Tinkering with my driver... need help

thisisrybo · March 31, 2006

lead tape, swing weight, questions

Okay, I have a Nike SQ Tour 9.5 with an Aldila NN 65 x stiff shaft. I have been hitting it for a few weeks now and really like it. However, I have been losing a few to the right every now and then. Also, I can't seem to make it draw at all. My question is: If I put lead tape on the heel of the club will that help me? Also, if I do that, should I put some lead tape under the grip portion to counterbalance the club? Or, is that even how it works? Should I try this? Should I change the swingweight? How much should I put? The tape I have says that each strip adds two swingweights. What would you guys suggest? I know all these questions sound insane

Please help!
Thanks in advance... I know that you experts will be able to assist me!!

thisisrybo

PS: My natural ball flight is pretty much straight

taylormadefan · March 31, 2006

A lot of people say that you can't add enough lead tape in a concentrated enough fashion to effect ball flight (like you can with TM's TLC or MWT). All you should use lead tape for is swingweighting purposes. I am one of those people.

However, a lot of people much smarter than me (Vijay, John Daly, etc.) swear by it, so give it a shot. Yes, the heel is the correct area to add the tape, it will help you close the face. The more you put the easier it will be to close the face. I don't know exactly what kind of tape it is, so YMMV. If you have a scale, I'd start with 1 gram and work your way up from there if you're still losing it right. It's a simple fix and can be exactly the thing you need to get things back on track. The great thing about lead tape is that if you hate it, all you have to do is peel it off.

Making the head heavier will increase the swing weight. If you add the same amount of lead tape to the butt end of the club you will effectively counterbalance it back to the original swing weight (it may not be perfect depending on where the balance point of the club is, but it will be close enough). Swing weight is mostly about feel, so who knows you may like a heavier head. Add the lead tape to the heel and try it, if you don't like the feel of the club, add lead weight to the grip end to bring it back to the original swing weight.

Hope that helps.