Movable Weight Will Not Move You

Are you the guy on the range every weekend with a wrench in one hand and a handful of attachable weights in the other, desperately searching for that optimal trajectory and launch angle for your drives? I've seen you my friend, fumbling around with 2g, 5g and 10g weights like a Price Is Right contestant on the clock to find the perfect fit, to win the washer/dryer combo. I've seen you drop the wrench from the upper deck onto the driving range and ask the guy below you to fetch it and not get beaned at the same time. I've seen you slice one into San Francisco Bay and replace the 10g toe weight with a 5g toe weight thinking that will solve the slicing problem when you're still coming over the top like you're chopping wood at your cabin in Tahoe. And, I've see you check your receipt half way through a range session to familiarize yourself with the return policy at Golf Mart in the event there's still time to head back before they close. Oh, I've seen you.

Ultimately, I applaud your efforts, but for 95% of you out there, the only thing you're really doing with those weights is changing swing weight, which is very important but not in the brochure. Sorry to say it, but it's true. You are, at best, lessening your hook or slice by about 5 yards, from that 25 yards or more. You will, however, do MUCH better seeking out the right FACE ANGLE and COG location for your driver, to mitigate those hooks and slices and find that optimal trajectory. If you are in the 5% that swing above 115 MPH, then yes, there's some benefit to moving weight from the heel to the toe, so that purchase you made is a good one, and best of luck on tour.

So, that said, as you size up new 460cc drivers this year, take a good look at face angle and COG location. Tom Wishon says avoid 460cc drivers that are square. I agree. With high MOI comes the added challenge of squaring the club face given the COG moves further away from the shafts axis and wants to stay open a little longer. A 1 or 2 degree hooked face angle will certainly help. I've tried it. You should too. A COG closer to the heel can help as well, but some in the business claim that best performance has COG aligned with the center of the face, with no exception. You'll have to play around between the "draw" version and the "regular" versions out there.

So leave the wrench at home, unless it's for changing face angle, and stick with using those movable weights to find the optimal swing weight. A nice option over lead tape, so you have that going for you...which is nice.