Perimeter weighting

The more weight you get behind the golf ball, the further it goes. So in theory, manufacturers should concentrate the weight of a club in as small an area as possible, so that all the weight is behind the ball when you hit it.

Correct. BUT (a big but). If you pack the weight into a small area, then you need to be deadly accurate with your swing. It’s great if you can get that small area to meet the ball all the time. But miss that small area, and you’ll end up with terrible mishits.

That’s because of something called the moment of inertia.

That’s where perimeter weighting comes in. Instead of concentrating the weight in the center of the club, the weight is spread around the outsides. This makes for a more stable clubface, so when you hit off-center the ball will fly straighter and truer than if there was no perimeter weighting.

So for normal golfers, perimeter weighting is a boon. Most of us aren’t able to hit the center of the clubface every time we hit a golf ball. So perimeter weighting makes the clubface more tolerant of our off-center hits - the mishits aren’t quite so bad.

For professionals, however, it’s a different story. If you can be sure that you hit the ball with the dead center of the club every time, then you don’t need perimeter weighting. On the contrary, you want the full weight behind your shot. You also want the flexibility of not having your shots always go straight - the opportunity to shape the flight of the ball more.

That’s why perimeter weighting is an oft-cited characteristic of so-called game improvement clubs; clubs designed for those of us who haven’t yet achieved golfing perfection.

The move to perimeter weighting is also a result of new materials. Titanium and other composite materials often found in the clubface and crown of drivers, for example, are lighter than the steel that was previously used, but still strong enough to do the job. The manufacturers take the weight they save by using stronger, lighter materials and spread it round the edges of the club to boost stability.