Golf Equipment Myths
Adjustable Screws and Lead Tape and their influence on the golf ball.
It is/was an amazing phenomenon to be sure. More like a study in human nature and one that while not really heard about in our favorite golf rag as much as in years past, still makes for great cocktail party conversation if nothing else. Lines get drawn very similar to the red states and the blue states as the theories begin to fly. Whether to interchange a 2 gram screw where a 6 gram screw once was, or to place the 10 gram screw at the opposite end of the clubhead where the 2 gram screw once resided just to see if it will do anything to influence spin characteristics of the golf ball, is a study in human nature at best.
To get to the MATHEMATICS of the situation, as opposed to the MARKETING of the theory, I would like to offer you the following to help you to better formulate your own ideas and opinions on the matter.
If the modern day clubhead weighs in at 200 grams ( and it does ) and is 4” long heel to toe , and for the sake of this argument, we can agree that it is ( based on size of head we choose for the test ). That would basically mean that the center of gravity or the “sweet spot” is in the middle of that face or at the 2” mark from either the heel or the toe.
Now, to move that center of gravity a full 2” toward the toe, we would have to literally double the weight of the head, with ALL of that weight being added at the FURTHEST point from the middle of the face on the toe of the clubhead. In other words, we would have to add 200 more grams to the outside of the toe of our driver, not NEAR the toe of our driver ( for the sake of this particular discussion ).
The easiest way I can think of to do this would be to actually take another clubhead of the same weight and actually weld it to the toe of the current clubhead….. Imagine what this looks like now!
With a double clubhead down there, we now have moved the center of gravity off its original position in the middle of the face of our driver to a position that actually sits between both clubheads, not actually on either head…
It is critically important to recognize that it took a full 200 grams of weight to move our center of gravity 2 inches along the face!
Now for the math:
100 grams added DIRECTLY to the toe would move the center of gravity 1”
50 grams added DIRECTLY to the toe would move the center of gravity œ”.
25 grams added DIRECTLY to the toe would move the center of gravity Œ”.
12.5 grams added DIRECTLY to the toe would move the center of gravity 1/8”
6.25 grams added DIRECTLY to the toe would move the center of gravity 1/16”
This is really quite simple math, and these numbers are provided for you, to point out that you would have to put an excessive amount of weight as far away from the original sweet spot of your driver as you can, before the golf ball would even realize a mere Œ” difference in the position of the sweetspot or center of gravity of the clubhead, let alone something as ridiculously minute as exchanging a 2 gram weight and a 6 gram weight within the 1.5” linear inch area provided to you by the most popular manufacturers of this latest revived phenomenon. We haven’t even factored in the lack of repeatability of the average golfer’s swing, and how many times we actually duplicate both swingpath, angle of attack and center contact. The question ultimately becomes, which swing do we set these screws for? But that is for a different article at a later time perhaps.
Now, I am the first to acknowledge that the game of golf is very much played in the 6 inches between our ears, and I am a huge fan of “if you think that it works for you, than do it”, but at some point, we have to sit up and realize that mathematically speaking, changing weighted screws is an absolute effort in futility at best. Literally a placebo if you will, a marketing coup. It simply does not, or cannot, have a large enough impact on the center of gravity of the clubhead, let alone the ASSEMBLED golf club, to influence the golf ball in aany significant way!
Lead tape is a bigger mystery. There is not single a position, on any clubhead ever produced, that you can apply lead tape, where it will have any appreciable difference to either the spin profile or the launch angle of a golf ball……. Period. Toe, heel, sole, backskirt, crown, even wrapping it around the top of the hosel, only will achieve one thing… making the product, in this case your golf club heavier! Lead tape can and will increase the swingweight of the club. It will absolutely increase the overall weight of the club, and if enough of it is used, it will actually soften the flex of the shaft to a minute degree. That being said however, the amount of lead tape needed to make a significant difference in a player’s game is considerable, and adding or removing a couple of strips of it is merely a mental exercise at best. But if you feel more comfortable over the ball by participating in that exercise, by all means I highly recommend it. But please do not confuse perception or advertising hype for mathematics or science. While some say that “perception is reality”, science and math have something to say about it, and marketing companies don’t understand that language all too often.
Mike Tait
Owner and clubhead designer
SMT Golf
"The Winningest Component Heads In Golf History"
Thanks to Mike Tait at SMT for this article. If you're interested in SMT Components or would like me to build you a SMT driver, please email me and reference this article to receive 10% off on SMT components or assembled clubs. Tell me a bit about your game and swing and I'd be happy to help you choose the right combination for your game.
John Muir
clubmaker-online
Click here for our favorite driver, the SMT 455 Deep Bore with Patriot Golf shaft