Since we’ve covered center of gravity in another blog, it’s time to continue our journey into golf’s alphabet soup with moment of inertia, or MOI.
MOI is the measure of how resistant the clubhead is to twisting — the higher the MOI, the more resistant to twisting the clubhead will be. The more twist-resistant a clubhead is, the more forgiving it will be, too.
It’s pretty straightforward: higher MOI = more forgiveness. This applies to every club in the bag from your driver all the way down to your putter.
Now, similar to CG and to the game of golf in general, the same thing isn’t going to work for everyone. Not everyone may want high MOI clubs in their bags.
So should you go with a high or low MOI? Well, there are general rules for both.
Highly skilled golfers may not want as much forgiveness as the average golfer and may expect more workability from their equipment. These players would prefer less MOI because less clubface twisting hinders their ability to hit a draw or fade as desired. If ball-striking isn’t a problem for you, low MOI allows you to achieve the distances you want while not restricting your ball-shaping abilities.
On the other hand, the average golfer benefits from a high MOI due to improved stability at impact. That way, ball speed isn’t sacrificed on an off-center shot. If you want your golf club to be less punishing on mishits, high MOI is for you. With a high MOI and thus, more forgiveness, finding fairways becomes a bit easier.
SHOULD YOU LET MOI AFFECT HOW YOU CHOOSE YOUR CLUBS?
It should certainly be considered!
If the biggest concern with your game is accuracy and/or consistency, high MOI clubs will play a crucial role in improving those issues for you. If shot shaping and distance are your main concerns, a low MOI will generally assist with those specific needs.
When you come to get fit, discuss your goals with your fitter — they’ll be able to send you on a path to the right amount of MOI. The beauty of a custom fitting is that there’s no standard or one-size option. The best golf clubs for you will be the ones that work with you, as always.
Finding the set that works best for you is always of utmost importance to us. So, if you learned a little something about MOI today and think you want to start making some changes to your bag, head to clubchampiongolf.com to schedule a fitting.
