Putter Swingweight

[Lionstar]

I see a lot of info on here about headweight of putters but cannot remember discussions about swingweight. Is there a "standard" swingweight for a putter and for those of you who know the SW of your putter , could you please chime in on what it is ?

[dbdors]

I prefer a heavier feel. I took one of my favorite putters to a SAM PuttLab and it was fit to me. The length, Loft and lie were adjusted. As well as some weight added in the form of tungsten down the shaft.

 

It ended up at D7. I prefer them in that Range, from D4-D7. I have one putter that is E0 and one that is E6. But E6 may be a bit on the heavy side.

 

The current gamer is D3.5.

[Lionstar]

This may be considered a "bump" but I am very surprised at the lack of info/ knowledge/interest in a putter's swing weight. And in a putter forum no less. Should I have posted in clubmaking???

[longleft]

Swingweight is a pseudoscience. Your putter at D1 may feel totally different than another at d1.

 

Here's a ridiculous example to illustrate the point:

 

Take 2 putters at 35" in length. One has a 500g head weight, the other has a 330g headweight.

 

Theoretically both can be weighted to produce the same sw (assume d1).

 

Obviously, these putters will feel and move totally differently yet will have the same swingweight. Unless you are looking at shaft weight, grip weight, length, headweight and then total weight...making a comparison yields nothing of real value.

 

[TPDawnPatrol]

All the specs boil down to personal preference of course, but I think swing weight is an important measurement if one is comparing putters of similar overall weight and grip diameter. I think grip diameter is more important than grip weight and overall weight because it is easier to stabilize a higher swing weight by using a thicker grip.

[misplacedtexan83]

Honestly, people are probably tried of arguing if a lighter or heavier putter is better.

 

However, I prefer heavier.. I haven't weighed my but I asked for 360ish then extended it 1.5 inches plus added a 6 inch strip of lead tape...perfect!

 

Typical putter weigh 340-350 it seems nowadays unless you go the counterbalance route (400).

 

Does that help?

 

 

[towncryer]

My putters both swingweight at D6.

 

I will agree that swingweight can be misleading, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it pseudoscience. It's just a measure of where the putter balances, which affects how heavy the putter feels when you swing it (not when you just hold it). Some people insist that it doesn't matter, and that's fine. Anything 3 or 4 points over or under D6 feels weird to me, so I don't mind playing with grip weights, lead tape, or changeable weights in the head to get a putter I like as close to D6 as possible.

[avgjoe]

No standard that I know of, but IMO sw is not that useful for putters. other variables like grip weight/size/pressure, length, total weight, etc factor in

[towncryer]

No standard that I know of, but IMO sw is not that useful for putters. other variables like grip weight/size/pressure, length, total weight, etc factor in

 

I would agree that a putter's length, total weight, grip size, etc... are HUGELY important factors that should be considered before SW. However, you can adjust SW after you nail down all that other stuff to get to your preferred number.

 

I think SW is pretty important, to the point that I wouldn't play a putter that I like the look of if there was no way to get it close to my preferred swingweight. But that might just be me.

 

FWIW, swingweight of putters is important to a lot of tour players, so it's not total hokum.

[Scaldy]

I always find this chart really helpful when discussing or determining head weight.

 

 

[oneaugusta]

Wow, what a great chart, thanks for sharing.

[avgjoe]

Is that chart with or without grip? and how do different grip weights affect the sw?

[oneaugusta]

From my experience these numbers reflect normal grip weight 60 to 70 grams, using a heavier grip would reduce swingweight. This chart just gets you close, the rest will be dependent on your grip preference.

[longleft]

My putters both swingweight at D6.

 

I will agree that swingweight can be misleading, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it pseudoscience. It's just a measure of where the putter balances, which affects how heavy the putter feels when you swing it (not when you just hold it). Some people insist that it doesn't matter, and that's fine. Anything 3 or 4 points over or under D6 feels weird to me, so I don't mind playing with grip weights, lead tape, or changeable weights in the head to get a putter I like as close to D6 as possible.

 

If swingweight measures where a putter balances (about a 14" fulcrum), then how do you reconcile the differences between d6 at 33" and d6 at 36". These feel totally different. In fact, they rotate totally differently in the stroke too.

 

I do think Swingweight is important, but it is irrelevant to compare unless you are talking about the length, grip, shaft, head, etc.

[towncryer]

If swingweight measures where a putter balances (about a 14" fulcrum), then how do you reconcile the differences between d6 at 33" and d6 at 36". These feel totally different. In fact, they rotate totally differently in the stroke too.

 

I do think Swingweight is important, but it is irrelevant to compare unless you are talking about the length, grip, shaft, head, etc.

 

I should have mentioned that both my putters are 35" and have the exact same grip on them (which weight 73g). The total weight of one putter is 516g while the total weight of the other is 524g...the heavier one has a slightly heavier head but also a slightly heavier shaft (stepless)...and actually swingweights just a fraction of a point under D6. So even though all things aren't totally equal, the swingweights are practically identical. This is a better example of tuning for swing weight for me because I wouldn't take a 370g head from a 33"shaft, extend it to 35" and try to get the swingweight down to D6.

 

You're right...I wouldn't just go out and buy a putter with a swing weight that I like. However, I would also not buy a putter if there was no simple way to get it to within a point or two of my preferred swingweight. Length, grip, shaft, head style are all super important...but if I can't get a putter close to my preferred swingweight, I'm passing. I don't want to play to a different length or put on a really heavy or really light grip that I don't like the feel of just to get to D6.

[longleft]

If swingweight measures where a putter balances (about a 14" fulcrum), then how do you reconcile the differences between d6 at 33" and d6 at 36". These feel totally different. In fact, they rotate totally differently in the stroke too.

 

I do think Swingweight is important, but it is irrelevant to compare unless you are talking about the length, grip, shaft, head, etc.

 

I should have mentioned that both my putters are 35" and have the exact same grip on them (which weight 73g). The total weight of one putter is 516g while the total weight of the other is 524g...the heavier one has a slightly heavier head but also a slightly heavier shaft (stepless)...and actually swingweights just a fraction of a point under D6. So even though all things aren't totally equal, the swingweights are practically identical. This is a better example of tuning for swing weight for me because I wouldn't take a 370g head from a 33"shaft, extend it to 35" and try to get the swingweight down to D6.

 

You're right...I wouldn't just go out and buy a putter with a swing weight that I like. However, I would also not buy a putter if there was no simple way to get it to within a point or two of my preferred swingweight. Length, grip, shaft, head style are all super important...but if I can't get a putter close to my preferred swingweight, I'm passing. I don't want to play to a different length or put on a really heavy or really light grip that I don't like the feel of just to get to D6.

 

great points!

 

I started playing a much lighter headweight over the last few years with a slightly heavier shaft and light grip at 34". It SW's at d0, but weighs about 510g. To me, the the shaft weight made a huge difference in the quality of my putting. SW became more of a data point rather than a fitting parameter.

 

For those who understand SW it is a good tool to optimize a putter.

[towncryer]

If swingweight measures where a putter balances (about a 14" fulcrum), then how do you reconcile the differences between d6 at 33" and d6 at 36". These feel totally different. In fact, they rotate totally differently in the stroke too.

 

I do think Swingweight is important, but it is irrelevant to compare unless you are talking about the length, grip, shaft, head, etc.

 

I should have mentioned that both my putters are 35" and have the exact same grip on them (which weight 73g). The total weight of one putter is 516g while the total weight of the other is 524g...the heavier one has a slightly heavier head but also a slightly heavier shaft (stepless)...and actually swingweights just a fraction of a point under D6. So even though all things aren't totally equal, the swingweights are practically identical. This is a better example of tuning for swing weight for me because I wouldn't take a 370g head from a 33"shaft, extend it to 35" and try to get the swingweight down to D6.

 

You're right...I wouldn't just go out and buy a putter with a swing weight that I like. However, I would also not buy a putter if there was no simple way to get it to within a point or two of my preferred swingweight. Length, grip, shaft, head style are all super important...but if I can't get a putter close to my preferred swingweight, I'm passing. I don't want to play to a different length or put on a really heavy or really light grip that I don't like the feel of just to get to D6.

 

great points!

 

I started playing a much lighter headweight over the last few years with a slightly heavier shaft and light grip at 34". It SW's at d0, but weighs about 510g. To me, the the shaft weight made a huge difference in the quality of my putting. SW became more of a data point rather than a fitting parameter.

 

For those who understand SW it is a good tool to optimize a putter.

 

Well said!

[Lionstar]

I always find this chart really helpful when discussing or determining head weight.

 

 

Thanks. Great info.

[drbonesvt]

I'm thinking a static weight of 528 around d4 @ 35" inches works for me

 

Heavy is no good , 350 + head too much weight