How to Calculate Swingweight

Consistency, consistency, consistency: Any golf pro will tell you consistency is the key to playing golf successfully. Same motion, same back swing, same follow through, every time. While most duffers understand this, they don't have sufficient skill to execute it or notice the differences in swingweight. Pros can. Most simply stated, swingweight is the feel or balance of the club in your hand. More technically, swingweight is the percentage of clubhead weight to the club's total weight or its balance. The higher the head weight proportional to the club's total weight, the higher the swingweight. This is significant at all levels of play, because if you've achieved the cardinal rule of consistency, the results should consistently be the same. They aren't when the swingweight is different between clubs.

Things You'll Need

  • Golf clubs
  • Tape measure
  • Flat digital scale
  • Angle iron
  • Swingweight calculator or formula
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Instructions

    • 1

      Balance the golf club to determine its fulcrum by placing it on an angle iron that comes to a point, like this: /\. Lay the club on the point, shifting it until equally balanced. It should lay horizontal to the surface.

    • 2

      Measure the distance between the balance point and the grip end of the shaft.

    • 3

      Determine the weight of the entire club. Most analog flat surface scales can accomplish this. Make certain if you measured the club in inches, you weigh the club in ounces. Conversely, if you measured the club using the metric system, measure the weight in grams.

    • 4

      Enter the figures in an online calculator and it will calculate the swingweight for you, or you can plug the variables into a swingweight algorithm if you prefer to do the math on your own. For the recreational golfer, the numbers are close enough to tell you whether or not your golf clubs are within a close approximation of similar or the same swingweight. Ideally, they should all be the same.