Driver swingweighting: A worthwhile process?

Abstract

The concept that golf clubs should have a uniform weight distribution means that manufacturers invest significant time and money tailoring the swingweight of their clubs. If golfers are unable to perceive significant changes in swingweight, however, and the effect of swingweight on club performance is small, the current manufacturing tolerances on swingweight can be widened, allowing time and cost savings in the assembly process. Testing was conducted using 30 skilled golfers each performing ten tee-shots with four differently weighted drivers. Clubhead mass was varied using screwed inserts of different known masses and the effects on impact location and clubhead speed were both measured. Changes to golf club weight distribution, measured using the swingweight concept, were found to have little effect on player performance and, in general, golfers were unable to perceive small changes in club swingweight. Manufacturing tolerances for component masses appear to offer sufficient control over golf club weight distribution, suggesting that mass balancing procedures may be relaxed during club assembly to provide production time and cost savings.

Influence of shaft length on golf driving performance

“…This diminished frequency leads to a reduction in shaft stiffness, as noted by Huntley (2007). Overall, changes to golf weight distribution were found to have little effect on player performance (Harper et al, 2005).…”

A dynamic evaluation of how kick point location influences swing parameters and related launch conditions

“…First, the shafts used in this study had differing mass and this may have influenced the swingweights of the drivers. Therefore, as experienced by previous researchers who have investigated the effect of shaft mass and swingweight on swing parameters and related launch conditions, 8,18,19 isolating the effect of a single club parameter is challenging. While isolating the effect of kick point location from shaft mass and swingweight in this study was not possible, it is worth noting that swingweight has previously been shown to have no effect on swing parameters and related launch conditions such as clubhead speed, 8 ball velocity, launch angle and ball spin.…”

“…Although other simulation studies had predicted an increased clubhead speed for lighter shafts, the experimental evidence suggests elite golfers do not respond to changes in shaft mass in a mechanically predictable way. 8,18,34 While we tested two 'stiff' shafts in this study, the actual stiffness along the length of the shaft was quantified using EI profiles. 16 From this analysis, it was found that the tip and butt sections of the two shafts differed slightly with respect to their EI values.…”

“…20 Furthermore, swingweight is related to the distribution of mass about a fulcrum point which is a known distance from the butt of the shaft, such that heavier shafts have a higher swingweighting. 18 However, a club's swingweight is not a good predictor of clubhead speed and shows no correlation with dynamic performance. 8,17,18,20 The location of the kick point is typically determined in a static manner by applying a known load to the tip of the shaft and finding the maximum perpendicular distance between the bent shaft and a line joining the shafts' two ends when not bent.…”

“…18 However, a club's swingweight is not a good predictor of clubhead speed and shows no correlation with dynamic performance. 8,17,18,20 The location of the kick point is typically determined in a static manner by applying a known load to the tip of the shaft and finding the maximum perpendicular distance between the bent shaft and a line joining the shafts' two ends when not bent. 20 From previous work examining elite golfers, 7,17 the static kick point may be located anywhere between 44% and 60% of shaft length (when expressed from the club's tip).…”