Forged Irons (bending the truth)

About dead weight and Swing weight - Let me say that I agree with Lag about dead weight (DW) being the primary concern for you guys. Having said that, I just went through a session with a ABS student and we worked on getting SWs to match up a bit better. This involves counter weighting and I think it might violate some ABS concepts about the location of mass in the golf club. Why not get it into the head? - well anyway----

One method:

What it takes to do this is to first determine the necessary amount of weight to add to the golf club to get to ABS spec. dead weight. Use your SW/DW scale to weigh components.

THEN: With the club placed in the swing weight part of the scale you need to add the new measured weight to the the head and/or the butt to get the desired SW. It helps to have some small ingots of lead in the measured amount to experiment with (masking or clear tape helps). Add a little to the head and then the rest to the butt and see if you can get to the desired balance point. If you are refinishing the head and it is sanded then also remember that the new finish will add a point or two to the SW. Good time to put lead under the sole plate too.

I use tape sparingly and prefer to cast some lead ingots in a mold I made from wood. Lots of those little suckers may be necessary to get where you want to go. It really is necessary to have a torch and a ladle (bent measuring spoon or Ebay) to let you have some freedom with the lead ingot sizes - small wheel weights may work also.

How does one get the weight into the butt? The best method I have developed for larger amounts of lead involves casting a flat circular ingot the size of the diameter of the shaft butt that can be then pressed/hammered into the end of the shaft along with some epoxy. Use an old shaft the same diameter and make a mold for the ingot - again, you are melting lead. For a small amount of weight, lead tape may work on the shaft butt and under the grip. Be INNOVTIVE but this part is a challenge. (I’m going to start charging more for SW as it is a B----)

Good luck - Mike

I was thinking woods when I wrote the other piece. Irons follow the same principle but one is free to use lead tape behind the head or a bit of powder down the shaft. I have found that irons tend to come out about right when you use Lag’s ABS specs but that depends on the quality of the heads and consistency of the shafts and grips too. Again, good luck.