Swing weight is a reference to get to where we like the golf club to feel like. It is an explanation of the direction but not the ultimate route.
The only thing I have against focusing the swing weight numbers is the change of total static weight. A few grams of weight should not change the total weight by much, then again, should not matter that much for the scale either.
I know a fitter for many years, he has been through the 80s into the modern age. From swing weight scale to trackman launch monitor. His bag is a collection of all different spec one could imagine. I mean the lofts, the length and the weight are not staggered like we normally would see. He is a 2 index holder ( I suspect he is much better if he really tried, but golfing with a bunch of retired guys, he might not wish to beat us up by too much). I asked him, how the hell could he play that bag so well? Would he be a better golfer if he really dial in on a set of golf clubs?
He told me, don’t mess with his bag, it took him decade to tune it to what they are today. All the irons in the bag, with specs scattered, he knows exactly how far he could fly each one of the irons and could change trajectory as he wish. He showed us that his 7 iron is about the same length as the 9 iron. Traditionally with the 1/2" gap between each iron, there should be 1" difference in length between the 7 iron and the 9 iron. Those two in his bag were just about 1/2" apart ( with different type of iron heads from different manufacturer).
I guess, it makes sense when we read the story of the great golfers starting their golf with a mixed bag of golf clubs but they figured out how far each club will fly.
The numbers and the measurements are great. The data will cut short the chase but, never over-sight on the final task. Which is to know how to use each club and what we could do with them.
Modern fitting seemed to focused on the numbers and the measurements. That’s half the formula.
We forgot, the human body will change from month to month, from weeks to weeks and even day to day. Top golfers try to maintain their physical fitness with exercise, injury and aging will eventually change their condition.
So the “perfect fitting” is a comfort in thoughts, perhaps boosting one’s confidence.
My first instructor told me that he used to monkey around with the loft/lie machine and the swing weight scale ( some 40 years ago ) and his conclusion after a lifelong experiment was, the equipment will make very little difference in one’s golf game.
That was, before the boom of the metal driver and the advancement in the golf ball technology. It was a time when the equipment had peaked the performance in that era.
We’re into the modern age of the same situation, with the equipment peaking at it’s performance ( to the conforming limit) with the current design and material in use.
Same story, work on the other major elements in the formula, the golfer, instead of continuing looking for an easy way to improve our game without effort.
