WITH A D2 SWINGWEIGHTIS GOING TO HAVE THE SAME HEADWEIGHT FEEL unless it has the same length, same shaft weight, same grip weight and same headweight.
This is because the swingweight scaleis an arbitrary device that can only measure one form of weight distribution for a golf clubabout one fixed fulcrum point. Remember - the HEADWEIGHT FEEL is the element that is most important about what swingweightis trying to tell us. And the headweight feel is determined by more than a simple reading on a swingweight scale. It is a product of ALL THESE THINGS - length, shaft weight, grip weight and headweight (and sometimes the shaft balance point too, if that is different enough).
Let's say you have a driver that has the perfect headweight feel for your swing tempo, timing and rhythm. Let's say it is 44" in length, 65g shaft, 50g grip and a D2 swingweight. If you hit a driver that is 45" with a 55g shaft with a 40 gram grip and a D2 swingweight, in no way will this club display the same headweight FEEL as the previous driver - because the length, shaft weight, grip weight and headweight were all different even though the scale measured the same D2 swingweight.
Golf 'N Gator
Formally HoosierGolfer
Great reply!
From Ralph Maltby;
A club's weight distribution around a fixed fulcrum point. The fulcrum point is typically 14" from the butt of the club. Swingweight is commonly referred to as the weight distribution of the grip, the shaft and the head through a given club length. It is measured in alpha-numeric units such as D-1, D-2, and so on with higher letter-number units indicating more weight in the head end relative to the grip end.
Great link; http://ralphmaltby.com/glossary#A