Swingweight v Total weight of irons

[Bash]

Hope this doesn't send you guys (and gals) too sleep but my playing partner in our winter league suggested I would benefit from a lighter iron (currently using Callaway X22s). He suggested giving the Cleveland CG16s a go and recommended the Cleveland Centre of excellence at Maidenhead for fitting.
I looked at the relevant websites and saw that the swingweight of CG16s is D3 (9 iron to 3 iron), whereas the swingweight of the X22s is lighter at D0, despite the claim of Cleveland that their shafts are so much lighter than the competition.

When I pointed this out to the Centre of excellence and suggested I would try the CG16s (together with Mizuno JPX800 and MP53s (and my own X22) before deciding whether I would go to them for a fitting on the CG16s, they responded with the following:-

"A s/w point equates to approximately 1.8g so there may be a negligible difference between the CG16 and X22. The CG 16 is light in total weight - both shaft and grip are lighter than most competitor standards. As a result the s/w has to increase to maintain head speed among other engineering considerations"

As a result I did a bit of googling and found the following link which explained it quite well


http://golf.about.com/cs/componentscustom/a/swingweight.htm


Hope someone has found this interesting as I have. Will still try the CG16s with the Mizunos first, but if the website is to be believed, the CG16s should be easier to strike a good ball??????

I'll let you all know (in a briefer and less train-spottingly boring thread) later

 

[Ethan]

If you are unhappy with the X22s, I would suggest going for a proper fitting without too many presumptions, rather than starting with a piece of advice your playing partner gave you. He may or may not know what he is talking about.

These things go in cycles. Years ago (late 80s), ultra lightweight clubs had a short popularity, swing weighting around C0. This allowed many amusing witticisms where Ray Floyd arrived at The Open with a golf bag that said 'fetherlite' on it. Then things went back again. The current vogue for ultra-lightweight clubs is all about distance, and I think this vogue may not last too long either.

 

[DavidO]

I think is goes to show that nowadays, custom fitting is all important!

 

[MadAdey]

Go to a Callaway fitting centre and try both in the correct set up for you. That is all you can do. As you have been told already the swing weight of the head is just one consideration in total club weight. You can get a lighter head with a heavy shaft and it could be heavier than the heavy s/w head with a lighter shaft. Go try them mate and see what t hey say.

 

[Captainron]

I went and did the whole custom fit with swing DNA a few months ago. The fitter also had his bag there and his clubs were set up with a swing weight of D8 which is heavier than standard. I had a few swings and loved the heavier feel. Got mine sset up the same and I think they are perfect. It's a really personal thing like choosing a cricket bat or a hurley.

 

[Ethan]

I went and did the whole custom fit with swing DNA a few months ago. The fitter also had his bag there and his clubs were set up with a swing weight of D8 which is heavier than standard. I had a few swings and loved the heavier feel. Got mine sset up the same and I think they are perfect. It's a really personal thing like choosing a cricket bat or a hurley.

I like a heavier club feel too, otherwise I don't know where the club is during the swing and I get too quick. Some players prefer different feels. Nick Price plays very heavy stiff irons, always has, and his fast tempo would probably get out of control with anything else. Phil Mick likes irons with a very tip stiff board feel - Project X ware designed for him to give that feel.

 

[Bash]

When I got my X22s they were alledgedly "custom fitted" but wouldn't agree with that description. I hit numerous balls with 4 different manufacturers 6 irons of my choice and was hitting the X22s the best. I then hit several shots with impact tape on the club face before hitting some more off a plate with impact tape on the base of the club. The distance from my hands to the floor and hand size was measured and I was told that off the shelf was perfect for me other than I needed two extra turns of tape under the grips. This was at World of Golf in New Malden, Surrey. (No electronic aids used, just hitting onto their range from a mat).
The guy who advised me I would do better with a lighter club is a scratch golfer and has played off better. He looks at my club pros swing every now and then to give him advice, so I trust his advice and will certainly test out his suggestion.
I appreciate all your comments guys and will certainly get a proper custom fit if I decide on a particular club

 

[HomerJSimpson]

When I got my X22s they were alledgedly "custom fitted" but wouldn't agree with that description. I hit numerous balls with 4 different manufacturers 6 irons of my choice and was hitting the X22s the best. I then hit several shots with impact tape on the club face before hitting some more off a plate with impact tape on the base of the club. The distance from my hands to the floor and hand size was measured and I was told that off the shelf was perfect for me other than I needed two extra turns of tape under the grips. This was at World of Golf in New Malden, Surrey. (No electronic aids used, just hitting onto their range from a mat).
The guy who advised me I would do better with a lighter club is a scratch golfer and has played off better. He looks at my club pros swing every now and then to give him advice, so I trust his advice and will certainly test out his suggestion.
I appreciate all your comments guys and will certainly get a proper custom fit if I decide on a particular club

Bash, I think you're in danger of getting yourself bogged down in technicalities. The simple solution is to pay for a fitting session at Cleveland which is refundable if you buy a set of clubs and negligible for a man of your means if not. Similarly Cally will do the same thing at their HQ in Chessington and you'll have two sets of data to compare.

Having seen your swing in the last few days and the work you've been doing with Malcolm I'd say go with whatever feels better. Don't forget you've got the standard uniflex shaft fitted on the X22 as standard (I found it heavy when I had the X20's). If you go anywhere for a fitting there will be a host of other shafts available which may be lighter, more flexible etc. Keep it simple