Adjustable weights are one of the most misunderstood parts of modern drivers. They’re often treated like a magic fix, or ignored entirely, depending on how confident a golfer feels with tinkering.
The truth sits somewhere in the middle. Adjustable weights don’t transform a bad swing into a good one, but they absolutely change how a driver behaves through impact and how the ball flies once it leaves the face.
Adjustable weights don’t add speed
This is the first misconception to clear up. Moving weight around in a driver head doesn’t create ball speed. If anything, it influences how consistently you access the speed you already have.
What adjustable weights really do is change how the head wants to rotate and how stable it feels when you miss the centre. That has a knock-on effect on launch, spin and dispersion.
Heel and toe weights influence shot shape
When weight is positioned towards the heel, the clubhead tends to close more easily through impact. For golfers who miss right, this can help bring shots back towards the centre.
Move that weight towards the toe and the opposite happens. The face resists closing, which can calm down a left miss or reduce over-curvature.
This isn’t about forcing a draw or a fade. It’s about nudging the club’s natural tendencies closer to what your swing already does.
Back weighting changes forgiveness and flight
Weight pushed further back in the head increases stability. The club becomes more forgiving on off-centre strikes, often launching the ball slightly higher with a bit more spin.
For many golfers, this leads to more consistent carry distances and a flight that stays in the air longer. It may not look as powerful, but it usually produces better averages.
Weight moved forward tends to lower spin and flight, but it also reduces forgiveness. That trade-off matters far more than most golfers expect.
Why the change can feel subtle but matter a lot
Adjustable weights rarely create dramatic visual differences shot to shot. Instead, they show up over a series of drives.
You might notice fewer shots leaking to one side. Or a tighter grouping. Or a launch window that feels easier to repeat. These are quiet improvements, but they’re the ones that lower scores.
The biggest mistake: adjusting without measuring
Moving weights based on feel alone is guesswork. A setting that looks better on the range may cost carry, spin or consistency without you realising.
The real value of adjustable weights comes when changes are tested properly. Hitting shots back to back, watching what launch, spin and dispersion actually do, and then choosing the setup that produces the best overall result.
Adjustable weights work best as part of a fit
Weights don’t exist in isolation. Loft, shaft, strike location and delivery all interact with where mass is placed in the head.
That’s why adjustable weights are most effective when used to fine-tune an already well-matched driver, not as a fix for something fundamentally mismatched.
When weights are set correctly, the driver stops fighting you and starts behaving more predictably.