Why are we still using Swingweight?

[JRCorb]

A lot of the comments are very technical which is impressive, but somewhat confusing to me.  All I care about is whether the club feels "head heavy" or not.  I like the swing of an iron to be slightly "head heavy", whereas, my son (who is a much better golfer than me) likes the weight to be higher up the shaft away from the head.  He has PXG Gen 6 irons and I have the PXG Gen 3.  I have the TT Elevate shaft and, I am not sure, but his must be heavier.  I tried both our 7 irons on my simulator and obtained very similar data eventhough the feel was quite different.  Based on PXG claims, the Gen 6 should have given me "better" numbers.  I attribute not getting better data due to the fact that my shaft is a better fit for my swing.  When I get my next PXG irons, I'm going to pay more attention to the weights the fitter puts on the club head!

[toncol]

Interesting subject.  I've always been suspicious of the concept, because from what I can determine it's a method that's intended to measure and adjust for how clubs "feel" when you swing them.  If it was possible to mathematically measure "feel" I'd probably have a smoother relationship with the women in my life - but I digress.  Logically, you don't want your wedge to feel the same as your 4-Iron (either the wedge would feel too light or the 4I too heavy) and the way swingweight is applied is meant to adjust for this.  The problem is that it's like any other general rule, it works well in theory and for a large number of golfers, but needs adjustment for better (or more picky) players.  IMO, the average player should make sure that his clubs have the right length, lie angle and overall weight (not swingweight) and then work on getting better at hitting the middle of the face.  Lie and length will hurt your ability to hit the ball consistently, swingweight not so much.  I find it interesting that I'm on about my 5th set of Mizuno Irons.  Earlier sets that came from the factory would have a packing list in there that would indicate swingweight - Typically around D3, but the last two sets I got said "Best" on the line where swingweight was listed.  Anyone's guess what that means.  Given that my clubs are 0.75" long, I'd imagine that the swingweight measured out at a heavier value like D8 or 9 and that Mizuno adjusted from there.  Doesn't matter, as I take mine to a clubfitter and get the swingweight in the long clubs slightly lighter and the short ones slightly heavier.  I also have them tweaked for lie, making the long ones a degree or two up, and the short ones a degree or two flat to help counteract my tendency to slightly push my long irons and slightly pull my short ones.  This was something that I arrived with the help of an expert clubfitter at back in the good old days when my index started with a zero, and it's served me well even if I can't play like that anymore.  Anyway, IMO swingweight is only one factor in getting clubs fitted, and it's not close to being the most important one.

[Trevor613]

Just like most other things, in my opinion, swingweight comes down to feel.  When getting fitted, it was the last thing we discussed and when we talked about it, it was more of discussion of "finding" the clubhead during my swing.  The overall weights of the clubs did not change materially, but how that weight was distributed made a difference for me in how the clubs felt as I swung them. I noticed a law of diminishing returns as the clubs got longer. As a result, my three wedges (Vokey SM9) are D7 and my irons 4-PW are D6 SW, and all of them have lighter steel KBS shafts which helps me "find" the heads during the swing, especially when I'm not hitting full shots. My Driver and 5W are in the D4/D5 SW range.  The original build for the drive was a D8 SW and it felt like a sledgehammer and NOT in a good way. Luckily, Club Champion will do tweaks to the equipment until you're happy and they took some hot melt out of clubhead to bring the total weight down and also shift how that weight was distributed.  So for me, swingweight was all about feel and consistency. Moving forward I'll probably try to keep them in this general range and have them "lighter" in the longer clubs and then progressively "heavier" as the clubs get shorter.

[Gbufer]

I recently got a full fitting and I am a D7 swing weight with my new irons and a D3 with woods and Driver and I am hitting it better than ever before. I am no expert but my understanding is it’s not about the total weight it’s just where the weight is placed for overall feel. 

[BigBoiGolf]

3 hours ago, David LD said:

@BigBoiGolf

With all due respect, is there any chance for one that your scale is broken?

Every scale I've ever used has been very sensitive with in about 1/4 of 1 gram.

 

I mean it's a digital scale that goes to 1/10th of a point in accuracy that I calibrated to their specific instruction, and when I measure the supplied calibrated brass weight, matches when the brass weight is placed on 2 other scales. I would say it probably is not broken.

Now is it useful on the other hand? I think it's useful in telling me what the swingweight is, but it's not really telling me the balance point per se, as I think I highlighted that when I pointed out if I dumped 10 grams of lead tape on the fulcrum point, the swingweight doesn't change while the static weight goes up.

My point really is that you can have several clubs that all have different static weights, swingweighted to D2, all requiring different amounts of force to move them through 3D space, because I'm thinking from the perspective of my muscles and how much force they must produce to move things around and accelerate them.

I suppose I could go get another one of those 155 gram putter grips, throw it on the driver and see what it's swingweight is and MOI, but the static weight is going to jump 100 grams, and since I'm inputting the force at my hands, it's probably not going to be as bad compared to putting that 100 grams at the fulcrum point of the swingweight scale.

[BigBoiGolf]

3 hours ago, David LD said:

For example I play an F12 on my driver, but most ppl would hate something that heavy in the head, quite literally they would have a hard time just getting the club head to the ball

If you don't mind, could you post the build sheet and weights/spec? I would definitely be interested in replicating an LD build and posting the instrumentation measurements here. I have an old R7 SuperQuad that would let me take 30ish grams out of the head right off the bat.

[pineneedlespro]

Yes swing weight is a number some golfers really are bent on knowing that all clubs are at a certain number. It is possible for a telephone pole to swing D0. Swing weight of a golf club is a balance point. Some golfers just pick up a club for feel and does not matter what the swing weight number is. Most tour pros cannot tell the difference between a D2 and a D3 weight.

[ChitownM2]

1 hour ago, ButchE said:

it MAY be relevant to those scratch level and lower, but to the mere mortals that grace most courses, it does NOT matter. I built my entire bag not having a SW machine to go by and I won a sanctioned tournament with them. Like the man who got me involved in the game decades ago: its' not the arrow its' the Indian. 

Anecdotal experience is hardly evidence that something doesn't matter.  Above all else, skill level is going to be the largest determining factor on one's scores.

It's very possible that you put together a set of clubs where the components had a very small dispersion of weights from the manufacturer spec.  The weights of the heads are designed, in theory, to get the same swing weight with each club so it's entirely possible you built a set that has a very consistent swing weight without having ever measured it. 

Likewise, I'm sure I could build you a set with a totally fubar swing weight variance across the set and you'd likely be singing the opposite tune.  

[Gary Patrick]

)As a club builder (over 1000 sets) for the last 25 yrs. I believe it matters most to better players, say single digits. It's the consistency in feel throughout the set and the tempo the player feels is best for them. I've had 2's that play at D0 and extra stiff shafts because that FEEeeLS best to them. I have a friend, was a tour van tech/builder for Mizuno plays everything (including driver) at D4 and he's scratch with regular flex.I do believe for most lighter is better, easy to swing, but there must be continuity throughout or you can't reach consistently.  Drivers? they are all over the place, length, kickpoint, ultralight grip, std (460) mini. I also believe testing, other than robotic is all about who's name is on it. Is Mizuno really a hundred time better than Golfworks. Same weight, material, design? shaft, grip etc. With blinders on I bet 80% of the testers couldn't tell the difference. That's another discussion. Thanks for your time! Good Hunting.

[Clubs by Buzz]

My concern is confusion for the masses.  It cost money to chase perfection.  Avg Joe or Jill golfer can't break 100 because they don't have time to practice.  They enjoy the game and social setting. 

The tech data is for us golf geeks.  In a perfect world we would build each club independent of shafts or heads.  Build a club that feels good and fills a yardage gap. 

Great points being made in this post.  Thanks for sharing. 

Attached photo illustrates tech info that avg golfer can't interpret. 

[Digiburdie]

loving all this nerdy golf talk, but the math is making my head hurt this early in the morning. I just recently changed irons and went with the Modus 105s and I'm loving the lighter feel to them. I probably should measure the SW just for S&Gs but then I might become obsessed with making everything match and go down a crazy rabbit hole that it sounds like is easy to fall into. My goal is to have something that feels fast and can give me a consistent strike on the ball. So far that's the case. Now for my Driver that's a different story. I'm all over the place with that right now and I suspect its my swing and not the club.... but hey if I can blame the SW and not my 10 handicapness for it.. I will! 

[RanMan]

Yes it matters.  As your swing speed declines, increasing head weight helps with retaining distance.

[revkev]

2 hours ago, David LD said:

I was asking your swing speed because if it's on the higher end there are a couple brands which have very weak tips that bend and warp easily - especially - on the lighter shafts.

 

In general there's been a trend to go to much lighter shafts for irons - I think this is a very large mistake - there's a fine point where the weight of the club stabilizes your swing - if you want to share your swing speed and the shaft I can possibly help you troubleshoot what might be going on or hopefully at least tell you where to look -if you got fit recently and are unhappy I would go back to the place and complain they might be able to at least get you a discount on shafts...

If you built them yourself, it could be an issue with craftsmanship (no offense ) it's just virtually every tutorial I've seen on YouTube is making some kind if mistake -mostly with shafting beads or the epoxy blend or curing.

The thought of me building them myself is comical. Then it most certainly would be the craftsmanship.

I would as fit at a demo day so it wasn’t the greatest of fittings. I’ve been fit enough times that what was recommended seemed to make sense. The shaft is similar weight wise to what I’ve been gaming for a while.  However the overall weight got of the irons and the swing weight are lighter.

 

I do know about the trend towards lighter shafts in irons. I was fit for driver at the tour performance center at TPC sawgrass about 12 years ago. My fitter at that time told me this would be the wave of the future.  My current teacher is a big advocate for lighter iron shafts even for his mini tour students. I do agree with you that there’s a too light point - I reached it once on a driver and seem to have with these irons.

 

Im going for an iron fitting on Monday. I will ask for a shafted recommendation on the Srixon’s but also see what the fitter recommends. My driver SS is right around 90. High 70’s to 80 with 7 iron. I’m a classic older player who was once low single digit and whose handicap has crept up due to distance loss. I still have some game again especially if you put me in a fitting where I’m hitting the same club shot after shot. 

[Crabbie65]

I think that swing weight matters for consistency and not to a specific swing weight.  I always thought you needed to D2 but now have graphite shafts, my swing weight comes in D1.

I went back to all of my irons and moved to keep them all at the same swing weight to D1.

 

[EnderinAZ]

1 hour ago, Clubs by Buzz said:

My concern is confusion for the masses.  It cost money to chase perfection.  Avg Joe or Jill golfer can't break 100 because they don't have time to practice.  They enjoy the game and social setting. 

The tech data is for us golf geeks.  In a perfect world we would build each club independent of shafts or heads.  Build a club that feels good and fills a yardage gap. 

Great points being made in this post.  Thanks for sharing. 

Attached photo illustrates tech info that avg golfer can't interpret. 

H O L Y Crap guys. I live on the edge of being OCD anyway and this thread has just added a whole new level of "I need to know more". I have built clubs for years mostly just putting them together with different stuff until they "feel" right.  Now all of this = Wow....

Okay @Clubs by Buzz I'll bite. Interpret that gibberish on the side of the shaft for me. I have been fitted a few times by club champions and asked about that and have been told basically "you don't need to know that". 

Now, before my round today I will be swinging my clubs trying to find the kick point feel. Gad....

[BigBoiGolf]

1 hour ago, Clubs by Buzz said:

My concern is confusion for the masses.  It cost money to chase perfection.

Well, I'll put it this way:

How much money and man-hours has been wasted on lessons that you just can't get to work right simply because your golf clubs don't fit you? 99% of golfers don't have clubs that fit them, even at the most basic metrics like shaft weight, length, lie, and basic flex/heft preference.

I'm helping my friend redo his old Hogan Apex Edge Forged irons that will be MOI matched, when I put his 6 iron on the instruments, this is what he's been shooting 90+ with, and saying how hard it is to improve from his lessons:

Length: 38"

Swingweight: D9.2

MOI: 2882.6 kg-cm^2

Total Weight: 421.5g

He's not taller than me, not physically stronger, and I think these were hand-me-downs because he doesn't have the time or money to drive out and get fitted. So this is all he has to work with, but most important: It's all he's ever known for the last 15+ years of his golf life

He's got my test Nike CCI Forged 9 iron, which is why it wasn't in the list since he's been so... adamant about not giving it up. So realistically he's probably going to be reset with a Modus 120S at around 2750 MOI so we can go from there.

I just think with this tooling it exposes so much more information to me as a player that I go "Hmm that makes more sense now that I think about it" when recalling weird issues with recommended assemblies, like playing counter-balanced shafts out to 45.75" with driver heads weighing in at 206 grams, I can just feel my back starting to ache if the MOI breaks 3000 kg-cm^2

 

Edit: Food for thought, it's pretty important as I would say, because I have this G430 where I took out the "Pure-Flex" badge which ended up being nothing but plastic and cool carbon fiber stickers, but a PING 8 iron weighing the same as my 6 iron means that someone's going to put an 8 iron shaft into this, because it says 8 on the clubhead, and instantly double hard step it. You can also see on that Sub70 649MB tour where I measured the head CG to be into the heel, so I'm wondering what it truly means to hit it out of the center since the 649MBT has the CG in front of the face, so subsequently inverse Gear Effect

Edited May 8 by BigBoiGolf

[Captwilks67]

I'm always tinkering and curious about this exact question. What I have come to learn is that feel is the sole determinator of how well I will hit a club. Additionally, so much comes down to learning what is best for my body and my swing. Much to the dismay of my bank account, I have not done a traditional fitting in two years (though it is probably time I stop tinkering and just go get fit, and spend some time learning about my swing from someone else), and I have simply been testing out different clubs/sets with different shafts. I think that most recently I have found that there are some combinations that I just naturally hit more consistently than others. And I find that I dont have to work to hit my best shots. I simply just rotate and the dynamics of the club weight and my body produce the swing I am looking for. I am still fairly new to this sport (This will be my 3rd summer), thus I am still learning a ton. The benefit of this sport is that there will never be a point that I feel that I can completely understand it, and feel that I have "completed" this sport (which is extremely beneficial for my ADHD mind, as I tend to move on from Hobbies once I get very good at them, unless they accomplish some other continuing need that I have. The feeling is very similar to scratching an itch for those that do not have ADHD). 

 

I will provide a recent example:

I recently purchased a TSR2 3 wood with a Tensai 1k Black 75x and Iomic standard grips with +2 tape. When I first picked up this club, I thought, "damn this is very head heavy. Probably too heavy and It is going to mess up my swing. I went ahead and purchased a tensai 1k orange 75x to bring the swing weight down, based on my belief that this club will be too heavy and I will end up chunking or topping the ball, really stemming from the change in my swing mechanics. Yesterday I went and hit at my local trackman location, and played around with taking the weight out, hitting the club and then adding it back in. Interestingly enough, for my swing, I found that once I added the weight back in, relaxed my body, and just swung the club, I had a higher smash factor and I felt that I was swinging "easier". I learned that even though this headweight feels much heavier, with where my swing is at in this moment, I am able to hit better shots. 

 

I suspect this is due to the fact that I can get to quick in my tempo, and many have described my swing as "too hard". I would love to be able to groove more swings, though saying swing easier and actually doing it are two different things. I guess I just haven't had that AHA moment yet. Though this experience has shed some light into how head weight matters for my my swing. And I do not know if it translates to my other clubs yet, thus I am going to continue to experiment. 

[oilcanovaltrack]

Golf is and never will be the perfect sport based on nature and physical make up, we all swing a club differently and back in the early days no technology existed that is around today for measuring CPM, swing weight etc... 

So for me, I do  tinker with my builds trying to get every club in the set to a similar swing weight, I also spine align every shaft... Whether it makes a difference or not is all down your personal  viewpoint, but it makes me feel confident about my equipment, I play with many guys who play off the shelf clubs and do not know a thing about what I do and they are better at golf  than I am.. So it begs the question, does it really matter... For me the answer is No, but it will not stop me doing what I do... 

 

Ultimately it is all  down to personal preference.. Just my thoughts on this subject. 

[Big moose]

My first set of irons I actually got fit for were callaway x 20s the swing weight was a D1 up to the 9 iron and the wedges were a D3, when I got my fitted for my next set the callaway XRs I didn't like the way the wedges felt so I looked up the specs and all the clubs were a D1. So I looked up how much lead tape I needed to make them a D3, after putting the tape on I like the feel a lot better. 

[KCEE]

I don't think swing weight matters and I haven't used my Golfsmith scale in years. If you're always building the clubs the same length with the same shafts, grips, etc then sure you can just keep hitting the same swing weight and thinking "yes D3 is perfect for me".

The thing is I can build two completely different clubs with the same swing weight, so how can it be an effective measurement?  I can vary head weight, change club length, use a different grip and things change. I can even add a backweight to reduce swing weight and further muddy the waters. This renders the swing weight scale almost worthless because it doesn't tell the whole story. 

I think most players have a length and total static weight of a club that works better for them. I struggle with a club that's too light. In my old age I can't play super heavy super stiff shafts anymore, but I need some heft for my poor tempo so I use the lighter more flexible shafts with a bit more head weight and a backweight. The extra head weight gets my MOI up and the backweight increases the static weight.

Just my $.02 of course, but I do know a few excellent club builders that also feel swing weight is irrelevant.....but they may not tell the customer that because some will swear by that swing weight #. 

[WiTerp50]

At 74 and 15+ handicap, my priority is club weight, kick point, and length. All primarily shaft selection options. There is s a definite difference in how I can swing a club at 110 g shaft versus a 65 g, with both built to D3. I assume the custom order from Titleist will all be close in swing weight. They distance gap correctly so adding tape to a 6 iron doesn’t offer much advantage to me. 
Grips are very close to the fulcrum point in the dynamic state (my hands). I don’t worry about weight change to a grip that feels best. While they impact a static SW, I’ve never felt they altered my swing due to weight change. Just replace all the grips to be the same. 
Clearly Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods can tell. But the other factors that impact 90% of golfers (club and shaft selection fitted to that golfer), outweigh typical SW considerations. 
 

[golfr]

On 5/8/2024 at 7:55 AM, Sonny Beach said:

You can make a telephone pole swing weight D2 if you wanted too but could you swing it? How big, strong and tall are you? Provided the overall weight is manageable for the individual, the swing weight matters for swing consistency and club performance. Swing weight too heavy, club digs. Too light thin shots and whiffs. Somewhere in-between is what you need. Go get fitted to find that out, if you do nothing else. . 

 

You make 2 important points here (and I'm of the opinion that swing weight doesn't matter much)

1.  The telephone pole example is exactly the point.  If we can make swing weight equal "anything we want" with the components we use, what does it REALLY matter?   Is it really a measure of anything useful? 

2.  I'll answer my own question, it doesn't.  Because of your second point.  you need swing weight to be "somewhere in between".  

We can make a club swing weight at d0.  That club could be built with a super heavy shaft.  We could also make a club built with a 40 gram shaft swing weight at d0.  I guarantee from testing, those 2 clubs will NOT feel the same to swing.  Worse, we can make a d0 club with most of the weight at the balance point OR we can make that same d0 with huge counterweights and head weights.  Again, those 2 clubs will NOT swing the same, even though they have identical swing weights.   This is from feedback when you blindly hand those setups to testers, they all say the same thing "wow, this feels heavy/light".  The NEVER say, wow, this feels exactly the same.  All just data to suggest swing weight is a fairly irrelevant measure. 

Most players just need swing weight to be reasonable and they can play.  The rest of the micro analysis that people are doing isn't real, it's part of that wonderful placebo vs the golfers brain.  Do some blind testing (which hardly any player does), and you'll probably be surprised.

 

Edited May 9 by golfr

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, KCEE said:

I think most players have a length and total static weight of a club that works better for them.

Agree. I’ve read some comments from fitters on other forums or groups and talked to a couple and they agree. Get the right shaft weight and feel and the rest will take care of itself. 

[Yaboyjermz]

While the feeling of a club is all preference and some may say there is no right swing weight the fact of the matter is shafts are meant to load in a specific way. If the swing weight is not correct then a person is not effectively maximizing loading and releasing the golf club. 

The other thing to note is just because a club is working doesn’t mean that a person is in the right fit for a club. Charts have been created to guide fitters and golfers to provide specific swing weight based off of swing speed.

A person may swing the club slower or faster than the specified swing weight and miss out on either distance or accuracy.

This is why it is important for people to get fit for clubs or trial and error their specs until they maximize performance.

[U-Gruv]

From what I understand, with grips being identical weight. shaft weights consistent, and head weights equally gapped at +7gms, with non-constant weight shafts (typically parallel tip), assembly with progressive swing weights as the target, from 4 iron (D0) to the GW (D3) by adding tip weights or slightly adjusting the length gaps, will provide you a fairly closely matched set from an MOI perspective.  If the shafts are constant weight (typically but not always the taper tip shafts), then using fixed length gaps and no weight manipulation in the heads will yield progressive swing weights and therefore closely matched MOI measurements.  Thoughts?  

[dlygrisse]

IMO swing weight can be important after you have picked all the appropriate components/ specs, and assuming the club heads all are weighted appropriately.  More to verify you have consistency through the set.  Shaft weight and flex are important.  Too me the shaft weight might be the most important. 

[Thefairwayfox]

I’m not sure how much a specific swing weight affects anyone’s swing. I look at it as preferential.

 

BUT for my set, I do like having all my clubs the same swing weight just so there’s some consistency of feel when I’m swinging. Maybe it was my theory on eliminating variables so I can swing everything the same way. I did make my wedges D6 because I like the heads heavy for chip shots.

[David LD]

9 hours ago, BigBoiGolf said:

If you don't mind, could you post the build sheet and weights/spec? I would definitely be interested in replicating an LD build and posting the instrumentation measurements here. I have an old R7 SuperQuad that would let me take 30ish grams out of the head right off the bat.

I don't have a build sheet - I can get you certain specs of you want.

 

I borrowed a swing weight scale when I built my drivers, I have different ones a different weights for different setups - I'd argue that it's quite difficult to keep the ball under the wind with a really light head. Most of my heads are closer to 200grams and I have a few which are around 230...mostly playing 75 gram shafts with a 62 gram grip

I'm also playing a lot heavier and stiffer shaft that most guys - I've seen 45 gram driver shaft setups for ppl chasing speed, but to me I feel like I'm going to split the shaft in half. I'm already swinging over 150mph club speed and I added weight for stability and control.

Now for my irons idk my current swing weight because the last 3 sets I had I bent the shafts in 30 swings or so and I had to get a custom set of the true temper x7s they made for Jason day who was also bending his shafts -they are about double the thickness of the x100 and reinforced at the tip.

Since I didn't know if they would bend on me or not I figured I'd dial them in and then weight them after - granted I'm also playing with the shaft lengths - I build all my own clubs, but it's not like I can go get fit somewhere  because not only is there no demo equipment, but I can't really even compare to a stock shaft, plus I might bend or break the stock demo stuff.

For your R7, I'd bet the head on it is at least flattened - my father had one which he played from 2006 to maybe 2015ish and the head died, if I remember correctly it actually cracked on him - and he's not a long driver, he can hit the ball,but has major back issues - it was a great driver head though.

I mean if you really want to play that head or just play around, over the past 4 years or so the biggest golf improvements have been with the shafts.

If you're looking for any specific specs or build suggestions I can give my opinion or try to point you in the right direction.

As for driver swing weight - I do just build to feel, but I'm also going off always using a 75 gram shaft 60-63 gram grip - so the only factor is head weight and then matching that to shaft cpms (stiffness) but if you hand me say a d10 and then a lighter or heavier club I could tell you this one is the d8...I was also hitting close to 40k balls at the range and breaking at least 12 drivers a vear (the heads all crack or warp only the guys using the super light shafts break shafts, I haven't broken a shaft in 8 years)

Like I was saying in my original response - the swing weight matters the most across your irons.

[Steve S]

As far as I can tell from my research swing weight was a way to quantify feel.  Like all human measurements trying to categorize something not easy to describe it's imperfect but helps a to lead to a comparison for some folks.  

From a purely physics stand point the ideal club would be a shaft and grip of no mass and infinite stiffness and all the weight in the head.  That would allow you to swing the club as fast as possible to generate the most force on the golf ball. 

I've tried to build clubs with the lightest, stiffest shafts available and found that it's pretty hard to find shafts that are light enough and still very stiff.  The positive is that when doing this I was able to get higher club head speeds without sacrificing knowing where the club head was or feel.  I was also able to maintain launch conditions by using heads with "conventional" lofts (ex. 7 iron at 35 degrees).  I was also able to add weight to the clubs without loss of club speed up to a certain point.  I encourage folks to try this.  It's amazing how much weight you can add before you start slowing down. 

[THE GOLF GUY]

Having a good sound swing can use help in proper  swing weighting ( I had my clubs custom built from Club Champion). I have my woods and irons a little heavier (D4) because it truly helps me to feel  the clubhead more and maintain better rhythm. As you said , light weight shafts and light swing weighting does not in itself improve a golf swing either. In fact, too light can cause its own issues as well, one being the fact that rhythm is in my opinion harder to achieve and being consistent. I'm a club fitter and builder too, I like to re grip and re shaft my own clubs now for the most part , especially since I have all of my equipment  and still  love to tinker with clubs . Well, that is my take !

Edited May 9 by THE GOLF GUY