Why aren't there any top quality Irons with adjustable club head weights??

[Barfolomew]

Why aren't there any top level irons that have the ability to change weights on the club heads, with screw in weights??

 

The driver thing has been done to death....  Instead of messin with messy lead tape that's a pain in the azz and not located in a great places on weird club head shapes etc... just turn a wrench.  Make it similar to the driver weights where you just screw in different weights and you can fine tune it while hitting at the range for a precise club weight or flight pattern.  Tough to sit there with tape and adjust your club heads by +/- a half gram, gram or 10 grams while hitting a bucket.  Playing a course that needs high shots or low shots etc...no prob. Just blew on some heavy or light grips to try out.... no prob.  Lets get you that desired club head weight right a way.

 

I use heavy grips is why I thought this....

 

Unless there are some on the market already please let me know...

[mizunoMX25]

Callaway X-Forged/TCB/Apex MB all have this. PXG also. But you can't really move it toe or heel side to affect flight except for maybe some of the PXG models. Also Ping Blueprint has a weight screw if I recall correctly. They're basically just used for swingweight though. As someone who uses heavy graphite shafts I feel your pain with the lead tape.

Edited May 14, 2021 by mizunoMX25

[Barfolomew]

Oh Dam... thanks MX25!

 

I use and love Jumbo CP2 grips that are 80 grams.... so need to add 12 grams to club head.  I'll have to check out those models...

[Pepperturbo]

I kinda understand the curiosity regarding adjustable iron heads but see them as more difficult than functional.  Most people that have adjustable driver and wood heads, don't bother adjusting them.  All my friends have adjustable drivers and woods.  NOT one of them has ever messed with that function.  I know that because I've asked if they have.  Throw in the added cost of adjustability on irons, iron costs go up, yet I don't see the function being used.  Sounds good though. 

 

I have tested every setting on both sleeves of my woods, however that was done back when purchased.  The only time I've adjusted driver sleeve is before teeing it up and wind is blowing.  Personally, as hard as I swing my irons, I wouldn't want that function on irons smashing into turf.  My 2cents.

[gentles]

How much would you be prepared to pay for 8 separate weight screws? $100 total? 

 

taking into the fact that everyone would would different weights, that would involve the OEM carrying an additional 6-7 products that they’re making basically no margin on compared to the cost of the cost of the club. 
 

tip weight, back weight, lead tape etc makes basically no difference to the COG of an iron at the weights most players use, so it’s basically a matter if no upside for OEM to serve a very small segment of the market 

[DaveGoodrich]

The 2011 Taylormade TP CB/MC/MB lines had screw-in weights directly behind the club face that were theoretically changeable, and my Adams Pro Black MBs had a similar concept.  Unfortunately, neither ever really made the weights available to the public so that they were actually useful to end users.  

 

I think its a good concept, but as @gentles says, its not going to be a money maker for OEMs, so it probably won't happen in any significant way.  Seems like they could make light heads that assume a 5 or 6 gram weight to make "normal" swingweights at stock lengths.  Then the same heads could be used for overlength builds, using light plastic weight screws instead, and heavier weights could be used when more head weight is needed (under length builds, lightweight graphite shafts, etc.).    

[ctmason_98]

Doesn’t Maltby have at least one model that has this?

[Barfolomew]

Yeah I guess it would be polarizing.... but for guys that want the ability to get that dialed in I think they would love it.

 

Grip changes, adjusting length of shafts, experimenting with different swing weights etc.... could be several more reasons why someone would really want them.  But they would have to be a top irons not a Blue light special from Kmart.  It's expensive to get fit so fit yourself instead maybe could be the angle.... also tough to figure things out in an hour fitting indoors. 

 

We all know it was great in fitting but then when I played yada yada yada....lol

[Nessism]

All the newer Ping irons have a toe screw.  They don't sell the screws though.  The aftermarket seems to be sleeping on that one.  Cost may be the reason though since the screws from tungsten would be fairly expensive.

[phizzy30]

You have a good point.  I thought about this years ago.  It would be great to change swing weight if adjustable weighted screws were more readily available for irons.  I don't think it would be particularly useful for changing COG or make an iron fade or draw biased. 

 

[Socrates]

All this talk about screws and weight ports and multiple weighted screws and it all can be easily done almost instantly and anywhere with a little lead tape.  No tools required and can be almost infinitely adjusted.  Lead tape is where it's at.  "Never leave home without it."  Better than an American Express card.

[lefthack]

I like the look of the Honma TW-X with it's sort of fake weights. But generally I like a clean blade iron with minimal branding or shapes. 

 

Where would you put adjustable weight on this?

 

 

 

 

[RogerinNewZealand]

Heavvy weights in the toe will lead too more Golfers fading away out of the game in a very frustrated mindset....

[joostin]

After dialing in an iron and hybrid at the range recently just cutting 1" pieces of lead tape, I thought the opposite: "man, this would suck turning a bunch of weight screws in and out" 🙂.  Slapping on and removing lead tape is easy & cheap, 1-2 grams at a time, and you can redo it cleaner afterwards.  That said, I do hope for more iron adjustability in the future with weights and hosel adapters to mess around with.

[Nessism]

6 hours ago, RogerinNewZealand said:

Heavvy weights in the toe will lead too more Golfers fading away out of the game in a very frustrated mindset....

 

Not really.  Did you read the thread about moving the CG after adding weight?  A few extra grams of toe weight, which would change swingweight nicely, would only move the CG incrementally, and that wouldn't affect ball flight since it's such a small % of the total head weight.

[joostin]

1 hour ago, Nessism said:

 

Not really.  Did you read the thread about moving the CG after adding weight?  A few extra grams of toe weight, which would change swingweight nicely, would only move the CG incrementally, and that wouldn't affect ball flight since it's such a small % of the total head weight.

Yup, just a tiny shift.  My thought in that thread though was that a person's sensitivity to the MOI around the shaft can theoretically affect the closure... "maybe for some" to be as definitive as possible haha.

Sorry to derail OP... but it's related.

[liveagua]

19 hours ago, Barfolomew said:

Why aren't there any top level irons that have the ability to change weights on the club heads, with screw in weights??

 

The driver thing has been done to death....  Instead of messin with messy lead tape that's a pain in the azz and not located in a great places on weird club head shapes etc... just turn a wrench.  Make it similar to the driver weights where you just screw in different weights and you can fine tune it while hitting at the range for a precise club weight or flight pattern.  Tough to sit there with tape and adjust your club heads by +/- a half gram, gram or 10 grams while hitting a bucket.  Playing a course that needs high shots or low shots etc...no prob. Just blew on some heavy or light grips to try out.... no prob.  Lets get you that desired club head weight right a way.

 

I use heavy grips is why I thought this....

 

Unless there are some on the market already please let me know...

Because the cost would go up and everyone would complain about price...which they already do. 

[Thayneil]

Wishon heads are top quality especially the forged models

 

They have a weight port that allows up to 9 g 

[Cwebb]

14 hours ago, lefthack said:

I like the look of the Honma TW-X with it's sort of fake weights. But generally I like a clean blade iron with minimal branding or shapes. 

 

Where would you put adjustable weight on this?

 

 

 

 

 

You would design a weight port in the center of the "muscle" like TM did in 2011.  Although it probably wouldn't look "clean" to those who love a non "busy" look.  You generally have to give something in order to gain something else

[Cwebb]

5 hours ago, joostin said:

After dialing in an iron and hybrid at the range recently just cutting 1" pieces of lead tape, I thought the opposite: "man, this would suck turning a bunch of weight screws in and out" 🙂.  Slapping on and removing lead tape is easy & cheap, 1-2 grams at a time, and you can redo it cleaner afterwards.  That said, I do hope for more iron adjustability in the future with weights and hosel adapters to mess around with.

 

The limitation of course, is when you need/want a head weight that is lighter than the raw weight.  

 

The Golfworks (Maltby) works around this by using a 6g weight as stock.  Then they offer 2g and 4g weights to go lighter than stock.  As well as heavier weights up to 14g

[shart6]

23 hours ago, Barfolomew said:

Why aren't there any top level irons that have the ability to change weights on the club heads, with screw in weights??

 

The driver thing has been done to death....  Instead of messin with messy lead tape that's a pain in the azz and not located in a great places on weird club head shapes etc... just turn a wrench.  Make it similar to the driver weights where you just screw in different weights and you can fine tune it while hitting at the range for a precise club weight or flight pattern.  Tough to sit there with tape and adjust your club heads by +/- a half gram, gram or 10 grams while hitting a bucket.  Playing a course that needs high shots or low shots etc...no prob. Just blew on some heavy or light grips to try out.... no prob.  Lets get you that desired club head weight right a way.

 

I use heavy grips is why I thought this....

 

Unless there are some on the market already please let me know...

 

My thoughts are these.  One it isn't hard to bring a portable scale and lead tape to a practice session. Two small amounts of weight  don't matter. Three not the way I would want to change trajectory of my iron shots. Four I can't emphasize enough the importance of building a test club or two to check the fit.

[ChipNRun]

On 5/14/2021 at 2:51 PM, Pepperturbo said:

Most people that have adjustable driver and wood heads, don't bother adjusting them.  All my friends have adjustable drivers and woods.

 

The head teaching pro at a local golf club explained one benefit of adjustable long clubs: Golf shops need to carry less inventory. If a player gets fitted for a driver, she can often take the loft up or down a degree or swap out shafts to get the golfer the best numbers. (This assumes average - not scratch - golfers).

 

So, point-of-purchase tweaks are where a lot of the adjustments get made.

 

As for adjustable irons, remember that driver weights can cost anywhere from $10 to $30 each. How much would weight sets cost for seven or eight irons?

[Bad9]

36 minutes ago, ChipNRun said:

As for adjustable irons, remember that driver weights can cost anywhere from $10 to $30 each. How much would weight sets cost for seven or eight irons?

Maltby KE4 weights range from $1.20 for a 2g aluminum weight to $4.30 for a 14g tungsten weight

[TheAceOfBlades]

I'm in agreement with OP.  It would be nice to have certain irons that had interchangeable weights.  I have the 2010 TaylorMade MB Tour Preferred irons for my 2 and 4, and just had them reshafted figuring the swingweights would come out to like D0 or D1.  Nope!  C3 and C7.  Probably too light to be consistent.  So I'll now have to spend more money to get them reshafted again with custom weighting.  It would be a lot cooler if I could just add 24 grams to the 2 and 15 grams to the 4 by swapping out a screw-in weight.  I mean, why even bother putting that weight in the back of the iron if you can't buy replacements or swap it out?  That's just gimmicky and stupid.  TaylorMade doesn't even distribute the wrench that's compatible with that screw.  Great example of a company with lots of cool ideas, and rather poor execution especially on the business side.

[gentles]

1 hour ago, TheAceOfBlades said:

I'm in agreement with OP.  It would be nice to have certain irons that had interchangeable weights.  I have the 2010 TaylorMade MB Tour Preferred irons for my 2 and 4, and just had them reshafted figuring the swingweights would come out to like D0 or D1.  Nope!  C3 and C7.  Probably too light to be consistent.  So I'll now have to spend more money to get them reshafted again with custom weighting.  It would be a lot cooler if I could just add 24 grams to the 2 and 15 grams to the 4 by swapping out a screw-in weight.  I mean, why even bother putting that weight in the back of the iron if you can't buy replacements or swap it out?  That's just gimmicky and stupid.  TaylorMade doesn't even distribute the wrench that's compatible with that screw.  Great example of a company with lots of cool ideas, and rather poor execution especially on the business side.

they have the weights for custom orders at a desired swingweight, not for aftermarket tinkerers ten years later 🙂

 

if you bought them new in 2010 and specified a desired head weight they would have been able to do it without heavy tip weights. How much would you pay for correct weights? Would that make it worth the while for TM to stock an addition 10-15 different items?

[Socrates]

1 hour ago, TheAceOfBlades said:

I'm in agreement with OP.  It would be nice to have certain irons that had interchangeable weights.  I have the 2010 TaylorMade MB Tour Preferred irons for my 2 and 4, and just had them reshafted figuring the swingweights would come out to like D0 or D1.  Nope!  C3 and C7.  Probably too light to be consistent.  So I'll now have to spend more money to get them reshafted again with custom weighting.  It would be a lot cooler if I could just add 24 grams to the 2 and 15 grams to the 4 by swapping out a screw-in weight.  I mean, why even bother putting that weight in the back of the iron if you can't buy replacements or swap it out?  That's just gimmicky and stupid.  TaylorMade doesn't even distribute the wrench that's compatible with that screw.  Great example of a company with lots of cool ideas, and rather poor execution especially on the business side.

So you're upset that you or whomever reshafted the clubs didn't have the means or foresight to correctly swingweight the clubs and blame TM.  Hmmm?

[Bad9]

8 hours ago, TheAceOfBlades said:

I'm in agreement with OP.  It would be nice to have certain irons that had interchangeable weights.  I have the 2010 TaylorMade MB Tour Preferred irons for my 2 and 4, and just had them reshafted figuring the swingweights would come out to like D0 or D1.  Nope!  C3 and C7.  Probably too light to be consistent.  So I'll now have to spend more money to get them reshafted again with custom weighting.  It would be a lot cooler if I could just add 24 grams to the 2 and 15 grams to the 4 by swapping out a screw-in weight.  I mean, why even bother putting that weight in the back of the iron if you can't buy replacements or swap it out?  That's just gimmicky and stupid.  TaylorMade doesn't even distribute the wrench that's compatible with that screw.  Great example of a company with lots of cool ideas, and rather poor execution especially on the business side.

 

I'm curious as to what specs you changed to cause such a drastic difference in swing weight and why whomever resifted your clubs didn't account for or correct the swing weight

Edited April 10, 2022 by Bad9

[jar59]

I seem to remember some Wilson Staff irons that had adjustable weights in the toe area.  They also had a special wrench that had to be used to remove or tighten the weights.  I think it may have just be offered in one model of irons and competitors didn’t seem to try to match or imitate the concept.  

[Nessism]

Back on topic, Callaway is using a bolt on weight in the back of the head to adjust swingweight on some of their irons.  And PXG uses screws on the head to adjust swingweight.  It seems that the OEM's are adding capability for adjustment, problem is though, no aftermarket support other than for drivers/metal woods.

[Billfitz]

On 5/14/2021 at 3:13 PM, Barfolomew said:

Why aren't there any top level irons that have the ability to change weights on the club heads, with screw in weights??

Good question. When I first saw PXG and saw all the screws I thought they must come in different weights, not only for static and swing weight adjustment, but also for center of gravity adjustment to give a draw or fade bias. When I found out that not only were they not made to be interchangeable but that they were held solidly in place with locktite, making them cosmetic rather than functional, it was a WTF? moment.