Traditional SW vs MOI Matching: Exploring The Advantages

[MofoJones]

 

Hey golf nerds,

 

I recently stumbled upon the concept of MOI (Moment of Inertia) matching, and it's really piqued my interest. As an elite amateur golfer with a +4 handicap, I'm constantly seeking ways to optimize my equipment for maximum performance.

 

In the past, I've relied on swing weight matching, but now I'm curious about the potential benefits of MOI matching. I'm particularly interested in how MOI matched clubs using length progressions of 3/8'' could impact the quality of contact, yardage gapping, and overall consistency compared to traditional swing weight matching.

 

I'm currently in the process of building a new set of clubs, and I'm seriously considering giving MOI matching a try. However, since this is uncharted territory for me, I'd love to hear from others who have experience with MOI matching and how it has influenced their game.

 

Any insights or information on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance!

[GL3]

A good number of club builders have discontinued the service due to lack of demand (time, cost), so I think it’s becoming a lost art.  Hence the lack of response?  They’re good questions though.  
 

But you and I are in the same boat.  I’m just one step ahead, I bought a used one from a club builder and slowly (very slowly) working towards building a backup set of MOI matched irons.  I can’t help with the experience portion but I’m excited to be giving it a try.  

[Golf Pig]

I've built MOI matched irons for my last 3 sets. For me the consistency of the strike is way better than traditional swing weight matched irons. It took awhile to adjust to the shorter long irons but that's really the only negative aspect. I based everything on my favorite club - 7 iron at 37" and D1.5. The other irons are +/- 3/8" and 0.5 SW points from the 7 iron. I used tungsten powder and corks to fine tune the swing weights without grips. I have an Auditor MOI machine and the final MOI both with and without grips is nearly equal throughout the set. If you have an accurate swing weight scale you really don't need the MOI machine.

[Rbsiedsc]

I have moi matched and it has been awesome. Same feel through out the bag is wonderful. 

[dsmil]

I did DIY MOI matching on my last set. Started with a standard length PW, added lead tape to D4 and went up 3/8 inches from there with .5 differences in swingweight. I really liked the 3/8 inch increments. I’m short and it helped to have those long irons a bit shorter. No noticeable differences in gapping since contact probably improved on those long irons.

[Primo1868]

I'm not nearly as good as you, but MOI matching my latest iron build was the best thing (equipment specific) that I have done for my game. My misses are more common from 4-pw than with a SW matched set. I don't need to, "remember" that my miss with 4 iron is different than PW. I feel much more confident in my iron game and will be looking to MOI match future sets as well. 

 

Specific example of how it helped me:

With the SW matched set I usually would draw short irons with a small cut or straight push as a "miss". When I got up to 4 iron my stock ball flight was always a fade with a bad push fade as a "miss." Lie angles are consistency 1* up on all clubs.

With my MOI matched set, all stock ball flights are very neutral (slight draw or straight) with an "overdraw" as a miss with all clubs as I work up to 4 iron. All much more playable for me. 

[Stuart_G]

On 5/2/2024 at 11:02 AM, MofoJones said:

Any insights or information on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

 

Generally the biggest difference between MOI and SW will likely show up in the longest irons - with the swing weight being quite a bit lighter in an MOI matched set.   Some stronger players may not actually like that but you never know until you try.  But you might consider just building a long iron first to test out before jumping in with a full set.    Or you might even be able to reproduce the feel just by choking up on the longest iron in your current set.

 

[Howard_Jones]

On 5/2/2024 at 5:02 PM, MofoJones said:

 

Hey golf nerds,

 

I recently stumbled upon the concept of MOI (Moment of Inertia) matching, and it's really piqued my interest. As an elite amateur golfer with a +4 handicap, I'm constantly seeking ways to optimize my equipment for maximum performance.

 

In the past, I've relied on swing weight matching, but now I'm curious about the potential benefits of MOI matching. I'm particularly interested in how MOI matched clubs using length progressions of 3/8'' could impact the quality of contact, yardage gapping, and overall consistency compared to traditional swing weight matching.

 

I'm currently in the process of building a new set of clubs, and I'm seriously considering giving MOI matching a try. However, since this is uncharted territory for me, I'd love to hear from others who have experience with MOI matching and how it has influenced their game.

 

Any insights or information on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance!

Here is some DIY options - 3/8" is the most common, but we can use longer or shorter.
ALL this set ups is based on a #9 iron "as it is". (tune it up first, note specs, change numbers if needed)

Then its butt cut (progressive like the chart shows), plus adding of the needed amount head wgt (see the chart)

[ARL67]

I keep 2 bags of clubs and my recent 2 build are with SMS and SMS Pro (5-PW).  The Pro are based on a 37.0" ( ungripped ) 7i with 3/8" increments ( Steelfiber i110cw Stiff ) while the non-Pro are based on a 37.0" 7i with 1/4" increments ( DG 120 X100 ).   I first build by math ( 1.33 SWP per inch ) but fine-tune by feel.  The SMS weights make it super-easy to adjust SW without having to do a rebuild.   I score with both sets equally well, but prefer the Pro with Steelfiber for feel & killer looks.   In hand, the non-Pro look shorter than they are, probably because of the thicker top-line.