Lead Tape For Golf: Why Add It And Its Effects

Golfers will go to any lengths to improve their game as long as the methods they use are in accord with the rules and regulations set by the golf governing body. Some of the methods are popular with players of all skill levels, while others are less popular but time-tested methods that work just as well as the widely used ones. One such method is using lead tape for golf clubs.

Using lead tape on golf clubs is not a new method, even though it is not as widely used as other swing improvement techniques. You will probably not hear about it during your golf training sessions. One of the other reasons for its unpopularity is lack of adequate experience and knowledge especially with the non-professional players. .

What Is Lead Tape And Is It Safe To Use On Golf Clubs?

Just as the name suggests, a lead tape is a lead strip with an adhesive that you can fix easily to any part of your golf club. You can purchase it per meter depending on how much you need or buy it as a roll. An inch or a strip of the tape weighs between 0.75 to 1.5 grams. The primary purpose of adding lead tape to a golf club is to increases the club's weight providing it with better performance.

The extra weight on the club slows your swing down, allowing you to swing correctly and better than you did in the past. The added weight also allows you to manipulate the ball's flight by altering the center of gravity.

Some people have the assumption that because lead is a neurotoxin and poisonous compound if ingested, it would probably be harmful to use on the golf clubs. However, with the right application, lead tape on golf clubs is safe, but only if you take the time to read the instructions and information on the package before using it.

Furthermore, studies and experience by several professional tennis players with the knowledge of using lead tape on the rackets say that any lead poisoning from the tape is negligible and harmless. However, experts also advise that storing lead tape alongside your towel is not ideal because you will use the towel on the face, and that might transfer some lead onto the skin.

Another precaution to take while using lead tape is to ensure that you have gloves on and you do not store them anywhere near the reach of the children or pets. Adhering to the precautionary safety measures on the package should be your utmost priority before you start taping the lead in the best golf clubs.

Lead Tape for Golf Clubs Benefits

Adding lead tape to the golf clubs comes with several benefits, but the main one is that it allows you to add weight to your golf club, thus making small changes to help you have more control of the club and improve your swing speed. The other benefits to expect from adding lead tape to increase the weight of your club are as follows.

• Helps to alter how the clubface squares to the golf ball at impact
• Help to influence the curve of the golf ball as it nears its end of the flight
• Increases the height of your shots
• Increases loft and improves weight distribution.
• Helps to fix clubs that do not feel right when taking a swing
• Helps with launching the ball higher by adding weight to a driver's center of gravity
• Helps to raise the trajectory of the irons
• Reduces a fade and enhances a draw by taping it to the heel of the club
• Provides straighter shots and reduces draw-spin by taping it to the driver's toe
• Provides better clubface rotation through impact
• Adds extra weight to a putter making it easier to make a shot through to the hole
• Helps to lower golf handicap
• Helps to reduce rough spots

How Does Lead Tape Impact Different Parts Of A Golf Club?

A strip of lead tape, ensuring a square inch, and weighing anything between 0.75 and 1.5 grams can tremendously change the weight of your golf club. Because the amounts of tape to add to the club are small, some people tend to go overboard and put more than they should, thus creating problems with their swing speeds.

It is therefore important to be cautious about the amount you add to the club. The following are the different parts of the club where you can add lead tape for extra weight.

• The Toe- Helps you to gain more of a fading shot shape and reduce a hook.
• The Heel- Helps develop a draw spin and reduce slices.
• Front of the club sole- Makes the club less forgiving and moves center of gravity further forward, reducing spin, and producing lower ball flight.
• Back of the club sole-Adds more spin and height, making the club more forgiving by moving the center of gravity back and away from the face.

Read next: How To Breaking 80

Where to Add Lead Tape on Different Types of Clubs

One of the attractive aspects of the lead tape is its versatility. You can use it on your clubs to experiment with various swing weights, and it applies to all types of clubs. You can also use the same on the clubs while you are on the range and choose to remove it at will. Below is a look at the places you can add lead tape to various clubs to improve your swing speed and distance, among other benefits.

1. The Driver

The driver, which also goes by the wood, is one of the most important clubs for an effective round of golf. It is also the longest club in the golf bag and features the largest head of all the clubs. The main purpose of the driver is distance. The driver is the club to use when you want to hit the ball as far as you can on the golf course.

Adding strips of lead tape to your driver helps to rectify some of the minor problems you may have with your swing. Players using the driver also add lead tape to alter the ball trajectory and minimize rough spots.

The parts of the driver that you can add lead tape to are the toe, the heel, the back, the grip area, and the front.

• The toe- the places to add the lead tape should be between the soleplate and the crown.
• The heel- to add more weight to square the clubface, the tape should be directly below the hosel.
• The front-put a strip of lead tape a few centimeters behind the clubs sole plate leading edge
• The back- adding lead tape to the back of the driver adds height and forgiveness, and to attain this, you should place the tape on the middle of the back of the sole plate.
• The grip- if you have issues counterbalancing your driver. Adding some lead tape around the grip area will rectify the problem.

2. The Fairway Woods

Fairway woods are very similar to the drivers, but they have smaller clubheads and slightly shorter shafts. One feature that makes a fairway wood stand out is its sweet spot, which is very close to the ground. The closeness to the ground and the amount of sidespin the club provides allow golfers to attain long distances after striking the ball.

The sidespin is one of the main benefits a fairway wood has over a driver. Sidespin can also become messy if it becomes uncontrollable, leading to a large curve on the ball. Adding lead tape to the back of the fairway wood provides you with better control allowing you to strike the ball higher with less ball curve and more stopping power for tricky greens and long approach shots.

3. The Irons                                         

The irons have shorter shafts and smaller clubheads than the woods, and their main purpose is to hit the ball when the player is less than 200 yards from the green. The degree of an iron loft is higher than that of a wood, with the 9-iron bearing the highest degree loft. Irons come in numbers 1 to 9, with the 1 and 2 being the hardest to master.

If you are having issues with your irons, you can experiment by adding more weight to rectify the issues, which you can do by using lead tape. The places that will benefit more from additional lead tape weight on an iron club are the upper part of the club's back and the sole. However, you can add lead tape directly to the bias and blade if you use bladed irons.

If you want added swing weight for more speed through impact, you can add tape halfway up the back of the iron club, and if you are playing cavity, you can place the tape on the cavity with bias the side of your preference.

4. The Wedges

The wedges have the largest lofts, and their main purpose is to make the ball soar up as high as possible after striking it. The different types of wedges are pitching wedge, gap wedge, and lob wedge. If you want to increase or decrease the spin of your wedges, you can do so by adding some lead tape on different parts of the clubs.

If you intend to gain more control of the ball around the greens and increase its spin after impact, add lead tape to the bottom of the wedge. If you want to reduce the spin and make it more manageable, add lead tape on the higher up back of the clubface.

5. The Putter

Unlike other clubs that lift the ball from the ground into the air, a pitter rolls it forward into the hole. It features a flat face and is the most used club in the golf bag. Before introducing the long and belly putters, the putter was the shortest of all the golf clubs. Many players add lead tape to a putter to add more weight to the swing.

Others add the lead tape under the grip to counterbalance the weight of the club. You can also add more weight if the length of your putter is shorter than the standard measurements or if you want to improve the weighting. You can also keep off the weight off the clubhead of the putter by adding the weight to the shaft instead.

Read next: The Different Types Of Golf Putters 

6. The Hybrids

The hybrids are the newest category of golf clubs, and they are a cross between the irons and the woods. Players that play the hybrid prefer them to the other clubs because they are easier to hit, fly higher, and provide more distance. The things that make the club a favorite with many players can also be detrimental to other players.

If you want to control a hybrid from flying high, adding lead tape to its front right under the leading edge will help. If you want your hybrid to beat the wind just as an iron does, adding lead tape to reduce the spin for a more piercing ball flight will help significantly.

Most FAQs about Lead Tape for Golf Clubs

Is Lead Tape Hard To Remove?

Removing lead tape from the clubs can be challenging, and it requires some skill. You can use a sharp object to lift the tape off the club or heat the tape to melt it. However, the second option is not too safe because inhaling lead particles might cause some health issues.

Is Lead Tape Expensive?

No lead tape is inexpensive. The average cost is around $10 for 100 inches of the same. It is also easily available in stores that stock golf equipment and Amazon among other online retail shops.

Does The Golf Governing Body Allow Adding Lead Tape To The Golf Clubs?

Even though the use of lead tape does not appear anywhere in playing good golf instructions, the USGA allows its use. Some of the best professional players also use lead tape to help them with better control of their clubs, swings, and ball flight.

Wrapping it up

Using lead tape helps to reduce the minor faults with the club shaft, loft, clubhead, clubface, and swing. The strips either add or reduce the club's weight making it easier to control and manipulate your game in the best way possible. The tape is suitable for amateur golfers that are still learning to perfect their swings, and it is common with professional players.