Ah, lead tape, Hotmelt, high-launch/low launch shafts, high-spin/low-spin shafts, or, as I see them, with a nod to Charles MacKay, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.
Someone with more understanding than me might correct me, but from my understanding, there is no predictable affect from moving weight forward or backward in the head. When these adjustments are discussed in terms of how they affect launch angles and spin, they are usually being discussed in how they affect dynamic loft (DL):
- Rearward CG results in the shaft bending forward more as the CG "attempts" (forgive the anthropomorphism) to align with the shaft. This creates more dynamic loft, generating more spin and higher launch.
- Forward CG results in less forward bending as the CG attempts this alignment. This results in less DL (lower launch, less spin).
High launch and low launch shaft have a similar effect. High launch shafts have softer tips, which allow the shaft to bend to create DL, and low launch shafts have stiffer tips, which inhibits this forward bending.
(Face height and vertical CG are a related topic, but I'm not going to muddy the waters with that. But in theory, Typhoon, assuming you are actually adding enough Hotmelt to move the CG and you are adding it to the bottom of the club, any spin reduction you might experience by putting the Hotmelt forward may be offset by the CG moving lower, theoretically adding spin and higher launch.)
Here's the issue: While adding weight to move the CG forward or backward may be relevant to high-swing-speed, long-hitters like Typhoon, it has no predictable effect for the vast majority of us. According to Tom Wishon, unless you swing over 100 MPH and have a late to very late release (which eliminates most of us), you generate little to no dynamic loft regardless of the shaft or head you use. In other words, forward CG, backward CG, high launch shaft, low launch shaft, etc. have very little predictable effect for most of us (which does make one question how manufacturers market high-launch shafts as a way of helping low-swing-speed golfer get the ball airborne). MOST of us are FAR (FAR, FAR) better off addressing loft and spin issues by selecting an appropriate loft.
Before ending this already-too-long post, I do want to stress that I’m not suggesting that we should abandon our experiments with weighting. I have used the word "predictable" repeatedly throughout because total weight and the distribution of weight absolutely affect our swing: tempo, path, rate of face closure, release, etc. But how the weight affects us is very individual. This is where a fitter is helpful because while he/she won't have a definitive answer about the effects of these changes, he/she will have a variety of shaft options and the knowledge to strategically work through them depending on the results.
My $.08 worth.
