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I took the 7 gram weight off the bottom of my son's Titleist 913 driver...


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Is there anything not kosher about doing this?

We've been experimenting with ways to get him more length off the tee so he can start reaching some par 4s in regulation.  Today at the park, I simply took the little weight off the bottom of his driver and he said "wow this feels light!"

Next thing you know, he gained 15 yards off the tee.  I'm no technician but my best guess is the club head became about 3.5 percent lighter (the head weighs 200 grams I think?), therefore his swing speed likely increased 3 or so miles-per-hour, resulting in a longer ball flight and total distance.

He was happy!

Thoughts?

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You are only adjusting the weight.

Should be fine if it works. Try a lighter shaft, depending on his age. But if he's driving it far and straight, leave it alone.

Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

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Is there anything not kosher about doing this?

We've been experimenting with ways to get him more length off the tee so he can start reaching some par 4s in regulation.  Today at the park, I simply took the little weight off the bottom of his driver and he said "wow this feels light!"

Next thing you know, he gained 15 yards off the tee.  I'm no technician but my best guess is the club head became about 3.5 percent lighter (the head weighs 200 grams I think?), therefore his swing speed likely increased 3 or so miles-per-hour, resulting in a longer ball flight and total distance.

He was happy!

Thoughts?

Just having a hole there may make it non-conforming. I'd check that first.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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^^^^ Agree. That was a concern that came to mind but forgot to mention it. If not conforming, see if Titleist has a 1g weight that fits.

Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

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Reminds me of this, it happened to Charles Howell III,

http://www.pgatour.com/equipmentreport/2013/08/17/Howell-DQ-driver.html

He was DQ'd for not using a conforming driver.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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You reduce the swingweight by one point for every 2 grams weight you remove.

In my opinion, the total weight of the head remained practically the same.

However, you reduced the swingweight from D2 to less than C9. This is something your son will definitely notice and will help him get more clubhead speed. That's exactly what that weight is there for. To adjust swingweight.

913 drivers come from factory at D3 swingweight and I feel I have to struggle a bit to swing the club. I'm 57 years old and prefer my drivers at D2 swingweight. (Yes, I can feel the difference). So I replace the factory 9 gram weight with a 7 gram weight.

Total weight and swingweight are two different concepts.

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You reduce the swingweight by one point for every 2 grams weight you remove.

In my opinion, the total weight of the head remained practically the same.

However, you reduced the swingweight from D2 to less than C9. This is something your son will definitely notice and will help him get more clubhead speed. That's exactly what that weight is there for. To adjust swingweight.

913 drivers come from factory at D3 swingweight and I feel I have to struggle a bit to swing the club. I'm 57 years old and prefer my drivers at D2 swingweight. (Yes, I can feel the difference). So I replace the factory 9 gram weight with a 7 gram weight.

Total weight and swingweight are two different concepts.


My thoughts, fwiw, is that 7g in your hand mean little. 7g at the end of a long stick means a lot. And the location on the head where it was removed will have an effect.

Ping G400 Max 9/TPT Shaft, TEE EX10 Beta 4, 5 wd, PXG 22 HY, Mizuno JPX919F 5-GW, TItleist SM7 Raw 55-09, 59-11, Bettinardi BB39

 

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UPDATE:

Upon further research, this was a black weight, which means it isn't 7 grams; it's 11.

So we shed more than 5 percent of the head weight off.  That may not sound like much, but in the hands of a 5'1, 100 pound boy, thats A LOT.

He gained around 15 yards.

Who knows...we may have completely screwed the delicate set-up of this custom fit club, but all I know is a lot more greens are in play on the second shot for my son, and his score is going to show it.

Now he wants to remove the weight from his 3 wood. :smartass:

I told him "That's enough medicine for right now...let's see how this goes."

As for the "hole", that was an easy fix - a piece of black electrical tape did the trick.

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UPDATE:

Upon further research, this was a black weight, which means it isn't 7 grams; it's 11.

So we shed more than 5 percent of the head weight off.  That may not sound like much, but in the hands of a 5'1, 100 pound boy, thats A LOT.

He gained around 15 yards.

Who knows...we may have completely screwed the delicate set-up of this custom fit club, but all I know is a lot more greens are in play on the second shot for my son, and his score is going to show it.

Now he wants to remove the weight from his 3 wood.

I told him "That's enough medicine for right now...let's see how this goes."

As for the "hole", that was an easy fix - a piece of black electrical tape did the trick.

I think it is fine for him since he is young and starting out. All that is important is keeping him interested in the game and developing a good foundation.

When he gets older, and if he wants to play in competitions, he can not modify his clubs like that. Just something to aware of, not sure if it would become a bad habit or not. Nothing worse than getting DQ'd because you thought you could do something you did before.

Example for me would be, I was trying out for my High School golf team. I was out playing a round with my dad. I ground my club in the hazard. My dad quickly pointed out that I was beyond the stakes and could not ground my club. That was a quick lesson that I learned in a casual round than during try outs.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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I certainly don't want to break any rules. Is there a USGA rule that mandates certain swingweights, or that weights cannot be unscrewed from the sole of the wood?

FYI,

USGA governs the rules on adjustibility. The rules on golf clubs mandate that (ii) all adjustable parts are firmly fixed and there is no reasonable likelihood of them working loose during a round

Basically the only adjustments you can make, before a round not during a round, is to change out the weight, or add weight with something like lead tape.

The USGA also dictates the amount of MOI a club can have. This can change if you add weight using lead tape. If you add lead tape then you must make sure the club still conforms to the USGA limits.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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I certainly don't want to break any rules. Is there a USGA rule that mandates certain swingweights, or that weights cannot be unscrewed from the sole of the wood?


We discussed this above. Leaving a hole may render the club non-conforming.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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For a 913 driver, black dot weight is 14 grams (11 grams is blue dot).

With the black dot weight your driver was about D5.5 swingweight. In my view that's high. No wonder your son had trouble swinging it.

Without any weight your driver is now about C8.5 swingweight. I believe that's more common for women, seniors and young players.

Some Taylor Made drivers had a cavity on the bottom, newer models have it filled with some kind of silicon, they were obviously conforming, but I'm not an expert on this.

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