• 12-19-2008
    Strick
    What's your ideal driver swingweight?
    I'm having a nightmare trying to find a driver set-up that suits me. My XLS with the OEM Fuji Fit on Gold Stiff was swingweight D-.5 with a 3.5tq active tip. It felt real easy to swing but tip was so soft I had to choke down on it to control it and it balloons badly into the wind. Reshafted with a Pro Launch Red Reg. which brought the swingweight up to D-3.5 with 3.0tq and tightened dispersion and stopped ballooning. The problem here is I have to swing at 100% effort to gain this performance so it's a little too heavy. If I fail to maintain 100% my hands will flip and pull hook. I'm wondering if cutting length off the butt end of the Pro Launch Red will reduce the swingweight without significantly changing it's dynamic. Also wondering if tipping the OEM shaft might tighten up the dispersion and cut down on the ballooning. I've also acquired a pulled OEM Fuji Fit on Red Stiff and a pulled Aldila NV65 Stiff which I may also try. If the Pro Launch Red was about D-2 or D-2.5 I think I'd be set. Any suggestions? And curious what Swingweights work best for you guys in your drivers. Thanks Strick::confused:

    PS: I pm'd LyleG on "Pillowtalk" but he didn't respond.
  • 12-19-2008
    Puma with a putter
    Well, that's an interesting question. To which I respond perhaps it is not your swing weight that is the problem, perhaps it's your swing vector. What you need to do is get a impact with the face being between 1-1/2 and 3 degrees open, which will impart 89% of the side spin on the ball if your swing speed is between 109 and 127-1/3 miles per hour. Of course that vector will increase by 0.001 degrees for every mile per hour your swing speed is below 109 miles per hour. Which by extension should imply that the angle must decrease by 0.002 degrees for every mile per hour your swing speed is over 127 miles per hour. Unless of course there is more than 5 miles per hour of side wind coming left to right. In that case you must increase your angle of ascent by the square root of pi for every 2.774 miles per hour in which the wind is blowing. Which is of course only true for right handed people under 215 pounds (approximately 97.3 Kg). Now obviously right handers over 215 pounds (approximately 15.357 stone) Need to change their angle of ascent by the inverse of the imaginary number j degrees to the west on days in which the moon and the sun are in the same sky. Once again, assuming they are right handed. Left handed players need to incorporate an abacus to increase their shaft flex point by using the mathematical equations generated at Stone Henge. Now, if you are playing on the second equinox of any lunar cycle then of course all of these equations are moot and in fact, you need to get a NASA super computer or that one which kept asking "Do you want to play a game?" from the movie "War Games". Now, by this point it should be obvious that I'm only referring to the angle of ascent and not to the angle of the club's plane, Which is an entirely new discussion all together. The answer to those mysteries can only be computed by geniuses like Val Kilmer in that "Real Genius" movie in the 80's.

    Yeah, its either that or go out and hit a bunch of drivers with a bunch of different shafts and see which one you like best.
  • 12-19-2008
    LyleG
    There is no such thing as ideal swingweight. I could build you 5 drivers all completely different yet with the same swing weight. Swing weight by itself is a completely useless number.
  • 12-19-2008
    FreakOfNature
    Swingweight is a preference. I prefer a club to feel a bit heavy overall, I like the benefits that has on my rhythm. Makes everything smoother. Everyone has their own tastes, but it is kind of a critical factor in creating a level of comfort with clubs for each player. Playing outside of your preferred swingweight range is like sleeping on someone else's bed. You can do it, but it just feels a bit wrong in some way.

    That's how it works with me anyways.



    FON
  • 12-19-2008
    dorkman53
    [QUOTE=FreakOfNature]Swingweight is a preference. I prefer a club to feel a bit heavy overall, I like the benefits that has on my rhythm. Makes everything smoother. Everyone has their own tastes, but it is kind of a critical factor in creating a level of comfort with clubs for each player. Playing outside of your preferred swingweight range is like sleeping on someone else's bed. You can do it, but it just feels a bit wrong in some way.

    That's how it works with me anyways.



    FON[/QUOTE]
    I agree. I like a heavy feeling club, at least in the irons and wedges. (I also have a "Heavy Putter.") Tempo is everything for maintaining control, for me.

    I don't care for my woods and hybrids to feel as heavy, but I still don't like them to feel really light, either. Especially in a driver, I can't tell as well where the head is if the swingweight is too light.
  • 12-20-2008
    LyleG
    Again I can make you a heavy feeling driver, with a lot of head feel that reads C5 on a scale. I can also build you a driver that feels lite, has zero head feel and reads D7. Swingweight was designed to fine tune flex on hickory shafts 75 years ago. Today it is the most misunderstood, misused, and abused term in golf club fitting.
  • 12-20-2008
    bjdrivers
    if i've said it once, i've said it 1000 times, lyleGay knows men's shafts.
  • 12-20-2008
    Kiwi Player
    [QUOTE=bjdrivers]if i've said it once, i've said it 1000 times, lyleGay knows men's shafts.[/QUOTE]

    Priceless! :thumbsup:
  • 12-21-2008
    pingman360
    [QUOTE=LyleG]Again I can make you a heavy feeling driver, with a lot of head feel that reads C5 on a scale. I can also build you a driver that feels lite, has zero head feel and reads D7. Swingweight was designed to fine tune flex on hickory shafts 75 years ago. Today it is the most misunderstood, misused, and abused term in golf club fitting.[/QUOTE]

    so so you think that it matters if al the clubs in your bag the the same SW???

    i know my dirver is a C7 and then my clubs get progressively heavier through the bag... i have heard that it is important for all your clubs to be the same SW but i am not sure how much merit there is to this... i understand there may be fewer variables to deal with if eveything is uniform but i also think it is more important to be comfortable with your clubs... whats your thoughts on this???
  • 12-21-2008
    DeadlySight
    [QUOTE=pingman360]so so you think that it matters if al the clubs in your bag the the same SW???

    i know my dirver is a C7 and then my clubs get progressively heavier through the bag... i have heard that it is important for all your clubs to be the same SW but i am not sure how much merit there is to this... i understand there may be fewer variables to deal with if eveything is uniform but i also think it is more important to be comfortable with your clubs... whats your thoughts on this???[/QUOTE]


    Everything I've heard from clubmakers is the swingweight should get heavier as you progress down you bag, 4i should be heavier then 3i, Wedges heavier then all.

    Reasoning is, Shorter shafts so the heavier head actually just makes them feel the same.
    1lb at the end of a 10ft stick probably feels the same as 10 lbs on the end of a 1ft stick.
  • 12-22-2008
    Horseballs
    Puma is dead on. My ideal swing weight is shutupgolfnerds.
  • 12-22-2008
    Puma with a putter
    Thanks, HB.
  • 12-24-2008
    Not a hacker
    I have to back up Puma and HB here and say the only advice I have is:

    Get a life Nerd!
  • 12-24-2008
    Pky6471
    [There is no such thing as ideal swingweight. I could build you 5 drivers all completely different yet with the same swing weight. Swing weight by itself is a completely useless number]

    The right swingweight is the one that gives you 275 yds right down the middle everytime
  • 03-22-2009
    MatouMatou
    For the past year I've been looking for the correct driver shaft combo.
    I purchased over the past year 7 different drivers and all TaylorMade and all
    except for one have Movable Weight Technology.
    Each club had a different shaft. Some were XS some R Some 55 some 65 etc.
    I figured instead of buying a $1000 club I'd buy a lot of different clubs that I can adjust the weight on and try all different combinations.
    I found most of the time that adding weight increased stability but lowered swing speed and distance remained the same along with accuracy.
    All clubs seemed to have the same characteristics when adding and removing weights.
    I was trying a TaylorMade Limited r7driver which had a good feel and hit prety long and straight. even though it was prety good the way it was I added 20 g of weight to it, 10g toe, 14g center, and 16g heel. It came with 2g toe,16g center, and 2g heel and a Graphite Design Pershing 65 R shaft. I found that with the added weight the club performed terrific with added distance great control and little or no noticeable loss in swing speed! My swing speed with this setup was measured between 102 and 108 MPH. (I use a swing speed radar by sports sensors inc. only $100 and it can also be used for bat speed also).
    It took a while but I think I may have found my Driver! Probably due to a combination of the right shaft and right club weight for my swing speed, tempo, and strength. And this club is not even close to the lighter club weight I was previously fitted for. My club is much heavier. I think a lot of it has to do with your own personal feel and your confidence in that club!
    So pretty much Puma is right on!