Midsize grip - change swing weight?

[Bogey London]

Hi, I want to change my iron grips from standard size to midsize.

 

Will this change affect my swing weight? Will the SW be lighter?

 

Thanks.

[CoiledUP]

Hi, I want to change my iron grips from standard size to midsize.

 

Will this change affect my swing weight? Will the SW be lighter?

 

Thanks.

 

If the same weight no, if not and heavier, yes.

[Socrates]

If the grip is heavier, the SW scale will show a lighter SW. However, you do not want to add weight to the head to compensate. All this will do is to further add heft to the club and this is usually a bad thing to do. After a few rounds you will have adjusted to the new feel of the heavier/larger grip.

 

The grip change will not have changed the way the shaft performs but adding weight to the head to get back to an arbitrary SW will change how the shaft performs.

[Rhythm&TempoRenzo]

Hi, I want to change my iron grips from standard size to midsize.

 

Will this change affect my swing weight? Will the SW be lighter?

 

Thanks.

 

I agree, check the weight of your new grips versus the weight of your currently installed grips. Also don’t forget to be aware of the number of tape wraps under the grips as they contribute to overall swing weight too. Last but not least - “Welcome to WRX”

[gators78]

Yes midsize will change the swingweight around. When I had my current set built they opted for standard grips + 4 wraps to save a good bit of weight, compared to midsize + adding weights to the heads, which stated above starts having all kinds of implications.

[JStang]

I recently went to midsize tour velvets because they are only 53g. Very light for a midsize grip.

[JamesBurg]

Swingweight scale assumes standard grip. Put a heavier grip on and you just fool the scale. Any actual swingweight change would be minuscule. You would be holding most of the increased weight in your hands.

[carrera]

Don't overthink it. Easy to fall down the rabbit hole worrying about slight changes in swingweight, shaft flex etc. The percentage of golfers that would be able to identify changes like that is very very small. Guys think their hooks are caused by irons being a degree too upright...that sort of thing. "Hook machine" clubs that have a degree of offset. Just my opinion (after years about being worried about that sort of thing).

[hlca]

The grip weight absolutely affects the swing weight. Have you ever held a club without a grip? Feels like it weighs a ton. Well put a heavy grip and it will feel light. That said, I don't know putting a heavy grip + lead tape on head is a good idea either if it just makes the club too heavy for you.

[SlamMan]

Swingweight scale assumes standard grip. Put a heavier grip on and you just fool the scale. Any actual swingweight change would be minuscule. You would be holding most of the increased weight in your hands.

This way has always made the most sense to me. On a swing weight scale the axis is below the butt so a heavier grip makes it read lighter but in reality when you swing the club the axis is well above the butt so a heavier grip makes the whole club heavier. I've experimented with everything from undersized to jumbo and in my experience I could never really feel a difference other than size.

[Gamble Gamble]

Don't overthink it. Easy to fall down the rabbit hole worrying about slight changes in swingweight, shaft flex etc. The percentage of golfers that would be able to identify changes like that is very very small. Guys think their hooks are caused by irons being a degree too upright...that sort of thing. "Hook machine" clubs that have a degree of offset. Just my opinion (after years about being worried about that sort of thing).

 

I agree with your main point regarding not falling down the rabbit hole. Midsize grips aren’t going to make that big of a difference.

 

However, I’m going to disagree with the idea that ill fitting clubs don’t cause poor shots. Up until this year my big miss was a hook, especially with irons. After having my clubs fit and bent 2* flat I can now hit draws, fades and straight shots with my irons. There were no big changes in my swing since that adjustment but the shot shape has been dramatically neutralized. The massive hook has completely disappeared too, unless I’m using it to punch out of the trees.

[RichieHunt]

Yes, heavier grip will make the swing weight lighter. It's one of the major flaws of the swingweight concept...it does not account for the static weight of the club. If you were to utilize MOI matching (measuring the MOI of the entire club), You will find that the club will either have the same MOI (heft) or a slight increase with a midsize grip...depending on how the grip is designed.

 

In essence, it won't have a big impact unless you were to go to a Jumbo Maxx or Enlow grip.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[Albatross85]

Swingweight scale assumes standard grip. Put a heavier grip on and you just fool the scale. Any actual swingweight change would be minuscule. You would be holding most of the increased weight in your hands.

This is the correct answer. Ignore the rest. You are just fooling the scale. SW is measured with a standard grip.

[GMR]

I have switched from standard to midsize and now to jumbo (CP2 Pro Jumbo @ 80g). Yes, the club will feel different, but not because the head feels any heavier on a relative basis. More like the club as a whole just feels more substantial, probably due to the increased total weight.

[NDS55]

As has been stated above, a heavier grip will fool a swing weight scale. That doesn't mean that it will affect it's performance, and you shouldn't make other changes to compensate. That is the reason that the majority of club fitters MOI match clubs. When I used swing weighting for matching a set, I would measure them without a grip at 10 s/w points heavy, then a 50 gr. grip would bring them to spec.

[JamesBurg]

The grip weight absolutely affects the swing weight. Have you ever held a club without a grip? Feels like it weighs a ton. Well put a heavy grip and it will feel light. That said, I don't know putting a heavy grip + lead tape on head is a good idea either if it just makes the club too heavy for you.

 

How heavy something feels is substantially influenced by the area of your hands that you can grip it with. A golf club without a grip will feel very heavy because you only have the shaft to grip. If you change from standard grip to a larger grip, the swingweight may feel slightly lighter because you can grip it better, but again any actual swingweight change would be minuscule.

[Jonlewis031]

I realize this is an old topic and maybe it’s somewhere else, but I’m realizing that changing from standard grip to mid grip is very dependent on the brand/style of grip. 
 

Golf Pride CP2 has a huge increase in grip weight from standard (50g) to midsize (63.5g) to jumbo (80g) that is enough going from standard to midsize to move you from a D1 to a C9 

 

I think with other brands (super strike standard to mid grip is a weight change of 1g) I agree with all the above statements that it isn’t relevant- however, with the CP2 specifically it is absolutely going to change the feel.

[Moonlightgrm]

A heavier grip will produce a reduction in swing weight and vice

versa.

 

[MysteryV]

On 3/20/2018 at 5:04 PM, carrera said:

Don't overthink it. Easy to fall down the rabbit hole worrying about slight changes in swingweight, shaft flex etc. The percentage of golfers that would be able to identify changes like that is very very small. Guys think their hooks are caused by irons being a degree too upright...that sort of thing. "Hook machine" clubs that have a degree of offset. Just my opinion (after years about being worried about that sort of thing).

 

Totally agree.  That said A) I recently went to a Mavrik 3D driver w/ flatter lie angle and it has helped my hooks immensely and B) I'm pretty sure my irons are now hooking because they're too upright  ?

 

For OP - head weight and shaft weight have a much more noticeable impact regardless of what the SW Scale actually reads (for me at least).  I'd add that the level of comfort you'll get from going to a Mid grip from a Standard grip will be MUCH more impactful.  It was a life changer for me having played standard grips since I started, yet being 6'3, wearing a large glove, and being able to palm a basketball.

 

Just do it.  If you need a touch of lead tape - it's easy to fix.  If you hate the look and decide on tip weights - it's an opportunity to get some sick BB&F ferrules to match your new MCC Teams Mid grips!!! 

[RichieHunt]

Most likely the swingweight will change.  Swingweight is a terribly flawed and nonsensical measurement.  The idea behind it is good, but it doesn't actually measure it correctly because it does not factor in static weight and it does not measure the club moving dynamically.

 

If you go to a midsize grip, it will probably add ~10-15 grams of total weight to the club.  That will drop the swingweight by 2-3 points.  But again, swingweight is illogical in that regard....wanting you to believe a club you've literally made heavier is now lighter.

 

If you were to use total club MOI which is a far more accurate measurement and representation, you would find that adding a midsize grip that is heavier than your standard grip would have little or no effect to the heft of the club.  It depends on the design of the midsize grip.  If there's more weight towards the mouth of the grip, then it would affect the total club MOI more.  Probably no more than 30 MOI units which many people can feel as being heavier, but it's not like you're suddenly swinging a sledgehammer.

 

But in many instances, I've added midsize grips that are heavier in weight, but only increase the total club MOI by 5-10 MOI units which isn't noticeable.  

 

I have large hands, but I use a standard grip because of the way I grip the club (very strong and in the fingers), combined with my swing mechanics and grip strength.  I have used midsized grips before with decent success, but these days they bother my hands more than standard size grips.  

 

I actually use the Golf Pride +4 models which are bigger in diameter towards the mouth of the grip.  I find that to be a good balance.  Of course, the +4 grips weigh more towards the mouth of the grip and that adds some more MOI units to the club, but not so much that it will ruin the feel of the club for me.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[Stuart_G]

23 hours ago, Jonlewis031 said:

I realize this is an old topic and maybe it’s somewhere else, but I’m realizing that changing from standard grip to mid grip is very dependent on the brand/style of grip. 
 

Golf Pride CP2 has a huge increase in grip weight from standard (50g) to midsize (63.5g) to jumbo (80g) that is enough going from standard to midsize to move you from a D1 to a C9 

 

I think with other brands (super strike standard to mid grip is a weight change of 1g) I agree with all the above statements that it isn’t relevant- however, with the CP2 specifically it is absolutely going to change the feel.

 

What the swing weight scale might read after a grip or butt weight change should be ignored.   The swing weight scale and swing weight concept was never designed or intended to handle that kind of change.    So how the grip change might effect the head weight feel of the club is not going to be representative of how the swing weight scale readings change.

 

It's really more of a club static weight change than a head weight change but bottom line is that everyone is different in how the feel will change.  Most can ignore it but the only way to know for sure is to give it a try and see how it effects the feel for you.  

 

And if it does change the feel in a negative way,  DONT use the swing weight scale to try and fix it.   Take the mid-iron and get some lead tape and play around with adding weight to the head incrementally (on the range while hitting balls) until you get the desired feel and results.  Then you can put the club back on the swing weight scale.  That will give you a new target value you can use for the rest of the set.

 

 

Edited August 31, 2020 by Stuart_G

[scooterhd2]

can also remove weight from the hands to compensate. trim nails, shave knuckles. no watch or ring. dont use a glove. shave a few grams to make up for the grips. 

[Obee]

I have learned over time that I am quite sensitive to swing weight changes caused by grip weight. I much prefer a heavier swing weight to a lighter one, and with hybrids and fairways woods, in particular, switching from a mid-size grip (which I prefer), to a standard grip definitely improves my ball-striking with those clubs because of the heavier feel of the head.

 

Everyone is different. Experiment and figure out what works the best for you... ?

[Stuart_G]

44 minutes ago, Obee said:

I have learned over time that I am quite sensitive to swing weight changes caused by grip weight. I much prefer a heavier swing weight to a lighter one, and with hybrids and fairways woods, in particular, switching from a mid-size grip (which I prefer), to a standard grip definitely improves my ball-striking with those clubs because of the heavier feel of the head.

 

Everyone is different. Experiment and figure out what works the best for you... ?

 

Did you ever try just adding more weight to the head instead of having to go to a less desirable grip size?

[stingerfade]

I just did this, went from standard to midsize. Added lead tape to get the clubs back to d3. I’m sensitive to swingweight and have tungsten powder and corks to get them where I like them. I went to the range after grips dried and hated it. Took all the tape off and the clubs felt perfect. So I don’t think the heavier grip really affects the swingweight even though the scale says so. 

[Obee]

21 hours ago, Stuart_G said:

 

Did you ever try just adding more weight to the head instead of having to go to a less desirable grip size?

 

I don't generally like adding weight to my clubs. I will do it as a last resort.

[Notmy1stchoice]

On 3/21/2018 at 5:52 AM, RichieHunt said:

Yes, heavier grip will make the swing weight lighter. It's one of the major flaws of the swingweight concept...it does not account for the static weight of the club. If you were to utilize MOI matching (measuring the MOI of the entire club), You will find that the club will either have the same MOI (heft) or a slight increase with a midsize grip...depending on how the grip is designed.

 

In essence, it won't have a big impact unless you were to go to a Jumbo Maxx or Enlow grip.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

I’m about to mock up a set for a build.

Will be using GP MCC+4 Reduced Taper midsized weighing in at 73 grams.

Should be interesting.

[Barfolomew]

I went to the Jumbo CP2 80 grams.... grip felt great etc but the weight was a huge issue killing club head feel.  Use the Jumbomax ultralites now

[Mojo66]

On 3/21/2018 at 12:04 AM, carrera said:

Don't overthink it. Easy to fall down the rabbit hole worrying about slight changes in swingweight, shaft flex etc. The percentage of golfers that would be able to identify changes like that is very very small. Guys think their hooks are caused by irons being a degree too upright...that sort of thing. "Hook machine" clubs that have a degree of offset. Just my opinion (after years about being worried about that sort of thing).

so so true, I was worried about changing my standard grips to CPX midsize ,as a lot saying swing weight etc be all over the place, I changed two clubs and after couple rounds noticed no difference, so changed the set, we can be made over think things, especially amateurs like me, 

[Cellis]

I had to chime in here. Back when I received my irons over a year ago my fitter suggested I try midsize grips due to my hand size. I wear a ML glove so nothing extremely large, but I suppose a little larger than normal. Well I decided to stick with standard because of what I have been used to. Last week though I decided to get them regripped and just try something new. I went with midsize velvet cords which I believe are technically 9 grams heavier than what I had on my irons prior. Immediately noticed the irons felt a little lighter around the head, but nothing shockingly different. First 18 I played, results were on course with how I was playing before with my irons. However, the next round I put on a stripe show that I had personally never seen from myself, along with my playing partners being a little shocked. It makes me wonder if I just had the best day ever, swing weights a little different where I just swing the irons better now, or maybe the midsize overall just help with my grip. Either way, I highly suggest anyone who is on the fence to at least give it a try, I think you will be surprised by the results.