Why do so many pros use SO much lead tape?

[GQMike]

I was going through some pictures of some of the clubs in pros bags, and noticed a LOT of them are heavy on the use of lead tape. Does it really affect the head weight SO much that they need to put it on there? Sometimes you'll see 1, 2 pieces. Others, you see it bulked up on the back of them. Does anyone use lead tape? If so, what affect does it have on you ball striking? Do you use it on your irons? Wedges? I'm a low single digit handicap and have never known the answer to why this is done.

[Dave]

Normally to get the swingweights up a standard that the player's are used to using.

[Addicted2Golf]

Yes, and to add some mass here and there to get a certain feel. You have to add an awful lot of tape to achieve a discernible difference. That's why you see them pile on the pieces when they do use it.

[Matt Saternus]

I use lead tape on my irons and wedges just to get the swingweights exactly where I want them. I think you'd need to add A WHOLE BUNCH of tape to change the playing characteristics of any club, though.

[GolfSpy Dave]

Can't the tour van do this without lead tape though?

[Addicted2Golf]

Can't the tour van do this without lead tape though?

 

I think the pros just like messing with their clubs themselves.

[GolfSpy Dave]

I think the pros just like messing with their clubs themselves.

I guess it is a quicker fix. Don't they sometimes use it to cover up logos on clubs different from their sponsor?

[Dave]

Can't the tour van do this without lead tape though?

They can, you can put tip weights in the bottom of the shafts. It's just that everytime you change your mind you have to pull the clubs to bits. Tape just comes on and off.

[Matt Saternus]

I guess it is a quicker fix. Don't they sometimes use it to cover up logos on clubs different from their sponsor?

 

Hmmm...I've never heard of this, but I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility. I mainly hear about players putting a different club under their company's HC.

[jamo]

They can, you can put tip weights in the bottom of the shafts. It's just that everytime you change your mind you have to pull the clubs to bits. Tape just comes on and off.

 

Plus this only adds weight to the heel, and it would change the characteristics.

[MmmmmmBuddy]

Plus it looks really cool... We have lots of "players" that have to have lead tape on their irons, more as a psychological fix than anything else..

[Dave]

Plus this only adds weight to the heel, and it would change the characteristics.

 

What characteristic's would you be talking about? Tip weights are only between 2 and 10 grams. That's not going to change the shaft. Or the weight bias of a head.

[lmh3]

On some of the other sets that I have played in the past, I used a good amount of lead tape on my irons. I did this to dial in swing weight and feel on each iron. With my current irons, I was able to change the weight plug on the back of the club to achieve this without having to add tape.

[Dave]

On some of the other sets that I have played in the past, I used a good amount of lead tape on my irons. I did this to dial in swing weight and feel on each iron. With my current irons, I was able to change the weight plug on the back of the club to achieve this without having to add tape.

 

That's another reason I'm saving up to get of those Adams irons as well. How do you find the KBS's?

[lmh3]

That's another reason I'm saving up to get of those Adams irons as well. How do you find the KBS's?

 

I really like the KBS shafts, they have a very solid feel. The ball launches a but higher than Dynamic Golds but they have a flatter flight. Smoother feel than Project X to me.

[DJNiich]

If you like the club feel but not the weighting, lead tape is the answer.

[NGage]

Yes, and to add some mass here and there to get a certain feel. You have to add an awful lot of tape to achieve a discernible difference. That's why you see them pile on the pieces when they do use it.

 

I too think that it's mostly a feel thing for those tour guys. Lots of them couldn't tell you anything about club building or design....but they know what they like to see, and they know what they like to feel.

[pureperformance]

What characteristic's would you be talking about? Tip weights are only between 2 and 10 grams. That's not going to change the shaft. Or the weight bias of a head.

 

 

Yes this will change the shaft, on rifle shafts the 2 gram tip weight will soften the shaft 2 cpms so if it a 5.0 it becomes a 4.8 so 4,6,8gram tip weights are going to really effect the shaft. The lead tape you can put right behind the ball not in the hosel because the weight being added to the hosel and nothing to the toe of the club it will make the club toe flippy. 2-4 gram tip weights are not to bad but you do need to make the shaft stiffer but more than that I prefer the rest goes on in leadtape.

 

Most of the pros do this strictly for desired swingweight

[Shambles]

I too think that it's mostly a feel thing for those tour guys. Lots of them couldn't tell you anything about club building or design....but they know what they like to see, and they know what they like to feel.

 

I agree.

 

Feel is so much more important than looks to a guy who uses his clubs as a tool rather than as a trophy. I suspect there are times the club appears to lose it's feel and the lead tape is a quick fix. Way back I added 3 grams per head on a set of Irons to be able to use them. After a year or a bit more I removed the lead because I was better able to sensitize my grip for the head feel.

 

 

Shambles

[xxio]

From the pros that I have talked to about equipment. Lead tape is the easiest to use when trying something out. Easy to put and take off without risking too much with a favorite club. After they have done the long term experimenting and think they will comfortable with that tweak then they go have it hotmelted. If not comfortable........... heat it up a bit to take it off and goo-gone...back to the same club.

[Jon Robert]

I was going through some pictures of some of the clubs in pros bags, and noticed a LOT of them are heavy on the use of lead tape. Does it really affect the head weight SO much that they need to put it on there? Sometimes you'll see 1, 2 pieces. Others, you see it bulked up on the back of them. Does anyone use lead tape? If so, what affect does it have on you ball striking? Do you use it on your irons? Wedges? I'm a low single digit handicap and have never known the answer to why this is done.

 

 

Feel. If the club is too light I have little feel of the club head and start spraying balls every which way. I have glued lead to the backs of the clubs with contact cement during my experimental stage. At present I bought Ben Hogan Apex Edge because of the handy pocket formed by the plate on the back.

 

I pour about 2 1/4 ounces of molten lead into the cavity. I have used 4 ounces but after a long day it can seem a bit much.

 

About because each gets a bit of a variation so they all have the same swing weight and coincidentally they end up about the same total weight. For my woods and putter I use a lot of lead tape. The woods end up at a D9 swing weight. I guess the thing for me is that a longer club inherently produces a better feel of the club head while the shorter irons don't and thus need more lead. I am 6'4 and 235. I have a lot of leverage and people say I am Strong. I simply can't tolerate light clubs. I have tried that. I used the combination producing the lightest total weight with a standard head making for better head feel but it did not work. I am long and strong and need heavy clubs.

[RookieBlue7]

Most of the time, it's for swingweight purposes. Tiger puts it on the sole of his Scotty at times to bring the weight up for certain green speeds. Others put it on a driver to increase the MOI of the driver (yes, you can do this but there is a point of diminishing returns). You can also alter the CG of a club with lead tape.

 

I put it on my 64 degree wedge to get the swingweight where I want it for that club. I couldn't hit it stock. Added 3 strips of lead tape and now I can feel where the clubhead is and hit it very well.

[Justin66]

Most of the time, it's for swingweight purposes. Tiger puts it on the sole of his Scotty at times to bring the weight up for certain green speeds. Others put it on a driver to increase the MOI of the driver (yes, you can do this but there is a point of diminishing returns). You can also alter the CG of a club with lead tape.

 

I put it on my 64 degree wedge to get the swingweight where I want it for that club. I couldn't hit it stock. Added 3 strips of lead tape and now I can feel where the clubhead is and hit it very well.

 

It takes one 4.5"x.5" strip of tape to increase the SW by 1 point. If you see a bunch of tape, they're going up a lot of points. Phil also puts tape on his putter, for the same reason as Tiger. Personally, I like the tungsten "stanps" that Golfworks offers; one stamp equals one SW point. Much less mess.

 

Generally, if you add 11+g of weight in one exact area, you can effect the SW... but it takes way more than that to make it noticable. Like Taylormade's FCT, it would work better if there was a 12+g weight in the heel, but a 0g plug in the toe (or vice verse of you're looking for fade bias). When you have the 12g in the heel but a 2, 4, or whatever gram weight in the toe, you haven't effected the CG location at all. You have increased the total weight and SW of the club, however... maybe to your benefit, but maybe not.

 

Just to kind of shift gears a tad, but someone earlier mentioned covering up logos. I saw an old "WITB" with Morgan Pressell in GD a couple of years ago. One of her wedges (a Callaway) had black tape, like electrical tape, covering the logo. It seemed weird to me: why cover up the logo of a company who's paying you to game their stuff? If it'd been lead tape, that's understandable, but I've never seen black lead tape. Again, weird...

[RookieBlue7]

It takes one 4.5"x.5" strip of tape to increase the SW by 1 point. If you see a bunch of tape, they're going up a lot of points. Phil also puts tape on his putter, for the same reason as Tiger. Personally, I like the tungsten "stanps" that Golfworks offers; one stamp equals one SW point. Much less mess.

 

Generally, if you add 11+g of weight in one exact area, you can effect the SW... but it takes way more than that to make it noticable. Like Taylormade's FCT, it would work better if there was a 12+g weight in the heel, but a 0g plug in the toe (or vice verse of you're looking for fade bias). When you have the 12g in the heel but a 2, 4, or whatever gram weight in the toe, you haven't effected the CG location at all. You have increased the total weight and SW of the club, however... maybe to your benefit, but maybe not.

 

Just to kind of shift gears a tad, but someone earlier mentioned covering up logos. I saw an old "WITB" with Morgan Pressell in GD a couple of years ago. One of her wedges (a Callaway) had black tape, like electrical tape, covering the logo. It seemed weird to me: why cover up the logo of a company who's paying you to game their stuff? If it'd been lead tape, that's understandable, but I've never seen black lead tape. Again, weird...

 

Depends on what kind of lead tape we're talking about as to how much it takes to go up a SW point. With high density tape, you can increase swingweight with one single 1/2"X2" piece. It all depends on the tape.

 

Also, if you check with a fishing store or with a craft store, you can find black lead tape. Perhaps one of those were the only places close that they could find lead tape at. Pro Supex, for one makes it for tennis racquets as well.

[Justin66]

Depends on what kind of lead tape we're talking about as to how much it takes to go up a SW point. With high density tape, you can increase swingweight with one single 1/2"X2" piece. It all depends on the tape.

 

Also, if you check with a fishing store or with a craft store, you can find black lead tape. Perhaps one of those were the only places close that they could find lead tape at. Pro Supex, for one makes it for tennis racquets as well.

 

 

Ah-ha... now that makes a ton more sense! Ever try those tungsten chips from Golfworks? I have some... not too shabby. One chip = one SW point... kinda makes life just a touch easier (relatively speaking).