(Editor's Note: "Perimeter weighting" refers to the club designer's removal of mass from the center, back of the clubhead [i.e., a cavity back design] and the repositioning of that weight around the clubhead's perimeter. Companies market perimeter-weighted clubs as more forgiving, i.e., game-improvement clubs. But why does perimeter weight make a club more forgiving? Below is Tom's answer.)

A. The more headweight is pushed out farther from the center of gravity of the clubhead, the higher the clubhead's MOI about the vertical rotation axis of its center of gravity. And the higher the clubhead's MOI, the less the head will twist in response to an off-center hit. And the less head twisting from an off-center hit, the farther the ball will fly for the same golfer swing speed. So perimeter weighting "works" by increasing a club's MOI, thereby leading to less lost of distance on off-center hits.

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About the Author
Tom Wishon is one of the most highly respected members of the golf equipment industry. He specializes in clubhead design, shaft analysis, and clubfitting research and development, and is the owner of his own golf equipment company, Tom Wishon Golf Technology. Tom is a member of the Golf Digest Technical Panel, and is the Technical Advisor to PGA.com, the website of the PGA of America.