Mike Tait's take on adjustable screws and lead tape

[Chieflongtee]

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 based off an average clubhead:
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 ½".
25 grams added DIRECTLY to the toe would move the center of gravity ¼".
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 ¼" 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 effective 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 quite considerable, and adding or removing a couple of strips of it is merely a mental exercise at best, and an impractical and worthless one in reality. But if you feel more comfortable over the ball by participating in this 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
President and Club Designer
SMT Golf Inc.
"The Winningest Component Clubheads In Golf History"


www.smtgolf.com
888-693-4001

[Weirfan]

Chief,

good for you ( and Mike) to post this extremely useful and truthful information.

Tom Wishon has written about this as well and he done alot of testing to support the same , that is the moveable weight drivers in no way will influence the shot pattern of a golf ball in a right to left plane.

the companies that develop and market these startegies are shrewd though and they will classify the change in moving weight as draw , fade or neutral bias ...they are not wrong but they are misinforming the public.

a drop of water on the toe or heel of a club has also changed the center of gravity of a clubhead as it has moved weight to the perifery and as such it has technically altered the c of g....and as such depending on what end it was on that water droplet has caused that once neutral ( if it were) head to have a draw or fade bias, what they dont say is how much that bias effects or over what distance that bias would have to be present to be in effect.

it is a marketing ploy pure and simple to sell new product.....and well if it works it is a chance happening, much like a placebo treatment curing an illness or another factor in the club such as the face angle, loft , shaft or combination

what weighting in heads is useful for is to adjust the head weight and as such impact swingweight and shaft flex.....this also can allow for differences in trajectory That is all !

kudos to them as it has allowed them to sell many more drivers...not that the drivers are bad, they make good heads but not different significantlky from the previous models so they make a subtle change add a different shaft and voila a new driver .

if people want to understand draw and fade they need to be teaching them about gear effect !!!!

[Big Johnny69]

Then I ask you this, why when I tried a R7 last year that had a 14 grm weight in the extreme heel port, a 12 grm weight in the next to closest heel port, and two 2 grm weights in the other two ports could I not slice a ball? I couldn't draw the ball, I haven't been able to do that for two years now, but I would hit the ball straight or with less fade than what I would usual have? According to Mike's theory, because I believed it would work I suddenly was swinging better? I believe it does make a difference, because for me, I've seen it work. I can't explain it, but it has worked for me.


And is not usually those manufacturers that don't offer any MWT that are the first to discredit the MVT trend?

[Weirfan]

Then I ask you this, why when I tried a R7 last year that had a 14 grm weight in the extreme heel port, a 12 grm weight in the next to closest heel port, and two 2 grm weights in the other two ports could I not slice a ball? I couldn't draw the ball, I haven't been able to do that for two years now, but I would hit the ball straight or with less fade than what I would usual have? According to Mike's theory, because I believed it would work I suddenly was swinging better? I believe it does make a difference, because for me, I've seen it work. I can't explain it, but it has worked for me.

Hey Geoff,

I am the wrong guy to ask as there is no club in the worls that I cannot hot with a fade and I have tried them all ! LOL!

I dont slice , but always have a straight to a small fade shot no matter what even with a configuration as you set up.....

The science and evidence behind the rebuttal of the influence on the head and its role with weights is there, Wishon has done tons as have others.

I guess that what is possible with adding the extra weight to the toe is that it can have another effect on the swing and maybe even the shaft.

adding 26 ( 14 and 12) grams to the head of your club will do alot of things to a golf club and to your swing

it will definitely soften up a shaft, allow for more head feel through hitting zone. it will slow you down ( think about it if you swung a 26 gram heavier shaft) , it may even assist you to get a later release of the clubhead and thus square it more at impact if you had a tendency to release the club earlier.

Note: going to a heavier driver shaft and/or a higher swing weight has made my driving 100% better .....much better center contact and longer and straighter drives....the head had nothing to do with it

in terms of gear effect it is possible that depending on the shaft and your load it could also allow the toe of the club to pass through a bit quicker and as such be a bit more closed at impact than normal for you .

it will also increase the toe droop on a club again depending on the shaft

Have you tried that same club with the same weights in it but in different locations?? they have to be the same weights though so the head weight is the same.

the other thing to have looked at is the face angle on that driver ......many times the face angle is much more closed than they say ( I have seen FA that are 2 -3 * more closed than the 0.5-1* that is claimed) this is a big factor in helping a slice

finally loft is another factor that helps straighten a shot, higher actual loft the straighter the shot...again ost if not all OEM drivers especially Taylor made have lofts that are higher than stamped.

so like I said earlier there are many factors that can impact the result....scientifically the change in center of gravity with moving 26 grams is not it.

[Hacker]

Then I ask you this, why when I tried a R7 last year that had a 14 grm weight in the extreme heel port, a 12 grm weight in the next to closest heel port, and two 2 grm weights in the other two ports could I not slice a ball? I couldn't draw the ball, I haven't been able to do that for two years now, but I would hit the ball straight or with less fade than what I would usual have? According to Mike's theory, because I believed it would work I suddenly was swinging better? I believe it does make a difference, because for me, I've seen it work. I can't explain it, but it has worked for me.


And is not usually those manufacturers that don't offer any MWT that are the first to discredit the MVT trend?

Geoff, it was mentioned in the article but in my world it is called the Placebo Effect...

Placebo effect is the term applied by medical science to the therapeutical and healing effects of inert medicines and/or ritualistic or faith healing manipulations.[1] [2]. When referring to medicines, placebo is a preparation which is pharmacologically inert but which may have a therapeutical effect based solely on the power of suggestion. It may be administered in any of the ways in which pharmaceutical products are administered.[3]
Sometimes known as non-specific effects or subject-expectancy effects, a so-called placebo effect occurs when a patient's symptoms are altered in some way (i.e., alleviated or exacerbated) by an otherwise inert treatment, due to the individual expecting or believing that it will work. Some people consider this to be a remarkable aspect of human physiology; others consider it to be an illusion arising from the way medical experiments are conducted.
The placebo effect occurs when a patient takes an inert substance (a "sugar pill") in conjunction with the suggestion from an authority figure that the pill will aid in healing and the patient’s condition improves. This effect has been known for years.



The mind is a very powerful and not very well understood thing, if you truely "Believe" that MWT technology will work for you, it just might regardless of whether it has any basis in fact or not...

[Big Johnny69]

Hey Geoff,

I am the wrong guy to ask as there is no club in the worls that I cannot hot with a fade and I have tried them all ! LOL!

I dont slice , but always have a straight to a small fade shot no matter what even with a configuration as you set up.....

The science and evidence behind the rebuttal of the influence on the head and its role with weights is there, Wishon has done tons as have others.

I guess that what is possible with adding the extra weight to the toe is that it can have another effect on the swing and maybe even the shaft.

adding 26 ( 14 and 12) grams to the head of your club will do alot of things to a golf club and to your swing

it will definitely soften up a shaft, allow for more head feel through hitting zone. it will slow you down ( think about it if you swung a 26 gram heavier shaft) , it may even assist you to get a later release of the clubhead and thus square it more at impact if you had a tendency to release the club earlier.

Note: going to a heavier driver shaft and/or a higher swing weight has made my driving 100% better .....much better center contact and longer and straighter drives....the head had nothing to do with it

in terms of gear effect it is possible that depending on the shaft and your load it could also allow the toe of the club to pass through a bit quicker and as such be a bit more closed at impact than normal for you .

it will also increase the toe droop on a club again depending on the shaft

Have you tried that same club with the same weights in it but in different locations?? they have to be the same weights though so the head weight is the same.

the other thing to have looked at is the face angle on that driver ......many times the face angle is much more closed than they say ( I have seen FA that are 2 -3 * more closed than the 0.5-1* that is claimed) this is a big factor in helping a slice

finally loft is another factor that helps straighten a shot, higher actual loft the straighter the shot...again ost if not all OEM drivers especially Taylor made have lofts that are higher than stamped.

so like I said earlier there are many factors that can impact the result....scientifically the change in center of gravity with moving 26 grams is not it.

Thanks WF, but when they talk about moving weight in a club head, are they not just referring to the effect the weight will have on closing/holding the face open during the swing? Basically the rotation of the clubhead. I don't recall TM making claims of changing the COG of a head, but rather helping with ball flight. From which I once heard, you only need to move about 15-20% in relation to the clubhead to affect ball flight. And when I say ball flight I'm talking about left to right or right to left, not so much about the height.

But all your examples above could contribute to my success with MWT as well.

[Weirfan]

And is not usually those manufacturers that don't offer any MWT that are the first to discredit the MVT trend?

I missed this part...

No I dont think so. I think that they are just not going to build a driver to a design that they have no belief in.

Titleist , Bridgestone, Callaway did not jmp on the weighting trend.

Mike Tait ( SMT) and Steve Almo ( Geek, formerly of Bang) both said at the very beginning that they would not make a moveable weight driver ....they could have and it likely would have sold like hotcakes to the component lovers.

If you want to get the best and most accurate information on any clubhead or shaft design you only have to follow what Tom Wishon does. He is by far the most knowledgeable man in the world about clubhead designs and what they do and what shafts do and dont do.

he did do a driver with one very , very heavy moveable internal weight that required a key to adjust....but it was a weight far greater than what anything that is used by anyone else.

Cally has come out with drivers with a bias as well but they have manipulated face angles first and then constructed the drivers with internal means and materials to move distribute large amounts of weight tha in combinatio with the face angle make them work...they wont change swing flaws and a swing path problem though

and I do think that the added weight to your R7 weight is what has helped the shot pattern, the extra 26 grams of weight though not a change in center of gravity.

[Weirfan]

Geoff, I guees I take issue with the innacuracy of the claims and how the info is presented....selling false hope IMO

they are not selling and teaching you a scientific method on how and what clubhead, club head weight, club length ,shaft flex etc etc ...they are pushing a gimmick and of course it wont work for many so they keep buying and trying

just like with the Square heads and MOI.....they are not telling you to cut down your existing driver and add more head weight to increase MOI ( which it does )

but to buy a new shaped head and still play a shaft that is still too long for you to hit consistently well., although I do feel that square helps alignment for some

at least with the knowledgeable clubfitter he will tell you that you need a shorter club with more head weight...if that means to get that you use a driver with a weight port , hot melt the head or use a driver with the ability to add weight through screws, than so be it.

what he will also do is ensure that you are playing a clubhead with the loft and face angle ( maybe even an offset) and with an appropriate shaft that best helps .....

I am not against OEM's at all just their misleading marketing.....they are all components no matter what, ie a shaft a head and a grip and they all go together and come apart the same for the most part........most any OEM can be retrofitted so used in a custom fitting as well,

after all is that not what each pro on tour has done

[spackler]

I thought I read in one of Wishon's books that movable weights can make a difference in side to side trajectory, but that the weight moved must be more than 20g. I read the books last year though, so I could be recalling it incorrectly. I do remember his movable weight head though, which the new Mizuno MP-600 seems to be mimicking (although only with 16g of moveable weight). How much weight was movable in the Wishon head?

[jvincent]

The Wishon head could use either 25g to 40g weight arms IIRC.

[Weirfan]

The Wishon head could use either 25g to 40g weight arms IIRC.

correct , However the weight was a much greater pecentage of the total head weight and the driver head size was much smaller than todays drivers.....

ie: the weight on the Wishon head was only 175grams and the size was only 375 cc

this is: 25 grams lighter and 90 or so cc smaller than other moveable weight heads....it was only by using this lighter weight head and a smaller size that he felt that moving a greater weight could produce any noticeable impact on.

that is you would have to move significantly more weight than 40 grams for a head of stad 450 -460 size and std / normal weight

so using 40 grams in a normal sized head and weight head would not do it, I think he said that you needed something in the order of 75 -80 grams to see any effect at all

the greatest feature was being able to move the weight forward and back and thus changing the front rear center of gravity which apparently affected shot height

low front and higher with the weight arm to the back