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How to Measure & Adjust Swing Weight – Golf Club Building 101

Matt Saternus — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 08:00:15 +0000

Getting That “Just Right” Feel

Every golfer has had the experience of picking up a club that “just felt right.” Similarly, we’ve picked up clubs that felt terrible. Both experiences are likely related to swing weight.

Swing weight is an under-discussed topic among golfers, but it has a huge impact on how a club feels and plays. In this edition of Golf Club Building 101, Club Champion Founder Nick Sherburne will teach you how to build your clubs to your perfect swing weight.

Tools & Supplies You Need

Swing weight scale

Level

The Tools You Want

Tip weights

Tungsten powder

Hot melt gun or syringe

Lead tape

The Process

Step 1: Get your “dry” swing weight. The is done by putting the club head on the shaft – which has already been cut to length and gripped – without epoxy. Place the club on your swing weight scale and see where you stand.

Step 2: Account for ferrule, glue, and plastic wrap. Adding the ferrule and glue will add about one swing weight point. If you’re building a new head, the plastic wrap can add between 1/3 of a point (for an iron) and 1 point (for a driver). Make sure to consider all this before going forward.

Step 3: Determine your target swing weight.

Step 4: Add weight to the head. Adding two grams to the club head will raise the swing weight by one point.

If you’re working with a steel shaft, the easiest way is to add tip weights. Tip weights are typically sold in weights of 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 grams. Install the weight into the shaft with epoxy before gluing on the head.

If you’re using a graphite shaft, tip weights can be more difficult to use because the interior diameters of graphite shafts are inconsistent. Because of this, Nick prefers tungsten powder. Tungsten powder is mixed with the epoxy to add weight and raise the swing weight.

Finally, for adding weight to woods, you can use hot melt.

Step 5: Install the club head. Get the full breakdown of how to do this properly HERE.

Alternate Methods

If you want to skip all this messiness, you can use good old lead tape. Some players don’t like the way it looks, but others prefer it. The nice thing about lead tape is that it’s not permanent. You can add a few grams, try it, and go back to a lighter swing weight by simply peeling the tape off. To get off the sticky tape residue, I use Goo Gone.

Common Mistakes

Bad math. If you’re not confident in your ability to do the swing weight math, do an extra dry measurement with the tip weight installed but not glued in. Once you’ve glued it together, you can add more weight via lead tape, but you can’t remove weight without taking the club apart. Measure twice, glue once.

Pro Tips

Make sure that the surface you’re using for measuring swing weight is level. If the surface is tilted, your swing weight measurements will be off. Additionally, keep your swing weight scale in the same location for consistent measurements.

Nick also notes that using tungsten powder in your epoxy is a tough skill to master and should probably be left to experienced builders. This process is largely about trial and error, and there’s no way to shortcut experience. If you want to try this method, experiment with some expendable clubs before using it on your gamers.

Watch the Video HERE

The Full Club Building 101

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How to Cut a Golf Shaft – Golf Club Building 101

Matt Saternus — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 08:30:19 +0000

Making the Cut

One of the most nerve-wracking parts of a build is cutting the shaft to length. There’s no “Undo” button on the saw, and a mistake can be very expensive, especially with graphite shafts. In this lesson, Nick will give you the keys to confidently making the cut.

Tools & Supplies You Need

Pipe cutter (steel shafts only)

Hack saw and vise

Tools You Want

Chop saw with cut off wheel

The Process

Step 1: Measure your shaft and mark where you want to cut. Get the step by step directions on doing this precisely HERE.

Step 2: Use your cut saw. A cut off wheel will work well for both steel and graphite shafts. Let the saw get to full speed before pushing the wheel smoothly through the cut.

You’ll notice that on Nick’s saw (above), there is a jig that puts the shaft where the wheel will go all the way through. You may need to manufacture a similar piece depending on the size your saw and cut off wheel.

Step 3: Deburr the shaft (steel only). Using a sanding belt or sand paper, remove the rough edges around the cut.

Alternate Methods

With a steel shaft, a pipe cutter works very nicely, though it is much slower. Clamp the cutter at your desired cut line, spin it, tighten, and repeat until the cut is made.

You can also use a hacksaw to cut shafts, but this method requires a vice. Make sure to cut very close to the vice so that shaft doesn’t bounce around and create a poor cut.

Common Mistakes

The primary mistake that Nick noted was not lining up a cut accurately. The age-old advice is valuable – “Measure twice, cut once.” That can be extended to making sure that your blade is lined up perfectly over your desired cut line. There are workarounds if you cut the shaft too much, but it’s better to do it well the first time.

Pro Tips

Leaving jagged edges on a steel shaft is a sure sign of a novice club builder. If you don’t use a sander or sandpaper to deburr the cut edge, you’re asking to nick your hand when you smooth the grip tape. Also, the grip will slide over a smooth edge much more easily than a jagged one. This step takes only a few seconds, but it makes a big difference.

Watch the Video HERE

The Full Club Building 101

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How to Measure Club Length – Golf Club Building 101

Matt Saternus — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 07:00:26 +0000

Understanding the Basics

Measuring a club’s length seems like a pretty obvious thing, but it’s something that’s easy to get wrong. Given the importance of club length – and it’s effect on other variables such as swing weight – we need to get it right. We’ll teach you how to do that with the help of Nick Sherburne, Founder of Club Champion and Dean of Club Champion University.

Tools & Supplies You Need

Club ruler with sole plate

The Tools You Want

Marking jig

The Process

Step 1: Place your club head in the sole plate.

Step 2: Measure to the end of the club. It’s important to consider whether you’re measuring to the end of the shaft or the end of the grip. The butt cap typically adds about 1/8″, per Nick Sherburne. Club Champion builds 1/8″ under the desired length to allow for the butt cap.

Step 3: Mark the shaft with a marking jig (optional). A marking jig or marking guide allows you to be a bit more precise when putting your cut line on the shaft.

Now that you’ve measured, learn how to make the cut properly HERE

Common Mistakes

Not using a club ruler. Measuring with a tape measure or yardstick is fine if you want an approximate measurement. If you’re trying to measure or build with any precision, get a club ruler.

Pro Tips

Buy a club ruler. Yes, I know this lesson has been a bit redundant on that point, but it’s important. If you’re going to do something, do it well. That means building clubs with precision, and that means being able to measure precisely. A club ruler and sole plate will run about $100, but it’s a piece of equipment that you’ll use on every build, and it will never go bad, wear out, or need to be replaced.

If you’re ready to move on to more advanced club building, check out our lessons on how to prep a golf shaft HERE and how to install a golf shaft HERE.

The Full Club Building 101

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How to Install a Shaft – Golf Club Building 101

Matt Saternus — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 09:00:25 +0000

The Best Part of Club Building

With apologies to all the other procedures in club building, nothing is as satisfying as assembling a golf club. You start with a handful of components and end up with a usable golf club. In this edition of Club Building 101, we’ll take you through each step in the process so your builds are rock solid.

Tools & Supplies You Need

Golf club epoxy

The Tools You Want

Epoxy dispenser

Shafting beads or shims

Paper towels

Acetone

The Process

Step 1: Lay out all your components. Make sure you have the shaft, ferrule, and club head on hand and ready to go. Also, make sure the shaft has been prepped and is ready for installation. If you’re not sure what that means, click HERE.

Make sure you’ve measured your clubs perfectly HERE and made the best cut HERE.

Step 2: Mix your epoxy. This is a critical step. Make sure that you take plenty of time to ensure a good mix. As Nick says, you can’t over-mix, but you absolutely can under-mix. If you don’t mix the epoxy well, your club may not stay together.

Step 3: Roll the shaft in the epoxy. Get a light coat of epoxy on the shaft to help the ferrule slide onto the shaft and stay in place.

Step 4: Install the ferrule. Push the ferrule onto the tip of the shaft, and set it to the right depth with the club head.

Step 5: Put epoxy into hosel and onto shaft. Using a slim screwdriver or whatever you used to mix the epoxy, put a generous helping of epoxy into the club’s hosel. Follow that up by putting more epoxy on the shaft. Similar to Step 2, you can only under-do this step, you can’t over-do it.

Optional – Step 5A: Use shafting beads or shim. If your club head and shaft fit together tightly, this step is unnecessary. However, if the fit is a little loose, you can use shafting beads to center the shaft in the hosel and create a tighter fit.

If you’re putting a taper tip shaft into a hosel made for a parallel tipped shaft, you will want to install a shim on the shaft first. A shim essentially enlarges the diameter of the shaft to create a better fit in the hosel.

Step 6: Install club head on shaft. Once you know the fit is good and both sides have plenty of epoxy on them, push the club head onto the shaft. Make sure you get the shaft all the way to the bottom of the hosel.

Step 7: Clean up excess epoxy. Put some acetone on a paper towel and clean off the excess epoxy. You can wait and clean up the excess after it has dried, but it’s more work.

Step 8: Align shaft. Before you set the club aside to dry, make sure that the grip and shaft are aligned in the way that you want.

Common Mistakes

There are a lot of potential problems in gluing up a club. Most of them relate to being careless with your epoxy.

The first mistake is not getting two even parts of your epoxy. A gummed-up tip or air bubble in the cylinder can keep you from getting an even 1:1 mix. Watch your dispenser carefully to make sure you’re getting the same amount of both parts.

This was addressed earlier, but it can’t be overstated: make sure to mix your epoxy thoroughly. Spend the extra thirty seconds mixing the epoxy and you won’t have to worry about throwing a club head during your round. Pay special attention to the epoxy at the edges of the batch. It’s easy to only stir the middle and have epoxy at the edges that’s barely mixed.

Finally, don’t install your ferrules without epoxy. If you don’t have epoxy on the shaft when you press on the ferrule, it can ride up and down the shaft. In addition to putting epoxy on the shaft, consider putting a little on the top of the hosel for even more security.

Pro Tips

If you’re using quick set epoxy, which is only recommended for seasoned builders, limit yourself to one or two clubs per batch. Trying to squeeze a third or fourth build out of a batch of epoxy is a recipe for poor adhesion. If you want to build a full set with one batch of epoxy, use “slow set” epoxy.

Watch the Video HERE

The Full Club Building 101

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How to Prep a Golf Shaft – Golf Club Building 101

Matt Saternus — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 09:00:18 +0000

Removing the Mystery

Most operations in club building are fairly straightforward. It’s obvious to anyone what it means to cut a shaft. Prepping a shaft, however, can be a little mysterious. Why is it necessary? How is it done? When do you know when you’ve gone far enough…or too far?

We’ll answer all those questions and more in this step by step explanation of how to prep a golf shaft.

What Is Prepping a Shaft?

Prepping a shaft means getting it ready to be installed (glued into) a club head. It’s the process of removing the finish or paint in the tip area so that the epoxy has something it can create a strong bond with. Part of this process is also getting the shaft to fit into the hosel at full depth.

The Tools You Need

Sandpaper

The Tools You Want

1″ Belt Sander

The Process

Step 1: Check the fit. Put the shaft into the hosel dry. If the shaft slides in easily, you’ll want to be a bit more gentle in your prep. If the shaft barely fits or doesn’t fit at all, you’ll need to remove more material.

Step 2: Mark the shaft. Use a pencil or marker to indicate how much of the shaft will go into the hosel. You don’t want to prep the shaft beyond the insertion depth unless the club has a ferrule. In that case, a little extra prep is desirable to ensure a good bond with the ferrule.

Step 3: Prep the shaft. Using either sandpaper in your hand or a belt sander, start to remove the finish/paint from the shaft. With a steel shaft, it’s nearly impossible to go too far. With graphite, it’s very easy to go too far. You know that a shaft is well-prepped when the chrome or paint has been removed from the shaft (see above).

Step 4: Check the fit. Ideally, the shaft should insert to full depth with a tight fit. If you can’t get the shaft full inserted, carefully remove a little more material.

Common Mistakes

Nick noted two common mistakes that amateur club builders make. First is under or over prepping the shaft. If you don’t prep enough, you won’t get a strong bond with the club head. Prep too much and you’ll have a loose fit in the hosel. Either way, the result can be a club that doesn’t stay together.

The other common mistake is not prepping the shaft enough to get to the bottom of the hosel. Be careful with Step 2. You can double check the hosel depth with a screw driver and compare that how much of the shaft you’ve prepped and inserted.

Pro Tips

Prepping a shaft well is all about touch. The best way to develop that is through practice. Get your hands on some scrap shafts, steel and graphite, and practice your technique. This is especially important if you’re new and planning to use a belt sander.

Watch the Video HERE

The Full Club Building 101

The post How to Prep a Golf Shaft – Golf Club Building 101 appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

How to Install a Grip – Golf Club Building 101

Matt Saternus — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 10:00:52 +0000

Class Is In Session

Welcome to our news series, Club Building 101. As with everything we do at Plugged In Golf, our goal is to bring you the best information in a clear, easy to digest format. We’ve partnered with Club Champion – specifically Nick Sherburne, Club Champion’s Founder and Dean of Club Champion University – to cut through all the bad information and bring you the simple truth about how to build your own golf clubs.

Each installment in this series will look at one piece of the club building puzzle in detail so that it’s accessible to even complete novices. We start our journey with the most basic operation: installing a grip.

Tools & Supplies You Need

Double-Sided Tape

Solvent or Mineral Spirits

Vise or Clamp

Knife for grip removal

Tools You Want

Tape Dispenser

Spray Bottle for solvent

Solvent Catch Tray

Hair Dryer or Torch for tape removal

The Process

Step 1: Removing the old grip. If you’re gripping a clean shaft, please skip to Step 3. To remove the old grip, insert your knife – preferably a hook blade – at the bottom of the grip and cut toward the grip cap. Always cut away from yourself! It is much safer to put the club in a vise before cutting the grip. If you’re removing a grip from a graphite shaft, use a light touch so you don’t damage the shaft.

Step 2: Removing the old tape. You can do this with brute force and elbow grease, but the tape will come off more easily if you heat it with a hair dryer or torch first. Make sure to clean the shaft thoroughly so your new grip goes on evenly.

Step 3: Mark the shaft. This step will ensure that the grip doesn’t get stretched or under-installed. With the club in the vise, lay the grip alongside it and mark the shaft near where the grip should end. This will give you a reference point for correct installation.

Step 4: Install double-sided tape. Pull out a length of tape slightly longer than the grip. This is the step where having a quality tape dispenser makes all the difference. Align the tape with the mark on the shaft and smooth it down. You can see in the video that Nick twists the excess tape and cuts it off, but you can stick it in the shaft if you prefer.

Step 5: Apply solvent. Put a finger over the hole in the grip’s butt cap and fill the grip with solvent. Cover the other side of the grip with another finger, and shake the grip to coat the inside thoroughly. Aim the butt of the grip at the tape and remove your fingers from the openings, covering the tape in solvent. Make sure you’re working over a tray or trash can to catch the excess solvent.

Step 6: Install the grip. Put the grip over the butt of the shaft and slide it on. If you used adequate solvent, you don’t need to rush, but you should work quickly. Once the grip is installed to the proper length, check the alignment against the club face. You can also use a straightedge (even a piece of paper will work) to make sure the grip isn’t twisted. Most grips have marks at either end – they should be in a straight line.

Putter Grip Installation: Installing a putter grip follows the same steps as installing a regular golf grip. The only difference is that alignment is more important because of the flat surfaces on the grip. To give yourself the best chance at a perfect installation, make sure your putter face is square when you clamp it. You can use that and the putter’s sight line to align your grip.

Alternate Methods

Grips can be installed with an air compressor and grip attachment. Nick does not recommend this for most grips, citing PURE Grips as the one exception.

The advantage of using air is that you do not need double-sided tape or solvent, so the process is a bit neater. If you watch videos of installations with air, they look extremely easy, but Nick advises the process is more difficult than it looks and requires practice.

Common Mistakes

Nick highlighted four common mistakes. First – shockingly – is using gasoline as a solvent. This is obviously very dangerous.

The second error is lining up grips poorly. This may not affect performance, but there’s no reason not to do the job well.

Another common problem is not removing the old tape thoroughly before installing a new grip. This can make the new grip uneven in your hands.

Finally, make sure that you’re not stretching your grips or not installing them at full length. You can avoid these issues by measuring your tape or marking the shaft, as described above.

Pro Tips

If you’re installing a grip on a shaft without a club head, stick an awl or small screwdriver through the hole in the butt cap once the grip is on. This will punch a hole in the tape and prevent any issues when installing the head.

Next, if you’re going to recycle your grip solvent, make sure to filter it. Nick recommends using a coffee filter to get the bits of rubber and dust out.

Finally, sliding a grip on quickly looks like a pro move, but Nick warns that it’s a good way to spray yourself with excess solvent. If you can’t help smashing the grip on, stand to the side of the shaft or wear an apron.

Watch the Video HERE

The Full Club Building 101