How to Change Swing Weights

A golf club’s swingweight refers more to the club’s balance than its total weight. Swingweight measures the weight of the club toward the clubhead relative to the weight of the club toward the grip.

A club with a heavy swingweight is more massive on the clubhead side; a lighter swingweight places more weight on the grip end. Professional and skilled amateur golfers are more likely to use clubs with high swingweights, which may be difficult to balance for recreational golfers. Most golf-club sets are built with a neutral swingweight.

But as a golfer improves, he may wish to adjust those clubs to a heavier swingweight. Other golfers with mismatched sets of clubs acquired over several years may want to adjust the swingweights of some clubs to make the set more consistent.

1. Place strips of lead tape on your clubhead. Depending on the width of the roll, a 1-inch-long strip of lead tape will add about 1 gram of weight to the club. Lead tape is most commonly attached to clubheads to correct swing flaws. For example, adding tape to the clubhead’s toe (the far side when at address) can help reduce a hook.

2. But lead tape will also increase a club’s swingweight.

3. If you’re mainly interested in increasing a club’s swingweight, apply the tape to the middle portion of the lower back of the club. This will deepen the club’s center of gravity and make it easier to loft the ball.

1. Counterbalance the club by attaching lead tape near the grip to reduce the swingweight.

2. This technique won’t directly influence the ball’s flight, but may improve a club’s feel. For example, if you’ve switched from a steel shaft to a lighter graphite shaft, the club’s weight may seem too concentrated in the clubhead. Adding weight near the grip may give you a more comfortable feel.

1. Replace the club’s shaft. Take your clubs to a professional club fitter and have a different type of shaft put in. The lighter the shaft, the heavier the swingweight. Remember, though, that the shaft’s weight depends on its length as well as its material. If you’re replacing the shaft with a lighter material to gain a heavier swingweight, make sure the new shaft is the same length as the old version.

1. Change the club’s grip. Because swingweight depends on a club’s weight distribution, rather than its total weight, adding a heavier grip will reduce a club’s swingweight.