When it Comes to Swing Weight, Mind Your Grips

It's that time of year when golfers are breaking out their clubs and realizing it might be time for some new grips. But, with new grips can come unforeseen changes to how a golf club feels when it comes to swing weight, and for better or worse, here's a guide to help you understand what swing weight is and how it can affect performance and feel.

What is Swing Weight?

In the most general terms, golf club swing weight is the measurement of a club's balance point based on a 14-inch fulcrum scale. The scale itself is a golf-specific tool designed to match golf clubs for feel and dates all the way back to when golf clubs had wooden shafts - so yeah, it's been around for a while.

Here’s where it can get a little confusing.

Rather than having a specific number or mass value like a traditional scale, a swing weight scale operates on an exclusive unit of measurement using letters from A-G with corresponding numbers of 0 to 9 to go with the letters, ie C8, C9, D0, D1, and so on… stay with me here.

(Traditional Analogue Swing Weight Scale)

A is on the lightest end of the scale, while G is the heaviest. Most traditionally spec’d clubs generally stay between these values, with the most common values ranging from C to the low Es, while things like kids clubs or long putters will fall outside of what a scale can properly measure.

From a golf performance perspective, it's entirely dependent on the individual player, but in general, heavier clubs can provide improved tempo and reduced dispersion for faster and stronger players, while lighter clubs are easier to swing and gain speed with for golfers on the lower end of the speed spectrum.

How to Adjust Swing Weight

Swing weight is based on the main components of a club: head, shaft, and grip - the remaining factor is length. The longer the club, with no other components adjusted, the heavier the club and vice versa.

Even small adjustments made to any part of a club can impact the final swing weight, but changes made to the grip or head end will have the greatest impact on the final measurement and how the club will feel. While most golfers are familiar with using lead tape to make a club feel heavier, it's the grip end that causes the most unintentional changes to a club that golfers dont notice until it’s too late.

Although most club heads weigh close to the same amount, give or take a couple of grams, grips can vary by huge amounts. Smaller lightweight grips can weigh as little as 25 grams, while larger full swing grips can tip the scales at over 100 grams. If golfers change from standard grips, which weigh around 50 grams, they can accidentally make their clubs feel heavier or lighter.

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But Don't Worry

Here's the thing when it comes to swing weight. Yes, having a consistent swing weight is important, but having the right grips so your clubs feel comfortable in your hands is just as critical to making great swings.

Too many golfers overly-focus on having their clubs at a specific target swing weight without understanding the factors that go into creating that value. If you are a golfer with longer clubs, you can still have clubs that are lighter overall (static weight) while being heavier on the scale because of the added length. The same goes for clubs that are shorter but use heavier components.

As a fitter and club builder, I encourage golfers to focus on the results on the course rather than the number on a scale, because as mentioned off the top, a swing weight scale is a tool that was designed to match clubs before graphite or even steel shafts were an option and grips were still hand-wrapped leather.

So the next time you're looking at grips, or wondering why your clubs feel different after a grip change, know that its a normal thing to happen, and something that might end up benefiting your game.