Swingweight advice needed

[markb]

I'm one of the many MGS Scor converts.   After testing them and liking them, I switched everything 9 iron and under to Scors and I could not be happier.  No second thoughts, the honeymoon just keeps going.   I did have to adjust my swing slightly to better fit the Scors, but once I did that, the results were superb.   So I'm not switching back -- in fact I would really like to get a Scor 7 and 8 if they made them.

 

Here's the thing -- since the switch, my Speedblade 7 and 8 have now gone to crap.   I'm constantly "late" on them through impact and as a result I push everything right and leak-fade the ones that aren't outright pushed.   I didn't really do this before and I feel as though the swing I use with the Scor's ain't working with the transition Speedblades.  My long irons (3 - 5) have always tended to leak right a bit as well, but I compensate for this by shutting the face somewhat and strengthening my grip.   This works fine with the longer irons, but I don't want to do this with the 7 and 8 because it delofts the club at the expense of straightening the shot.  It still need to get those mid irons up.

 

So here's my question.  The Scors tend to be about 5 grams heavier per club than their equal length Speedblade equivalents.  This might be due to slightly heavier shafts in the Scors, but I'm wondering if I just add lead tape to the SB 7 and 8 will my "lag" increase or decrease?  

 

I don't know what their respective swingweights are.   I've gotten used to the heavier Scors now and hit them better with their heavier heads and shafts.   When you increase your swingweight what happens?   Do you get further ahead or further behind the ball?

[JBones]

I honestly don't notice much of a difference, unless something is way off, but I have a swing weight machine, so the first thing I do is make everything exactly the same.

[Kenny B]

I see that your Speedblades have 85g steel shafts. All I can say is Wow! I didn't know that you could get steel shafts that light. But then it's been many years since I looked at steel, let alone play them.

 

My i20s are graphite, I think about 75g, but not sure and the Genius9 SCORs are 95g graphite. I don't hit the i20s any different than the SCORs. I can tell the SCORs are heavier, but the weight seems evenly distributed so it doesn't swing any different. I would think that the Speedblades would be closer to the SCORs in feel than my Pings.

 

As for swingweight, the Pings are D0 whereas I think the Genius9 SCORs are more like D4. Probably why I like the feel of the SCORs better. I don't know the answer to your question, but why would it hurt to put some lead tape on the Speedblades, and it sounds like if you are pushing shots, then it should be added towards the heel.

 

Not much help since our shafts are different. Sorry

[Blade]

I compensate for this by shutting the face somewhat and strengthening my grip. This works fine with the longer irons, but I don't want to do this with the 7 and 8 because it delofts the club at the expense of straightening the shot. It still need to get those mid irons up.

Strengthening your grip to close the face won't deloft the club anymore than a proper release without a grip change will. What would deloft it is if you had more forward shaft lean. But you want some of that anyway. A proper strike does deloft the club.

 

But from my experience figuring out what works best for me for swing weight, I have my wedges at quite a bit heavier swing weights. But I transition to that through my short irons so going from one to the next won't feel drastically different. Lead tape is probably the best way to figure that out for yourself. You can add and subtract it until you like it. Once you're happy, measure the swing weights and plot out a logical progression to get from the lighter clubs to the heaviest and build them accordingly. Or keep the lead on if you don't mind that.

[markb]

Strengthening your grip to close the face won't deloft the club anymore than a proper release without a grip change will. What would deloft it is if you had more forward shaft lean. But you want some of that anyway. A proper strike does deloft the club.

 

But from my experience figuring out what works best for me for swing weight, I have my wedges at quite a bit heavier swing weights. But I transition to that through my short irons so going from one to the next won't feel drastically different. Lead tape is probably the best way to figure that out for yourself. You can add and subtract it until you like it. Once you're happy, measure the swing weights and plot out a logical progression to get from the lighter clubs to the heaviest and build them accordingly. Or keep the lead on if you don't mind that.

 

I get that flipping the face closed at address or strengthening the grip (or both) is not really delofting the club so much as a trick that returns it to neutral at impact for a straight strike.   (Although it has less loft than when I leave it open on the right side balloon fade miss.)   Straight strikes are what I want, but it bugs me to have to take such dramatic steps with the 7 and 8 that I don't have to take with the Scors.   I want to set up the same.

 

In any event, I did add 5 grams of tape to the back cavity of the SB 8 yesterday and I played it today.   It seemed to work.   I hit about a dozen balls from 160 out at real flags and I didn't leak any right.   Ball flight seemed a touch lower, though.   Feel was more solid, less vague.  Head felt noticebly heavier in my hands, which I liked.  I'll keep it this way for a while and see what gives.   

 

I hit a number of other 3 - 6 irons using a noticeably stronger grip, but no tape, and the results were pretty good there as well.    It was a windy 35 degree day and I was able to keep my irons under control and pretty effective, I didn't really balloon any high and right.  6 of one, half dozen of the other I suppose.