Years ago I attended the 2003 US Senior Open and watched Jim Thorpe on the practice range. Mr. Thorpe and his caddy went through every club in his bag, hitting balls and adding/removing lead tape, until he had the shot shape and trajectory he wanted according to the way he was swinging that morning. Very eye-opening - he went from hitting huge slices that missed the fairway to landing practically every shot in the fairway within a 5-yard square box.
As a club and gear junkie, I really appreciate these kind of tests and insights gained from them. Thank you for being the authority on all things club reviews and equipment test!
@@tjboyd3227 you could probably weld some weight onto a head but I doubt if you could solder and getting the head this hot would probably distort the head. Anyway you would have to take head off shaft, So you might as well add weight to the head inside tip of shaft.
The nice thing about the tape is that its something that any golfer can play around with during a practice session on their own without causing any damage to the clubs. When you all moved the weight to the toe it caused Matty's shot to start a little more left and reduced the amount of draw. People can put the tape in different places on the clubhead to get the shot shape they are looking for. With much of the golf game being between the ears and the mystical feel, what people do to make clubs better in either or both of those places is hard to knock if they think its helping.
Lead tape on an iron is not impacting directional ballfight. Lead tape simply adds weight so it helps with clubhead feel in transition. It can affect delivery but it's more about consistency of strike. Even on driver, lead tape doesn't alter CoG enough to effect sidespin.
@@jamesdailey5485 But if there is a weight on the toe the club, when propelled, it would open slightly as the same force on the taped club would act differently on the toe, due to the added weight. Think having one 50 gram ankle weight on just one foot. It would change how you walk a lot vs having one 25 gram weight on both feet.
@Nick McKittrick nope. Tom wishon has dispelled the face angle closure rate myth around weight. It takes a ton of weight to impact rate of closure and how much you put on an iron is not enough. Lead tape on an iron is only about swingweight...which WILL affect face angle in transition which leads to face angle at impact.
@@jamesdailey5485 So has Tom determined how much weight does matter? Because at some point weight does matter because of balance. I can accept that the tape is just not enough, but the idea that weight doesn't change balance is applied asymmetrically is just wrong.
@@Beast4Peace Yes, it's a lot. An avg 8i weighs 275g. 5g of lead tape isn't going to do anything on closure rate. I don't remember how much it was, but it was somewhere over 30g to start to have an effect. And no one is putting that much weight onto a club.
Feels like my life is back to normal watching the pair of you mess around and have fun! Christmassy and warm inside to see everything is back to normal!
Great insight into the use of lead tape & possible outcomes. I had a P790 driving iron which wasn’t performing as well as I wanted. I reduced the length to between a 3 & 4 iron length & added lead tape to a D6 swing weight. This then gave me a better controlled club which I could hit straighter with a penetrating ball flight, which was my go to club on windy days!
I’m very swing weight sensitive so I believe there’s an optimal swing weight for each club and it varies for each individual. If you’re already a good enough player, you need to experiment in finding the right swing weights for you
lead tape on my 3 and 4 irons low on them really helped me get a higher flight and more consistency. stuff works if you know where to put it and what your trying to do. worked well for me on driver underneath the face if your driver since i don't have a front weight. big fan of lead tape
Used lead tape on my irons when I went to midsize grip with 2 layer of tape cause I couldn’t feel where he head was and became more hands. Putting tape on brought my swing weight back up to D2 from C8… I’m no pro but sure felt the difference.
I've cut my 3W down to 5W length and then cut my 5W down to 7W length. Added tape to the back portion of each head to get the swing weight feeling balanced again after shaft shortening. Both are now somewhat dependable rockets that suit my 5"7 height much better. Not so "toe up" at address so the big left miss is greatly reduced.
I love tinkering with clubs and lead tape has always been one of my favorites to mess with. During my HS/College years, my Hogan Apex irons had tape all over them and it was night and day from them being stock. I haven't messed with my current set of Muira blades with tape, but my Titleist U505 1 iron has lead tape on it and the club is a rocket
From the few videos I've seen, the biggest impact lead tape brings is to the feel in the golfer's hands, and any change in actual performance is debatable. That said, considering how much of the game is a question of players confidently commiting to a swing, changing the feel of a club can hugely impact how a player uses it. You may not be getting much more ball speed, but if you feel more confident in what your club is doing, you're going to get more consistent results and better yardage out of the energy expended. I noticed something similar when I replaced the grip on my 17° fairway wood with a jumbo grip. It didn't significantly shift the swing weight, but I got far more consistency and better overall shot performance out of it, largely because I felt more confident and committed swinging it. I'm looking forward to tinkering with some lead tape to see if I can improve results with my 5 hybrid (which has a disturbing tendency to take off to the right...not a fade, it's a pretty straight shot, but it's like that one club doesn't hit straight, and is definitely an anomaly since my normal miss is fading left with most of my clubs). Yeah, I know, getting fit for my clubs would remove problems like that...but I like trying to figure these things out on my own. It's part of the fun of the game, for me.
As an old duffer, I was taught that using lead tape was a right of passage, where getting a specific feel for each club made your set truly unique and yours. I can appreciate the desire to keep one’s beautiful blades clean and stock (look sharp, feel sharp, be sharp), but before golf turned into an elitist's game, customization of clubs was up to the individual and formed an almost mystical relationship between the tool and its wielder.
I love the raw blanked out look of the lead tape on my mb’s, it adds a bit of ball speed, gives them a little more feel and compression through the ball/ground. Also my miss is a slight toe, almost never heel so I like to have a lil extra towards the toe to move the CG over maybe a millimeter.
At the start of this year I bought a set of '80's Ping Eye 2 BeCu irons and put Lamkin oversized grips on them, so I then had to put an average of 9g of lead tape right down on the bottom of the peripheral mass at the back of the heads, depending on the club. It's like a little shelf made of the job on those old Eye2 s, so it's perfect for it. I then headed to the range and experimented, moving the weight around and adding and subtracting. The consistency coming up on TrackMan was between 2 and 3 with my final choice. It made a huge difference to their feel, and it meant I can use my preffed grip with very little hassle. They're tools to me, so I don't care what it looks like, really. I could experiment with tungsten powder and cork pugs, but that's not reversable without a huge hassle. I'd put the grips on with masking tape and a foot pump incase it messed them up, but if Ping can confirm that they're 1982-84, V grooves, and not the contraversial U groove that followed, then they're staying in the bag, because I love them!
Thanks, Guys that was a real trip down memory lane for me and took me back to the first Pro/Coach/ Club Builder I worked with. He was a great advocate of adding lead weight low down in my Irons. I never understood why, but I always got a better/more consistent strike with the added weight. This was way before trackman etc so I don't know why, but I am convinced that the extra weight gave me a better feel of where the clubface was.
Outstanding. I've wasted loads of money on lead tape on various different sets of blades, and this really supported my conclusion that I seen no difference at all in what the ball did, but it made the club feel different. Is it enough to make your clubs look ugly as sin? nah. I'd say it's more important to get swingweight fitted properly with internal weights in the shaft than adding lead tape.
I have been using lead weight on the Driver for years. To begin with, some Drivers are getting more flexible, for example my Taylormade SIM 1, and the result is lead weight has taken somewhat of a backseat. However, when I struggle with getting just the right flight path, I reintroduce the swing weights to dial the flight back in. As you know, our heads and body changes over time, I sometimes use the lead weight to get me back on track. As such, I do a ton of practice (I am very analytical - lot of data gathering). I believe the lead tape is great and yes, it is not for everyone. I liked Matty's comments while hitting the lead taped shots.
I use lead tape to not only change swing weight but also change flight. Such as low on long irons and high on wedges/short irons, however I’ve never had the means to collect actual data to back it up. It did seem to change strike placement. I would of like seeing the effects of adding weight low would of made.
How does placement effect shot shape for someone who’s new to golf and hits the ball straight? I’ve tried purposely hitting in- out out-in to grasp shot shapes but swing turns shit when thinking about it too much. If I have a miss it’s right. Especially with driver as it emphasises that even more. I know swing path needs to be worked on but a little “help” wouldn’t hurt the confidence.
the lead also makes the sound wonderful especially with my Mizuno MP-20 HMB 5 & 6 iron. Nothing on the Mizuno 221 blades. Just butter! I like showing my competitors my lead tape before I hit the shot. Lead tape is a total flex gear head move.
I have used lead tape to bring swing weight up. I use it on the toe of my hybrid and 3 wood. I think PXG on their Gen 5 311 irons have removable weights on the heel and tow. I am more of a set it and forget it player. Once I have the moveable weight set on my driver I typically don't move it. I might become a head case if I did.
The location is also closer to the centre of gravity on an iron since the head is not as long. The difference would be greates on the driver (especially in the case of toe and heal weighting) since the weight would be at a greater from the centre of gravity.
The amount of lead weight needed is proportional to the shaft weight and flex as the shaft bends the club face. This can be hugely game changing if done properly.
I added 6g to the driver head in the toe and it seemed to help me open the face some and I had some straighter drives. Normally I tend to hit more of a hook. Problem is I guess my tape wasn't a good brand because it kept coming off after a round.
my driver has graphite crown and alot of ridges, weight always comes off. Glue is not an option because if I need to use heat to remove the weight, I'm scared it will damage the club (crown will come off, cast metal etc
Interesting. I actually prefer to use a lighter putter on slower greens, and a heavier putter for faster greens. I get that added mass might in theory produce more force. But that's only if acceleration remains constant. Which for me, it does not. I feel like I accelerate the putter much more with less weight, and can produce more ball speed more naturally on slower greens. When the greens speed up, I feel I can't get cute enough with a light putter without getting handsy. The added mass of a heavier putter helps me make a more delicate stroke on slippery putts, controlling pace while keeping my hands quiet. Funny how different people can get opposing benefits from the similar tools.
@@robertbogdan7058 I'm with Winston on this. But yet Tiger added weight to his Scotty at royal portrush I believe. But maybe that was due to wind. Can't imagine the greens were running faster than pga greens at the time.
I didn't think I'd generate any interest from my comment. Thanks for chiming in guys! For me, the PING in question was my first and only putter for decades. When I took the game up again after a long layoff I went and bought a Scotty Newport. It was significantly heavier, or at least it felt that way. When I went back to the PING just to try it I couldn't feel the head. The guy I was taking lessons from, an old grizzled ex tour pro, slapped some tape on it and boom! there was the feel again. Anyway, it's SO personal. I enjoy hearing the differing points of view.
@@winstonsmith11 i totally agree lighter putter on slower greens. In summer Heavier head seems to slow the tempo on the really fast greens we get in our Australian winter 11’-12’ and slopes
I use lead tape to balance out swingweight when building irons. The theory being that whatever variances between head weights and length can be sorted out through the use of the tape. I would rather do it on the iron head, than use tip weights to balance out. On woods i'd rather not use it if I can avoid. I'd rather build to a specific swingweight using length.
I would love to see the opposite as well if you haven't done so already. Cutting down the length of clubs (without lead tape to rebalance swingweight) and seeing what effect that has on results and feel
I'm definitely a gearhead. I blame you guys for this actually 🤣 I've been using lead tape a great deal basically ever since this channel started and you guys provided the knowledge I needed in order to use it effectively. You guys touched on this, but given the amount of lead tape you're going to add compared to the mass of the clubhead, the effects are likely going to be minimal. But the confidence it provides knowing there is additional help relative to a blank club makes a difference too. With a lot of this game being mental, a little lead tape providing a little more confidence and consistency of feel can make a world of difference. Knowing that your clubs are swing weighted exactly how you want them, and placing that lead tape where you want it for potentially some benefit to spin or face angle definitely makes a world of difference to me. If people don't have the budget, like me, to have clubs fit and built by someone as high quality as TXG, a swing weight scale and some lead tape can be very affordable to effectively fit your clubs a bit by yourself if your educated enough to do so. Another minimal effect additional mass can have would obviously be momentum. Greenside chips in thicker rough. Knowing you have a tiny amount more mass behind the strike helps me think my worst case scenario of getting caught up in the rough will at least be a little bit closer than it otherwise would have been without the additional mass. I think that's a pretty clear reason wedges are designed for higher swing weights. Great video! Would love for you guys to investigate this further if you can come up with any other ideas to do so. If adjustability tracks could be built into irons in the next several years that would be amazing! Keep up the good work boys!
I like to feel the head when I’m at the top of my swing so I prefer a slightly heavier club head. I noticed this the most in my driver when I went with too heavy of a shaft and not enough in the driver head weights. I kept losing that spot where I felt the head in my backswing that allowed me to swing as hard as I wanted and the ball would still go nice and straight. I have it figured out now but struggled for the longest time experimenting with these things
Thanks. Ever tried driving irons/long irons at different shaft length? Would be very interesting to see a 40" vs a tip trimmed 39" or so to see what happens :)
I use it to fine tune MOI matching my clubs. They get a little heavier SW as you move down in length. A-S-L are adjusted the same. Around D6. I use tip weights in the shafts to get close. It has really made a big difference for me. Then I bought some ZX7s and they were all around D6 New out of the box. And I would not change them. It took a little bit to get used to the extra weight, but now it feels normal. Heavier shafts than I ever used too at 120g. Now when I pick up a regular club with a lighter shaft and SW, it feels flimsy. Never looking back.
Tape seems to add more insulation vs an interchangeable weight. Like putting sound dampener all over the floor of an old pickup, it gives that more muted sound and feel-and the feel can be a lil addictive tbh.
My last set, bought when I had weak wrists after an injury, were JPX-800 Pros/Project X 6.0, 1 inch long. But when I fitted, I wanted the steel head weights - it took that to make the shaft feel "loading" to me, despite being in the Swing DNA suggestions. Then when I got them, I had 4 layers of extra tape, which would have marginally changed the balance too. I've always wondered what I was doing there, but it felt right. Possibly getting the bend I used to have with my stronger swing? I'm now on JPX-92HMs, Modus 105 R 1" long. Only 1 layer of tape. And back to a standard head combo, with strength recovered a lot.
With many of the newer wedges, and even irons (new P770 for example), using the progressive CG throughout the set (long irons = CG closer to the sole to short irons and wedges = CG higher up - all this supposedly to control trajectory and spin), I'd love to see a test with moving the lead tape lower (towards the sole) and higher (towards the topline) and see how much it affects trajectory and spin. In the end, could I create my own progressive CG using lead tape lower to higher as I go from long irons to short?
I’m a bit of a Tinkerer Lol !! I love lead tape to dial in Swingweights of all the Clubs in my bag ! I Like heavier Clubs in general helps the club kinda swing itself if you will ?
I used it for feel only. Added enough to get from D2 swing weight to D4 swing weight. Just the little bit of extra head weight allows me to feel where it is at in my swing a little better. I do not know if it enhanced ball strike. It the feel of it is better for me.
You guys should test it adding lead tape to the high toe of wedges does or doesn’t increase spin. I have seen players like Sam Burns and other heavily lead tape the high toe of the club to add spin by supposedly raising the CG of the wedge.
My own personal experience is that if your hands move toward the ball in transition, a heavier swingweight will help the clubhead shallow. The more you naturally shallow, the lighter the swing weight may need to be.
I love this for justifying why I put lead onto my irons especially more towards the toe! I do feel the strike is much better, consistent and straights my ball flight out from a draw 👏👏👏 thank you so much for making this video just so I tell the lads who slag me off for doing it to 🖕🖕🖕🖕 off 🤣😂🤣
I play callaway Apex irons but I have a set of Bridgestone blades just for fun. They have lead tape on them, just to lower the CG a little. They are hard to play all the time, but fun once in a while. High number irons are great, nothing will help a 3 iron blade though 🙂
Cool video guys. I used to use a lot of tape, but haven't since perimeter weighting became common. Was hoping you'd add weight low on the back. That may have produced dynamic changes, higher launch and more spin.
Whether or not it actually makes a difference, I’ll never stop using lead tape. It’s on every club in my bag including about 35 grams on the putter. I love especially with my wedges to feel super heavy, so that when I want to hit knockdowns I can choke down on the shaft and still be able to feel the club head
Would love to see adding weight to head to a very shortened shaft (over 1”) to get the swingweight enough to carry ball same distance as “stock” length.
I think most ams that don’t have a club in their hands all the time do better with heavier d4 to d6 and even a touch heavier especially in the wedges. As long as the player isn’t losing the shots, most people can handle too heavy but too light is catastrophic.
Nice guys😊 Question: any recommendations for the specific lead tape I.e. manufacturer? In the UK? Had a few in the past but the sticky rear wasn’t sufficient enough to hold and kept flying off
I can wholeheartedly agree that lead tape is the ugliest invention in golf. I can also confirm that after a recent trip to the TXG team to sort out some "weird" club path and face to path numbers we increased the swing weight by 2 points (with lead tape) and everything just clicked. Still ugly as sin itself but a 6 iron dispersion of 12 feet at 195yds is a thing if beauty😁👍
How many beers did you have before sticking that lead tape on?! 🍺 I only really use led tape to adjust swing weight in woods if needed as I like a heavier feeling head but I’m mindful of spreading it about evenly and not adjusting the clubs design too much
All irons should be made like the Edel irons . Changeable weight ports on the back edge . Put the weight towards toe or heel (to your bias), without using tape or having to breakdown the club . Spending big dollars on irons that are primitive to adjust doesn’t make sense.
can you use lead tape to center the strikes on your irons? I often hit the ball of the toe on the club and would love to move it more to center. Is it possible with lead tape or just an swing issue?
Do you think too much swing weight can cause the fat shot or grip size? My old set is D5 and 3 wraps I hit it fine. My new set is D5 and 2 wraps I struggle and hit fat shot more often…
About twenty yrs ago, when Hale Irwin was dominate, I seen tape all over his irons,I assumed he lost his indorsment deal with king Cobra,but still wanted to use there irons. 😉
I bought some ZX7 irons with Nippon modus 130 shafts in them and they felt way weird because they overall felt heavy but light in the head. Come to find out 5-9 were C8 and PW was D0 swing weight. After a range session of slowly adding weight, I found a sweet spot of D0 in the 5 iron to D1 in the PW which added a touch more ball speed and better dispersion. The trick was to add as little weight as possible to get the desired result.
Years ago I attended the 2003 US Senior Open and watched Jim Thorpe on the practice range. Mr. Thorpe and his caddy went through every club in his bag, hitting balls and adding/removing lead tape, until he had the shot shape and trajectory he wanted according to the way he was swinging that morning. Very eye-opening - he went from hitting huge slices that missed the fairway to landing practically every shot in the fairway within a 5-yard square box.
I watched him practicing his wedge at the Sony Open in 1998 and he was just throwing darts at the flag.
As a club and gear junkie, I really appreciate these kind of tests and insights gained from them. Thank you for being the authority on all things club reviews and equipment test!
Could you solder swing weight onto a wedge?
@@tjboyd3227 NO
@@philipslighting8240 could you expand on why?
@@tjboyd3227 you could probably weld some weight onto a head but I doubt if you could solder and getting the head this hot would probably distort the head. Anyway you would have to take head off shaft, So you might as well add weight to the head inside tip of shaft.
The nice thing about the tape is that its something that any golfer can play around with during a practice session on their own without causing any damage to the clubs. When you all moved the weight to the toe it caused Matty's shot to start a little more left and reduced the amount of draw. People can put the tape in different places on the clubhead to get the shot shape they are looking for. With much of the golf game being between the ears and the mystical feel, what people do to make clubs better in either or both of those places is hard to knock if they think its helping.
Lead tape on an iron is not impacting directional ballfight. Lead tape simply adds weight so it helps with clubhead feel in transition. It can affect delivery but it's more about consistency of strike.
Even on driver, lead tape doesn't alter CoG enough to effect sidespin.
@@jamesdailey5485 But if there is a weight on the toe the club, when propelled, it would open slightly as the same force on the taped club would act differently on the toe, due to the added weight. Think having one 50 gram ankle weight on just one foot. It would change how you walk a lot vs having one 25 gram weight on both feet.
@Nick McKittrick nope. Tom wishon has dispelled the face angle closure rate myth around weight. It takes a ton of weight to impact rate of closure and how much you put on an iron is not enough. Lead tape on an iron is only about swingweight...which WILL affect face angle in transition which leads to face angle at impact.
@@jamesdailey5485 So has Tom determined how much weight does matter? Because at some point weight does matter because of balance. I can accept that the tape is just not enough, but the idea that weight doesn't change balance is applied asymmetrically is just wrong.
@@Beast4Peace Yes, it's a lot. An avg 8i weighs 275g. 5g of lead tape isn't going to do anything on closure rate. I don't remember how much it was, but it was somewhere over 30g to start to have an effect. And no one is putting that much weight onto a club.
Feels like my life is back to normal watching the pair of you mess around and have fun! Christmassy and warm inside to see everything is back to normal!
Great insight into the use of lead tape & possible outcomes.
I had a P790 driving iron which wasn’t performing as well as I wanted.
I reduced the length to between a 3 & 4 iron length & added lead tape to a D6 swing weight.
This then gave me a better controlled club which I could hit straighter with a penetrating ball flight, which was my go to club on windy days!
The Titleist 620 CBs look gorgeous.
I’m very swing weight sensitive so I believe there’s an optimal swing weight for each club and it varies for each individual. If you’re already a good enough player, you need to experiment in finding the right swing weights for you
lead tape on my 3 and 4 irons low on them really helped me get a higher flight and more consistency. stuff works if you know where to put it and what your trying to do. worked well for me on driver underneath the face if your driver since i don't have a front weight. big fan of lead tape
Used lead tape on my irons when I went to midsize grip with 2 layer of tape cause I couldn’t feel where he head was and became more hands. Putting tape on brought my swing weight back up to D2 from C8… I’m no pro but sure felt the difference.
I've cut my 3W down to 5W length and then cut my 5W down to 7W length. Added tape to the back portion of each head to get the swing weight feeling balanced again after shaft shortening. Both are now somewhat dependable rockets that suit my 5"7 height much better. Not so "toe up" at address so the big left miss is greatly reduced.
Mizuno fairway lie angles are nice and flat.
I love tinkering with clubs and lead tape has always been one of my favorites to mess with. During my HS/College years, my Hogan Apex irons had tape all over them and it was night and day from them being stock. I haven't messed with my current set of Muira blades with tape, but my Titleist U505 1 iron has lead tape on it and the club is a rocket
I HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH THIS MYSELF, I LIKE IT TO COMBAT SOME OF THE SWING WEIGHT MIXES IN SECOND HAND CLUBS
From the few videos I've seen, the biggest impact lead tape brings is to the feel in the golfer's hands, and any change in actual performance is debatable.
That said, considering how much of the game is a question of players confidently commiting to a swing, changing the feel of a club can hugely impact how a player uses it. You may not be getting much more ball speed, but if you feel more confident in what your club is doing, you're going to get more consistent results and better yardage out of the energy expended.
I noticed something similar when I replaced the grip on my 17° fairway wood with a jumbo grip. It didn't significantly shift the swing weight, but I got far more consistency and better overall shot performance out of it, largely because I felt more confident and committed swinging it. I'm looking forward to tinkering with some lead tape to see if I can improve results with my 5 hybrid (which has a disturbing tendency to take off to the right...not a fade, it's a pretty straight shot, but it's like that one club doesn't hit straight, and is definitely an anomaly since my normal miss is fading left with most of my clubs).
Yeah, I know, getting fit for my clubs would remove problems like that...but I like trying to figure these things out on my own. It's part of the fun of the game, for me.
As an old duffer, I was taught that using lead tape was a right of passage, where getting a specific feel for each club made your set truly unique and yours. I can appreciate the desire to keep one’s beautiful blades clean and stock (look sharp, feel sharp, be sharp), but before golf turned into an elitist's game, customization of clubs was up to the individual and formed an almost mystical relationship between the tool and its wielder.
lead tape chronicles is the best account on the internet!
I love the raw blanked out look of the lead tape on my mb’s, it adds a bit of ball speed, gives them a little more feel and compression through the ball/ground. Also my miss is a slight toe, almost never heel so I like to have a lil extra towards the toe to move the CG over maybe a millimeter.
I think that the heavier swingweight help smooth the transition as you can “feel” where the head is more. Feel vs real maybe but if it works…..
I added 6 grams to my TSr3 and got another 10 yds. Added a bit of tape to the toe of my PW and AW and it improved feel, consistency and confidence.
Love me some lead tape, have them on my Apex MB's as I like to feel the head more in my swing. Plus the extra mass makes strikes feel even better
i'd like to see a blind test on steel iron shafts , same weight just different flexes and the effect on the ball.
At the start of this year I bought a set of '80's Ping Eye 2 BeCu irons and put Lamkin oversized grips on them, so I then had to put an average of 9g of lead tape right down on the bottom of the peripheral mass at the back of the heads, depending on the club. It's like a little shelf made of the job on those old Eye2 s, so it's perfect for it. I then headed to the range and experimented, moving the weight around and adding and subtracting. The consistency coming up on TrackMan was between 2 and 3 with my final choice. It made a huge difference to their feel, and it meant I can use my preffed grip with very little hassle. They're tools to me, so I don't care what it looks like, really. I could experiment with tungsten powder and cork pugs, but that's not reversable without a huge hassle. I'd put the grips on with masking tape and a foot pump incase it messed them up, but if Ping can confirm that they're 1982-84, V grooves, and not the contraversial U groove that followed, then they're staying in the bag, because I love them!
The dream team is back ❤
Thanks, Guys that was a real trip down memory lane for me and took me back to the first Pro/Coach/ Club Builder I worked with. He was a great advocate of adding lead weight low down in my Irons. I never understood why, but I always got a better/more consistent strike with the added weight. This was way before trackman etc so I don't know why, but I am convinced that the extra weight gave me a better feel of where the clubface was.
Good video. Lead tape definitely help. Feel is real.
Outstanding. I've wasted loads of money on lead tape on various different sets of blades, and this really supported my conclusion that I seen no difference at all in what the ball did, but it made the club feel different. Is it enough to make your clubs look ugly as sin? nah. I'd say it's more important to get swingweight fitted properly with internal weights in the shaft than adding lead tape.
I have been using lead weight on the Driver for years. To begin with, some Drivers are getting more flexible, for example my Taylormade SIM 1, and the result is lead weight has taken somewhat of a backseat. However, when I struggle with getting just the right flight path, I reintroduce the swing weights to dial the flight back in. As you know, our heads and body changes over time, I sometimes use the lead weight to get me back on track. As such, I do a ton of practice (I am very analytical - lot of data gathering). I believe the lead tape is great and yes, it is not for everyone. I liked Matty's comments while hitting the lead taped shots.
Long time user here!
Mainly used on wedges to help feel in transition between backswing and downswing, particularly for partial shot feel.
I use lead tape to not only change swing weight but also change flight. Such as low on long irons and high on wedges/short irons, however I’ve never had the means to collect actual data to back it up. It did seem to change strike placement. I would of like seeing the effects of adding weight low would of made.
How does placement effect shot shape for someone who’s new to golf and hits the ball straight?
I’ve tried purposely hitting in- out out-in to grasp shot shapes but swing turns shit when thinking about it too much. If I have a miss it’s right.
Especially with driver as it emphasises that even more.
I know swing path needs to be worked on but a little “help” wouldn’t hurt the confidence.
Would love to see a video trying tour lock weights in the handle of the club. See if that makes a difference.
the lead also makes the sound wonderful especially with my Mizuno MP-20 HMB 5 & 6 iron. Nothing on the Mizuno 221 blades. Just butter! I like showing my competitors my lead tape before I hit the shot. Lead tape is a total flex gear head move.
I have used lead tape to bring swing weight up. I use it on the toe of my hybrid and 3 wood. I think PXG on their Gen 5 311 irons have removable weights on the heel and tow. I am more of a set it and forget it player. Once I have the moveable weight set on my driver I typically don't move it. I might become a head case if I did.
I have that same shirt the Ian is wearing!
The location is also closer to the centre of gravity on an iron since the head is not as long. The difference would be greates on the driver (especially in the case of toe and heal weighting) since the weight would be at a greater from the centre of gravity.
The amount of lead weight needed is proportional to the shaft weight and flex as the shaft bends the club face. This can be hugely game changing if done properly.
I added 6g to the driver head in the toe and it seemed to help me open the face some and I had some straighter drives. Normally I tend to hit more of a hook. Problem is I guess my tape wasn't a good brand because it kept coming off after a round.
my driver has graphite crown and alot of ridges, weight always comes off. Glue is not an option because if I need to use heat to remove the weight, I'm scared it will damage the club (crown will come off, cast metal etc
yeah it can be a problem. I am going to try adjusting the the loft to 8.5. I have it at 9.5 and it helped some.
I've only ever taped a putter. An old Ping Anser II that was a little too light for the slower greens around here.
Interesting. I actually prefer to use a lighter putter on slower greens, and a heavier putter for faster greens. I get that added mass might in theory produce more force. But that's only if acceleration remains constant. Which for me, it does not. I feel like I accelerate the putter much more with less weight, and can produce more ball speed more naturally on slower greens. When the greens speed up, I feel I can't get cute enough with a light putter without getting handsy. The added mass of a heavier putter helps me make a more delicate stroke on slippery putts, controlling pace while keeping my hands quiet. Funny how different people can get opposing benefits from the similar tools.
@@winstonsmith11 Thought provoking answer Winston.
@@robertbogdan7058 I'm with Winston on this. But yet Tiger added weight to his Scotty at royal portrush I believe. But maybe that was due to wind. Can't imagine the greens were running faster than pga greens at the time.
I didn't think I'd generate any interest from my comment. Thanks for chiming in guys! For me, the PING in question was my first and only putter for decades. When I took the game up again after a long layoff I went and bought a Scotty Newport. It was significantly heavier, or at least it felt that way. When I went back to the PING just to try it I couldn't feel the head. The guy I was taking lessons from, an old grizzled ex tour pro, slapped some tape on it and boom! there was the feel again. Anyway, it's SO personal. I enjoy hearing the differing points of view.
@@winstonsmith11 i totally agree lighter putter on slower greens. In summer Heavier head seems to slow the tempo on the really fast greens we get in our Australian winter 11’-12’ and slopes
Do we see a driver lead tape video coming? That would be neat !
I lead tape my driver and 3wood I love it
No love for Maltby irons (Ian’s favorites! 😂) which’ve had interchangeable weights for years?
I use lead tape to balance out swingweight when building irons. The theory being that whatever variances between head weights and length can be sorted out through the use of the tape. I would rather do it on the iron head, than use tip weights to balance out. On woods i'd rather not use it if I can avoid. I'd rather build to a specific swingweight using length.
always wondered about this! very cool guys!
I would love to see the opposite as well if you haven't done so already. Cutting down the length of clubs (without lead tape to rebalance swingweight) and seeing what effect that has on results and feel
I have tried it, terrible results couldn't feel the club head, didn't fit me
I'm definitely a gearhead. I blame you guys for this actually 🤣 I've been using lead tape a great deal basically ever since this channel started and you guys provided the knowledge I needed in order to use it effectively. You guys touched on this, but given the amount of lead tape you're going to add compared to the mass of the clubhead, the effects are likely going to be minimal. But the confidence it provides knowing there is additional help relative to a blank club makes a difference too. With a lot of this game being mental, a little lead tape providing a little more confidence and consistency of feel can make a world of difference. Knowing that your clubs are swing weighted exactly how you want them, and placing that lead tape where you want it for potentially some benefit to spin or face angle definitely makes a world of difference to me. If people don't have the budget, like me, to have clubs fit and built by someone as high quality as TXG, a swing weight scale and some lead tape can be very affordable to effectively fit your clubs a bit by yourself if your educated enough to do so. Another minimal effect additional mass can have would obviously be momentum. Greenside chips in thicker rough. Knowing you have a tiny amount more mass behind the strike helps me think my worst case scenario of getting caught up in the rough will at least be a little bit closer than it otherwise would have been without the additional mass. I think that's a pretty clear reason wedges are designed for higher swing weights. Great video! Would love for you guys to investigate this further if you can come up with any other ideas to do so. If adjustability tracks could be built into irons in the next several years that would be amazing! Keep up the good work boys!
Do a test with what Jack did. go with weight in the grip. standard 56ish gram grips, versus 70gram grips. how's that effect the swing/feel/etc... ?
I like to feel the head when I’m at the top of my swing so I prefer a slightly heavier club head. I noticed this the most in my driver when I went with too heavy of a shaft and not enough in the driver head weights. I kept losing that spot where I felt the head in my backswing that allowed me to swing as hard as I wanted and the ball would still go nice and straight. I have it figured out now but struggled for the longest time experimenting with these things
Thanks. Ever tried driving irons/long irons at different shaft length? Would be very interesting to see a 40" vs a tip trimmed 39" or so to see what happens :)
I use it to fine tune MOI matching my clubs. They get a little heavier SW as you move down in length. A-S-L are adjusted the same. Around D6. I use tip weights in the shafts to get close. It has really made a big difference for me. Then I bought some ZX7s and they were all around D6 New out of the box. And I would not change them. It took a little bit to get used to the extra weight, but now it feels normal. Heavier shafts than I ever used too at 120g. Now when I pick up a regular club with a lighter shaft and SW, it feels flimsy. Never looking back.
Tape seems to add more insulation vs an interchangeable weight. Like putting sound dampener all over the floor of an old pickup, it gives that more muted sound and feel-and the feel can be a lil addictive tbh.
My last set, bought when I had weak wrists after an injury, were JPX-800 Pros/Project X 6.0, 1 inch long. But when I fitted, I wanted the steel head weights - it took that to make the shaft feel "loading" to me, despite being in the Swing DNA suggestions. Then when I got them, I had 4 layers of extra tape, which would have marginally changed the balance too. I've always wondered what I was doing there, but it felt right. Possibly getting the bend I used to have with my stronger swing?
I'm now on JPX-92HMs, Modus 105 R 1" long. Only 1 layer of tape. And back to a standard head combo, with strength recovered a lot.
With many of the newer wedges, and even irons (new P770 for example), using the progressive CG throughout the set (long irons = CG closer to the sole to short irons and wedges = CG higher up - all this supposedly to control trajectory and spin), I'd love to see a test with moving the lead tape lower (towards the sole) and higher (towards the topline) and see how much it affects trajectory and spin. In the end, could I create my own progressive CG using lead tape lower to higher as I go from long irons to short?
I’m a bit of a Tinkerer Lol !! I love lead tape to dial in Swingweights of all the Clubs in my bag ! I Like heavier Clubs in general helps the club kinda swing itself if you will ?
I used it for feel only. Added enough to get from D2 swing weight to D4 swing weight. Just the little bit of extra head weight allows me to feel where it is at in my swing a little better. I do not know if it enhanced ball strike. It the feel of it is better for me.
You guys should test it adding lead tape to the high toe of wedges does or doesn’t increase spin.
I have seen players like Sam Burns and other heavily lead tape the high toe of the club to add spin by supposedly raising the CG of the wedge.
My own personal experience is that if your hands move toward the ball in transition, a heavier swingweight will help the clubhead shallow. The more you naturally shallow, the lighter the swing weight may need to be.
I love this for justifying why I put lead onto my irons especially more towards the toe! I do feel the strike is much better, consistent and straights my ball flight out from a draw 👏👏👏 thank you so much for making this video just so I tell the lads who slag me off for doing it to 🖕🖕🖕🖕 off 🤣😂🤣
I play callaway Apex irons but I have a set of Bridgestone blades just for fun. They have lead tape on them, just to lower the CG a little. They are hard to play all the time, but fun once in a while. High number irons are great, nothing will help a 3 iron blade though 🙂
Also handy when you want to go to midsize grips.
Cool video guys. I used to use a lot of tape, but haven't since perimeter weighting became common.
Was hoping you'd add weight low on the back. That may have produced dynamic changes, higher launch and more spin.
It wont increase spin. It actually lets the ball slide up the face a little more. Putting it higher will increase spin more if at all.
Am curious as to why they didn't move the weight towards the heel?
Whether or not it actually makes a difference, I’ll never stop using lead tape. It’s on every club in my bag including about 35 grams on the putter. I love especially with my wedges to feel super heavy, so that when I want to hit knockdowns I can choke down on the shaft and still be able to feel the club head
Where can I find a chart of the weightings of every club head? I use a ping and I’d like to switch to something lighter.
From TXG very soon.
Great test. How would addition of tip weight of same 10 grams do to feel,
Hi guys great video , does adding lead tape make any difference to the stiffness of the shaft ?
I have lead tape on every club except wedges. Strictly for swingweight purposes since all of my clubs are shorter than standard.
Would love to see adding weight to head to a very shortened shaft (over 1”) to get the swingweight enough to carry ball same distance as “stock” length.
thank you very very much!
Excellent.
Would be great to hear your thoughts on FLOing /PUREing shafts.... Myth or science??
Thx
If I were struggling with over turning the ball a little too much, putting some lead tapeing in the toe would help straighten out the shot a bit
I think most ams that don’t have a club in their hands all the time do better with heavier d4 to d6 and even a touch heavier especially in the wedges. As long as the player isn’t losing the shots, most people can handle too heavy but too light is catastrophic.
Did I hear you right, D8 swing weight for irons?
Nice guys😊 Question: any recommendations for the specific lead tape I.e. manufacturer? In the UK? Had a few in the past but the sticky rear wasn’t sufficient enough to hold and kept flying off
I use it to temporarily change swing weight on clubs. Once I'm happy I'll make it permanent with tip or screw on weights.
I find that a lot of the hollow body driving irons lately need some lead tape. A lot of them are coming in at D0/D1 which is too light for many.
Awesome as usual
I believe this test would be interesting if you put in an equal weight tip weight as that would the way a higher SW club would be built
How about wrapping lead tape barbershop style under the grip as a way to backweight?
What are your thoughts about putting it on a putter?
I can wholeheartedly agree that lead tape is the ugliest invention in golf. I can also confirm that after a recent trip to the TXG team to sort out some "weird" club path and face to path numbers we increased the swing weight by 2 points (with lead tape) and everything just clicked. Still ugly as sin itself but a 6 iron dispersion of 12 feet at 195yds is a thing if beauty😁👍
when are you going to combine a diver shaft to a lob wedge- now thats an idea!!
Does this mean OEMs putting tungsten plugs in the toe have no effect?
*now I watched to the end 😊
How many beers did you have before sticking that lead tape on?! 🍺
I only really use led tape to adjust swing weight in woods if needed as I like a heavier feeling head but I’m mindful of spreading it about evenly and not adjusting the clubs design too much
Cool video
All irons should be made like the Edel irons . Changeable weight ports on the back edge . Put the weight towards toe or heel (to your bias), without using tape or having to breakdown the club . Spending big dollars on irons that are primitive to adjust doesn’t make sense.
Why are you guys fighting the change in strike placement and results, which ARE different? Numbers are not everything
It would be interesting to see the results if he hit them without knowing if/where the tape is
Have yall ever considered non-toxic solder as a permanent weight change for irons and wedges
A continuous of this could be lead tape vs hotmelt
Your video is great! Could you help us test our golf lead tape?
We will pay you
can you use lead tape to center the strikes on your irons? I often hit the ball of the toe on the club and would love to move it more to center. Is it possible with lead tape or just an swing issue?
What about lead tape under the grip if your shaft is too light? Would 10g maybe affect the swing weight too much?
Would love to see this test on a non-adjustable driver.
Do you think too much swing weight can cause the fat shot or grip size? My old set is D5 and 3 wraps I hit it fine. My new set is D5 and 2 wraps I struggle and hit fat shot more often…
About twenty yrs ago, when Hale Irwin was dominate, I seen tape all over his irons,I assumed he lost his indorsment deal with king Cobra,but still wanted to use there irons. 😉
Anyone ever experiment with putting different amounts of lead at various places on the shaft?
Love it! Awesome video and very informative guys 🤙🏻
Would adding lead tape help someone who tends to see toe down divots? Maybe adding it to the heel side of the club?
Toe down divots could be sign your clubs are the wrong lie angle, should be more upright I suspect. I may be wrong on that, I'm not a club fitter.
depends on how you transition
Hold on a sec, sis Ian say that they irons that are making irons that change the weighting of the iron?
I bought some ZX7 irons with Nippon modus 130 shafts in them and they felt way weird because they overall felt heavy but light in the head. Come to find out 5-9 were C8 and PW was D0 swing weight. After a range session of slowly adding weight, I found a sweet spot of D0 in the 5 iron to D1 in the PW which added a touch more ball speed and better dispersion. The trick was to add as little weight as possible to get the desired result.
3 grams to move the SW up 1 point. It's a lot of tape to get 2 points. Mine came new at D6 with 120g Modus shafts. I love them.
The problem with lead, is it takes time to find the right point of the tape?