Swing-weight target vs. swing-weight matching

[mike_witzmann]

Is there a difference in the two? do they achieve the same thing?

 

When building clubs and talking SW, I see there are sort of two ways to do it...

 

1. Swing weight matching - weighing and sorting the heads and then adding tip weights to make sure each head is 7g difference from the other. This will give a consistent head weight before grips.

     A. Understand this will give a consistent SW across the set BUT, how can you do that and also get a target SW?

     B. Would you take your "fitting" club say a 7 iron at D4 , take the head only with its tip weight and make that the start for the 7g progression on the other heads and then you have a consistent head-weight across the board, therefore grip size, variances in grip weights are now irrelevant on the final build?

 

2. Swing weight target - Dry fitting everything together on the SW scale using a standard 50g grip, OR no grip and adjusting for +9 SW points. Then you can add weights to get the club to D4 on each club.

 

-- I do get a big no-no is to not SW with anything but a standard grip--

 

Am i missing anything? Is there a better way to do it? 

 

I know variations of this are always asked but I take great enjoyment of tinkering and building clubs and I am obsessed with learning correct SW and building an accurate set!

 

thanks!

 

[golfRez]

i just swing weighted my clubs for the first time.  it was actually my first time changing iron shafts.  i bought some pulls from eBay, most had tip weights, a few didn’t (4-lw total). 

 

i watched a few McGolf videos and borrowed a swing weight scale from my friends golf teacher - when prepping the shafts, i took out the tip weights and forgot to mark them.  Figuring out target weighting seemed how the manufacturer did it but not certain by any means.  

 

i figured i had to swing weight them off one club and chose my pw which was D3. since they were pulls they already had grips and i used weights in all but one to achieve close to D3 for all clubs except the lw sw gw which were SW D5

 

not sure which is better but i thought i’d bump your post and share my experience

 

i assume target weight is most common (golf tec, youtube, golfwrx posts)  

Edited October 13, 2022 by golfRez

[Howard_Jones]

On 9/22/2022 at 7:30 PM, mike_witzmann said:

Is there a difference in the two? do they achieve the same thing?

 

When building clubs and talking SW, I see there are sort of two ways to do it...

 

1. Swing weight matching - weighing and sorting the heads and then adding tip weights to make sure each head is 7g difference from the other. This will give a consistent head weight before grips.

     A. Understand this will give a consistent SW across the set BUT, how can you do that and also get a target SW?

     B. Would you take your "fitting" club say a 7 iron at D4 , take the head only with its tip weight and make that the start for the 7g progression on the other heads and then you have a consistent head-weight across the board, therefore grip size, variances in grip weights are now irrelevant on the final build?

 

2. Swing weight target - Dry fitting everything together on the SW scale using a standard 50g grip, OR no grip and adjusting for +9 SW points. Then you can add weights to get the club to D4 on each club.

 

-- I do get a big no-no is to not SW with anything but a standard grip--

 

Am i missing anything? Is there a better way to do it? 

 

I know variations of this are always asked but I take great enjoyment of tinkering and building clubs and I am obsessed with learning correct SW and building an accurate set!

 

thanks!

 

You are mixing terms, or giving them your own opinion about what it is...so forget it all.

First, we need a target, and we want find that in any charts, so we have to build a test club.
- Take the grip you shall play, and the iron thats normally your favorite, put the club together, WITHOUT looking at head wgt or SW.
- Bring that club to the range with a roll of lead tape, and add lead tape until it feels right and works good.
- Take that club home, and measure Play length , TOTAL wgt, and SW value.

NOW you have a target, not before, and if you rip the grip off, you have the exact DRY FIT target so you dont have to mess with split grips (no good).

If you wants to, rip of the head, measure its wgt included the lead tape AND the ferrule.
From what ever number you find, draw a slope both ways of 7 grams

Measure the other heads, and distribute tip wgts so that all heads ends up with the weight it needs.

Now DRY frit each club, one at the time, and add or reduce head wgt up and down from 7.0 grams to get SW value right. (tolerances in play length, shaft wgt, and shaft balance point ends up as a factor we adjust on head wgt, so 7.0 grams will NEVER be what you ends up with, it will always be a little plus or minus head to head due to this.

When the clubs is built, (still without grips), measure them all again, Play length, Total wgt and SW value un-gripped.

Now draw a slope with 7.0 grams TOTAL wgt
Use tolerances in grip weight to equalize this slope as best as you can, and never mind if that moves SW value on the club, it want be much, and TOTAL wgt is of higher priority than SW value since its #2 after play length.

Do it this way and you want be able to mess up. If you just shoot for a value, or think you know what SW value that works the best for you, you will never be able to make clubs as good as they can be.

The SW scale is ONLY a good instrument when its used right, and this is how too. Build the club, tune it up, THEN measure and duplicate. Its the ONLY way to make it right.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Howard_Jones

[Stuart_G]

On 9/22/2022 at 1:30 PM, mike_witzmann said:

Is there a difference in the two? do they achieve the same thing?

 

Howard answered the question of what you actually need to do.  But for some additional clarifications on terminology.

 

Swing weight matching - taking two clubs and building them in a way that the swing weight scale gives the same reading for both.

 

Swing weight target - is building single club in a way that the swing weight scale gives the target reading.

 

Of course if you build multiple clubs to the same swing weight target that becomes swing weight matching.

 

With irons only - combining 7 gm head increments with 1/2" length increments  is a poor man's approximation to swing weight matching.   Builder's should use a swing weight scale or even an online sw calculator to adjust for the influence of the shaft (manufacturing variations) and actual cut playing length on the swing weight.

 

Clubs should only be matched when using the same shaft model, weight, flex, and grip.    If any of those change, a new target should be found (as per Howard's post).   So say don't use an iron sw target for a hybrid or fairways or drivers.

 

 

On 9/22/2022 at 1:30 PM, mike_witzmann said:

-- I do get a big no-no is to not SW with anything but a standard grip--

 

Actually what's important is that:

1) same grip (or lack of one) is used for both finding and measuring the target value and building the clubs to that target sw spec.

2) swing weight adjustments during the build to get the club to the desired target should only be made by adjusting head weight (e.g. tip weights).

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by Stuart_G