Shaft flex and swingweights???

[johng]

Hi All.

possibly a bit of a technical question this.....

Just been using a set of Titleist 735's with Dynamic Gold s300 shafts. I currently use 704's with R300 shafts. Having checked the specs' via Titleist, club for club they are the same, loft, lie, length etc.

However... when swinging they definitly feel heavier, both when just holding them and whilst swinging. I accept feel is subjective but was wondering if the stiffness of the shaft causes this?????

Shots appeared straight and good height, the R300's I tend to draw (pull?) and get a good height from.

any knowledgeable members out there able to shine a light into my dim little corner?

Cheers.
John.

 

[RGuk]

I'm not an expert, but I do know that "in general" clubs aimed at the better player DO have higher swing weights.
I've always played with D0 or D1 with reg steel, when I have looked up specs for irons clearly NOT for the beginner, they tend to be up around D3-D4. I can only presume from this that during the design process, it is undoubtedly the intention of designers to develop a club/shaft combination that comes out heavier than the rather light-weight D0-D1 that makers (particularly Callaway) strive for in improvement irons.

I am not surprised by this discovery.....it's what I would expect.

 

[theeaglehunter]

I am unsure about whether a stiff shaft is heavier than a regular flexed version but I doubt it would be as they are made of the same material usually anyway and if they are the same length there should be a pretty unnoticeable difference. You mentioned in the your title about swing weights and this is quite likely a cause as you can get varying levels which are usually referred to as a single letter followed by a number (so D4 for example) but you can read more about this here: http://golf.about.com/cs/componentscustom/a/swingweight.htm . If the clubs felt heavier even when not being swung though, just held, it could be due to the fact that the material the heads are made out of differ and are therefore heavier/ lighter respectively. It wouldn't surprise me that it was the head weight in which you really noticed the difference- a lot of manufacturers vary the weight of their club heads amongst different models there is no standard.

I think this is right anyway.

 

[wilf_74]

Cuts from True Temper website,

"That is why you'll see flex designations like R200, R300, R400, etc. Weight is the major difference -- 200 is lighter, 400 is heavier. R300, S300, X100 are the standard flexes. About 3 grams is the actual weight difference. For example an R200 may play a little more flexible than the R300 and the R400 may play a little stiffer than the R300 only because of the weight."

What is 'Swing-weighting'?

The swing-weight of a club is the balance of the overall weight of the club. The higher the swing-weight the more the weight is distributed towards the club end and vice versa. Standard swing-weight for men is D-0 to D-2 for women it is C-7 to C-9.

Basic swing-weight rules: every 2 grams added to head weight = 1 s/w; every 7 grams of shaft weight = 1 s/w; every 4 grams of grip weight = 1 s/w ; every 1/2" over length = 3 s/w. To increase swing-weight, either 1) lengthen the club, 2) add weight to the head, or 3) use a heavier shaft. To decrease swing-weight, either 1) shorten the club, 2) add weight to the butt end, or 3) use a lighter shaft.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Shots appeared straight and good height, the R300's I tend to draw (pull?) and get a good height from.

This makes sense based on what I was told when being fit for my driver.

The pro said that the loft determines how square the driver is on impact and the stiffness of the shaft determines height.

ie, the whippier the shaft the higher you hit the ball.

I presume it's similar for irons?

Also he said that the driver should have the stiffest shaft in your bag - so if your driver is regular, so should your irons be!

Any help?

 

[johng]

cheers folks, all helpful and useful.

i'm going to take the full set out soon and see what happens.
however, common sense - of which I have little, would suggest that as I've lost 3 shots off my handicap and won a couple of torunaments this year I shouldn't even be thinking of changing anything.
Still when you see those new shiny irons and hear them calling.......?????