How grip weight affects swingweight

Grip weight is easy to ignore because the numbers look small, but it changes how heavy a club feels in your hands. Grips range from around 25 grams up past 65 grams, and that spread is enough to shift a club's balance point and how it swings.

What swingweight actually is

Swingweight is a measure of how a club's weight is balanced between the grip end and the head end, written on a scale like D0 or D2. It is not the total weight of the club. Two clubs can weigh the same on a scale and feel completely different because the weight sits in different places. Weight near the head raises swingweight and makes the club feel heavier through the swing. Weight in the grip end does the opposite.

The simple rule

Adding weight to the grip end lowers swingweight. As a working rule, about every 4 to 5 grams you add to the grip drops swingweight by roughly one point. So a grip that is 9 grams heavier than your old one takes the club down about two swingweight points and makes the head feel lighter. A lighter grip does the reverse and makes the head feel heavier.

GripFitr uses this relationship when it flags a weight change. If a heavier grip would pull your swingweight down noticeably, it tells you and suggests how to offset it.

Light, standard, and heavy grips

• Light (under about 46g): raises swingweight and can help slower or smoother swings feel the head. Also good if you want a lighter overall club.
• Standard (about 46 to 58g): the neutral middle where most grips and most fittings live.
• Heavy (over about 58g): lowers swingweight, quiets a busy or fast transition, and can steady tempo.

Keeping the club feeling right

If you switch to a much heavier or lighter grip and the club starts to feel off, you have two easy fixes. Counterbalancing, which means adding weight up in the grip end, lets you go heavier without killing head feel. A touch of head weight, like heavier tape or a weight port, offsets a very light grip. Most golfers never need to bother, but it is worth knowing if you make a big jump.

Weight pairs with material and size, so choose the compound and size that fit you first, then use weight to tune how the club feels.