Jul 06 2009
TaylorMade’s Movable Weight Technology Explained
TaylorMade drivers have a reputation for being some of the best and most adaptable drivers out there. This is true for a lot of reasons, but there is one thing that separates TaylorMade from the rest of the competition: Movable Weight Technology.
We’ve gotten a lot of questions about the technology and the weights themselves, so we thought it might be best if we talked about them a little bit.
There are a variety of weights available for you to purchase. They come in weights of 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, and 14 grams. However, drivers with the movable weight system, like the R7 Limited driver, come with some weights already installed into ports on the head of the driver.
As you can see in the picture above, the weight has a fitting cut into it so that you have to use a specialized wrench that you get from TaylorMade. The wrench is used to remove the weight from its port, and to screw the weights back in.
Here’s the important part. You hear all about these weights all the time, but you don’t always hear about how they can help you correct your swing.
If you have a swing that usually results in a slice, that means that your club face is too open at impact and you need more rotation of the club head so that it’s more closed when you hit the ball. The movable weight system can facilitate that rotation by adding more weight to the heel and subtracting weight from the toe. On the other hand, if you have too much of a draw for your liking (on the streets, we call that a hook), you should remove weight from the heel and add some to the toe.
Think of it like this, whatever part of the club head that you want to stay back the most through your swing is the part that needs the most weight. If you hit a slice you need the heel to stay back, and if you hook the ball you need the toe to stay back more.
The best idea would be to go out to the driving range with your weights and your TaylorMade wrench, hit some balls, and see which setup works the best for you. Remember to swing the same way every time and adjust the weights to that swing. Don’t allow the change in the position of the weights to affect you mentally to the point where it changes your swing. The weights will HELP you with your ball flight. It is not meant to fix a bad swing.
If you would like to purchase either the TaylorMade weights or the special wrench, you’re in luck. For the weights, just look on the homepage of the Fairway Bunker Store. As for the TaylorMade Launch Control Wrench Kit, you can get it from our partners at Golf Galaxy here.
Hopefully this helps you out. Let us know if we missed anything.
Mike, nice article. I have a quick question and you may have already answered it and I missed it (I’m not real bright)…
The ‘normal’ sliced ball starts well left of the target line (fairway) and spins well to the right. It is caused by an outside to inside swing path with either an open or square clubface. If the clubface was closed, it would probably result in a dead pull.
It seems having a club with a clubface closed a few degrees would barely help a slice, but shifting the weight in the clubface would make a dramatic difference.
Can you divulge test results where a ball is struck, for example, at 90 mph on an out-in path at 4 degrees with a 4 degree draw biased driver? And other variations?
In other words, can you describe in degrees, flight pattern, clubhead speed, open/closed club face how any driver may be able to help correct a slice.
Also, what do you tell 60-year-old guys with a push/draw whose drive has lost 15 yards in the past three years? And, I ain’t going to the gym, smart ass…
@ One-Eyed Golfer: First of all, thank you for the comment. I really appreciate it. Much more thought out than most of my other comments, which is great.
This is a really long response…sorry.
Your description of a normal slice is good, except I would make just one adjustment. A slice doesn’t necessarily start well left of the target line. It can start out straight and then spin to the right…assuming you’re right handed. The direction of the launch depends on your swing plane. Ball flight depends on the angle of your club face at impact. So, if your swing is on plane but your club face is open, the ball will come out straight and then turn right, which is still considered a slice. If it starts out left and then turns right, that means you have an outside-in swing plane plus an open or square club face.
As far as draw bias vs. weighted drivers… a driver with draw bias can help. If you slice the ball, it will cut down on how much you slice. But, you can still slice the ball pretty hard with a draw driver. I’ve seen it happen. The biggest difference between bias and weights is that you can’t control the amount of bias with a draw driver. But if you have a TaylorMade driver with 14 grams in the heel and zero in the toe, you’ll definitely see better results than from a basic draw driver. It’s just a matter of adjusting the club to fit your needs.
As far as testing this stuff out and reporting results, I don’t really have the facilities and equipment that I would need to do that. If you have something specific that you would like me to look at, and I have everything I need to answer your question, I would be glad to help out.
And for 60-year-old guys looking at these things, I would suggest a few things. First, make sure the flex of your club is right for you. You might need to go to an A (senior) flex to help whip the club head through the ball. If the launch of your ball is not straight (on the target line), I would suggest that you make sure your swing is on plane. If it’s coming out to the left, make sure you’re not too high at the top of your backswing, and if you’re coming out to the right, make sure you’re not too flat at the top of your backswing. Make sure you pull straight back from the ball. At the top of your backswing, the shaft of your club should be just over your right shoulder.
If you’re slicing or hooking, I would suggest looking at your grip. If you’re slicing, you might want to go with a “stronger” grip, rotating your hand so your thumb moves to the right so that you see more of the back of your hand resting on the club. That way, your club face will be more closed at impact. It will feel weird for a little while, but you get used to it. And if you’re hooking the ball, do just the opposite. Go with a “weaker” grip rotating your hand so your thumb moves to the left so that you see more of your thumb than the back of your hand.
Also, you might want to look into using the Bridgestone B330-RX for a ball. It’s designed for slower swing speeds and reduces spin off of the driver face, which will help cut down on your slice. Plus, it will give you more carry distance. It’s a little pricey, but you’ll lose less balls.
Or, you can just go to the gym…Haha.
Sorry about the length of my response, but I wanted to be thorough. Let me know if you need me to clarify anything, or if you have anymore questions.
Thanks again!