What most people don’t realize is if you use mid or oversized grips you are creating a counter balance as most mid/over grips weigh a good bit more. A oversized grip can be 40+grams.
I love my old Golfsmith swingweight scale too. I saw yours. I have been counterbalancing for a LONG time because I found that I like a club in the C range rather than the D range.
This video speaks volumes! Man I’ve been doing this since last year. My personal opinion overall weight with the right shaft profile and the right counter weight is key. All my clubs are in the c swingweight range but my clubs are heavy. And you can be substantially more creative with a well balanced club. Love the video man.
Would love to see some mid iron testing at full shots. The tour lock pro system has a table of weight suggestions for different handicap brackets about 20 grams average. There are limited reviews online about real results from these and whether people stick with them after time.
Great video for me as I've been experimenting with the same idea thoiugh my added weight was in the grip via rubber tape to enlarge diiameter due to arthritis in my hands. Distance reslults improved significantly. Like you say, at first I was concerned about the very light swingweights in the middle C range, but overall it's been a great success for me. Thanks for posting this video. Retired carpenter age 73.
Thanks for this video! I have been playing with my putter and ended up with a 60g counterbalance weight. Now I feel empowered to try this in a wedge or two.
Good info! I tried it out of necessity, my fav grip the Winn Light midsize at 23G. It felt the same as my former Winn 48G grip, and the SW dropped one point with a 24G plug. Fun fact - the plugs have an extra 25% influence since they're at the very end of the shaft. The swing weight corresponded to 53G (5G more than 48G = 1 point). I've used light grips (no plug) in my drivers with little difference in feel. But recently I added a 32G plug and it seems to reduce the L/R misses. I'll try that combo on all clubs - the SW goes down 3 points, not extreme. I'm at the slow end of the speed range, 150 is a #6 and drives average 220 (age 79).
Interresting test and would be nice to see for irons, hybrids and woods aswell. Something that would be cool to see is thet you build say an iron each for the counterweights and let a a larger testpopulation hit the clubs and see what the generall resaults would be.
I experimented with butt weights with carpenters nails I got some 6 inch 4 inch 2 inch nails and simply pushed it through the hole in grip really quick and cheap way to do it just go to range with bag of nails and some pliers to pull out if need to change from lighter to heavier once you’re happy with the weight either get some proper weights installed or do what I do just paint the nails black and leave em in can hardly notice them then be great to see you do a video on this
I really enjoy your videos. As an engineer, I find it fascinating learning about club weighting and how it affects the golf swing. I have a question for you. I purchased a used Odyssey EXO Stroke Lab 2-Ball Putter which I really like. However, the shaft is 1.5-2 inches too long for me causing me to grip it very low on the grip. I'd like to have it cut down but I'm not sure what that will do to the swing balancing of the stroke labs shaft. I'd be interested in seeing a video that talks about the stroke labs hybrid shaft - half graphite / half steel - and what can be done to shorten the shaft without losing the benefits of the shaft.
I bought the Cleveland Halo hybrid with the weight and the reason was due to dispersion vs my previous. I guess the theory is you will not cast as much and create a more repeatable swing. As others noted, maybe test in some other irons or woods. I know this tech has been out some time but maybe it's only good for certain clubs, or players.
I play a heavier swing weight profile in all my irons - roughly D8 - because I need that to feel the club head (+1”) and my non set wedges weigh in at E0/E1 (again +1”) so I wonder if counter balancing will be an effective change for me. I’d be afraid of losing the club head if they were lighter.
I found counterbalancing my irons, mostly 5-7, and woods helped me a lot, but it made my wedges much worse. I do have my wedges a bit longer and heavier than most, closer to 470 grams
Wait a week or two and run the test in reverse order. And see if standard comes out on top. With any testing. There are so many variables. I think all testing should be done with the hitter not seeing any live results. Even in a fitting. The player should swing naturally during fitting or testing. The player will change their swing consciously and subconsciously by what they are seeing. That would be a very interesting fitting. A player hitting into a black screen
I tried adding 25gms to a seven iron and found no discernible difference but i dont have the facilities to keep switching out grips and weights or a swing monitor . I do have 25gms in the butt of my callaway i track putter and that made a huge difference i can now judge speed and distance without feeling like the head is in control , truly worthwhile. I have two hi toe wedges with light shafts d4 i think and they feel like bricks on sticks compared to my gamer tw9s with dynamic gold shafts which are d2 and match my ap2s , i would think changing the swingweight of your wedges so they dont match your irons can only be a bad thing , maybe not a lob wedge but a gap and sandwedge that your likely to full swing should definitely match surely ? And while im on rant , changing out my standard grips for midsize to lessen my left to right did not work at all ! Once a hooker always a hooker - as the archbishop said to the art teacher ….
Hard to know if what is causing the difference in results is the difference in total weight or the difference in swing weight. Need to add builds to your data set that match the original D4/5 swing weight with the same total weight of the 25g and 50g counterweighted builds.
I mentioned a few months back about you building a dedicated specialized club to hit the lowest ball possible under trees that goes about 150 meters that every golfer strikes in their rounds. Have you any thoughts about this as there is not a club on the market that does this?
is counterweighting and back weighting the same. Both aim at reducing the swing weight. But do you need a minimum total weight to make the club playable.
Yes, same. Not sure there are any rules except finding what feels right and gives the desired results. I will say I think if you do it with some of your clubs, I would probably do it across the board will all of them for consistency of feel.
I personally bought these thru Golf-works. Have these in my driver and fairway woods at present. Gonna give this a shot with my wedges now!! Do not let your ego get in your way; my driver is at C9 - D0; this added speed and at least 15-20 yards.. (not a bad gain for a 69 year old 🤣
Interesting thing to test, but I don't think 5 swings gives you much of a data set. I would think at least 20 swings might begin to reduce the natural variation in your swing.
@@EFGMC I think I love that about swing weight. Its really open to alot of experiments. I'm off to smash some C9 irons at the range rn now. See how they go!
When you said it’s quicker to take away…. And you say you are going to slow it down.. right there you lose credibility in the test…. You slowed the swing down. The test was to see how the counterbalance would change things right??
Excellent test! Please repeat this with a 7-Iron...
Yes !!!!
What most people don’t realize is if you use mid or oversized grips you are creating a counter balance as most mid/over grips weigh a good bit more. A oversized grip can be 40+grams.
A standard grip is 40-50 grams. Midsize are 60 or more.
I love my old Golfsmith swingweight scale too. I saw yours. I have been counterbalancing for a LONG time because I found that I like a club in the C range rather than the D range.
This video speaks volumes! Man I’ve been doing this since last year. My personal opinion overall weight with the right shaft profile and the right counter weight is key. All my clubs are in the c swingweight range but my clubs are heavy. And you can be substantially more creative with a well balanced club. Love the video man.
Would love to see some mid iron testing at full shots. The tour lock pro system has a table of weight suggestions for different handicap brackets about 20 grams average. There are limited reviews online about real results from these and whether people stick with them after time.
Great video for me as I've been experimenting with the same idea thoiugh my added weight was in the grip via rubber tape to enlarge diiameter due to arthritis in my hands. Distance reslults improved significantly. Like you say, at first I was concerned about the very light swingweights in the middle C range, but overall it's been a great success for me. Thanks for posting this video. Retired carpenter age 73.
Thanks for this video!
I have been playing with my putter and ended up with a 60g counterbalance weight.
Now I feel empowered to try this in a wedge or two.
Another great informative video AJ 👊. Keep up the great work!
Good info! I tried it out of necessity, my fav grip the Winn Light midsize at 23G. It felt the same as my former Winn 48G grip, and the SW dropped one point with a 24G plug. Fun fact - the plugs have an extra 25% influence since they're at the very end of the shaft. The swing weight corresponded to 53G (5G more than 48G = 1 point). I've used light grips (no plug) in my drivers with little difference in feel. But recently I added a 32G plug and it seems to reduce the L/R misses. I'll try that combo on all clubs - the SW goes down 3 points, not extreme. I'm at the slow end of the speed range, 150 is a #6 and drives average 220 (age 79).
Couldn't agree more about swing weight.
Interresting test and would be nice to see for irons, hybrids and woods aswell. Something that would be cool to see is thet you build say an iron each for the counterweights and let a a larger testpopulation hit the clubs and see what the generall resaults would be.
Great video. Very insightful.
Great video AJ. Would love to see the the opposite - adding weight to the head.
I experimented with butt weights with carpenters nails I got some 6 inch 4 inch 2 inch nails and simply pushed it through the hole in grip really quick and cheap way to do it just go to range with bag of nails and some pliers to pull out if need to change from lighter to heavier once you’re happy with the weight either get some proper weights installed or do what I do just paint the nails black and leave em in can hardly notice them then be great to see you do a video on this
Great idea! Do they rattle inside? Would be nice to think of a way to dampen them a bit without destroying the grip end
I really enjoy your videos. As an engineer, I find it fascinating learning about club weighting and how it affects the golf swing. I have a question for you. I purchased a used Odyssey EXO Stroke Lab 2-Ball Putter which I really like. However, the shaft is 1.5-2 inches too long for me causing me to grip it very low on the grip. I'd like to have it cut down but I'm not sure what that will do to the swing balancing of the stroke labs shaft. I'd be interested in seeing a video that talks about the stroke labs hybrid shaft - half graphite / half steel - and what can be done to shorten the shaft without losing the benefits of the shaft.
Very interesting, thanks for doing this
my cleveland launcher xl irons came stock with 8 gram weights in shaft. I put heavier 20 gram weights in my wedges. feels great.
I bought the Cleveland Halo hybrid with the weight and the reason was due to dispersion vs my previous. I guess the theory is you will not cast as much and create a more repeatable swing.
As others noted, maybe test in some other irons or woods. I know this tech has been out some time but maybe it's only good for certain clubs, or players.
Very interesting, thanks
I have been interested in counterbalancing since I found out that Nicklaus’ club maker at MacGregor did it to all his clubs over the years.
I'd be curious to see how it performs on short wedge game (pitching/chipping) in different lie condition.
Put value on results. Can you make tee shirts with that phrase?
I play a heavier swing weight profile in all my irons - roughly D8 - because I need that to feel the club head (+1”) and my non set wedges weigh in at E0/E1 (again +1”) so I wonder if counter balancing will be an effective change for me. I’d be afraid of losing the club head if they were lighter.
I found counterbalancing my irons, mostly 5-7, and woods helped me a lot, but it made my wedges much worse. I do have my wedges a bit longer and heavier than most, closer to 470 grams
That’s really good. I like tinkering with my clubs.
Can you tell me where I can get these?
Golfworks
Wait a week or two and run the test in reverse order. And see if standard comes out on top.
With any testing. There are so many variables.
I think all testing should be done with the hitter not seeing any live results. Even in a fitting.
The player should swing naturally during fitting or testing. The player will change their swing consciously and subconsciously by what they are seeing.
That would be a very interesting fitting. A player hitting into a black screen
I would guess that swing weight would potentially be a bigger issue on the course when going from a D2 iron to a C3 wedge.
But you've got to realise your making the club overall heavier. The headweight hasn't changed.
Great video - Where can you purchase the counterbalance weights? I see LOTS for putters... Thanks
They are called Tour Lock. I get mine from Golfworks but you can find them numerous places.
I tried adding 25gms to a seven iron and found no discernible difference but i dont have the facilities to keep switching out grips and weights or a swing monitor .
I do have 25gms in the butt of my callaway i track putter and that made a huge difference i can now judge speed and distance without feeling like the head is in control , truly worthwhile.
I have two hi toe wedges with light shafts d4 i think and they feel like bricks on sticks compared to my gamer tw9s with dynamic gold shafts which are d2 and match my ap2s , i would think changing the swingweight of your wedges so they dont match your irons can only be a bad thing , maybe not a lob wedge but a gap and sandwedge that your likely to full swing should definitely match surely ?
And while im on rant , changing out my standard grips for midsize to lessen my left to right did not work at all ! Once a hooker always a hooker - as the archbishop said to the art teacher ….
Hard to know if what is causing the difference in results is the difference in total weight or the difference in swing weight. Need to add builds to your data set that match the original D4/5 swing weight with the same total weight of the 25g and 50g counterweighted builds.
Like that about results over a Swing weight number. Do you believe that same thing holds true for the Driver/woods end of the bag?
I mentioned a few months back about you building a dedicated specialized club to hit the lowest ball possible under trees that goes about 150 meters that every golfer strikes in their rounds. Have you any thoughts about this as there is not a club on the market that does this?
Still on my list. Maybe a low lofted, heavy utility iron??
Great video! Am I correct that you added the counterbalancing weight wrapped foam? Did you use any epoxy to keep ot from moving? Thank you.
No, it has a lip on the end so the grip holds it against the lip of the shaft. Makes it great for quick experiments.
is counterweighting and back weighting the same. Both aim at reducing the swing weight. But do you need a minimum total weight to make the club playable.
Yes, same. Not sure there are any rules except finding what feels right and gives the desired results. I will say I think if you do it with some of your clubs, I would probably do it across the board will all of them for consistency of feel.
Jack Nicklaus was big on counter balancing clubs. The industry has fell asleep on the wheel when it comes to that.
Looking forward to trying this. By the way, now that Pure grips is going out of business, what is your best alternative?
Iomic or no1 grips
Might look at Star grips
where can I get the weights???!! looked on amazon but cannot find them!
I get them from Golfworks
I just ordered some 28 gram weights for my driver and 3 wood. I think I'll just find out that I'm old😮
Net stuff!
Very Cool video, where do you get those weights you were installing?
I personally bought these thru Golf-works. Have these in my driver and fairway woods at present. Gonna give this a shot with my wedges now!! Do not let your ego get in your way; my driver is at C9 - D0; this added speed and at least 15-20 yards.. (not a bad gain for a 69 year old 🤣
How much weight
Interesting thing to test, but I don't think 5 swings gives you much of a data set. I would think at least 20 swings might begin to reduce the natural variation in your swing.
hi which kind of irons would be most suitable for a course having mostly bare/hard pan?
Narrower soles all less bounce.
If I wanted to counterbalance all my irons would the weight be different in every club or all the same ?
Probably the same. But all this is still experimental for me as well so I don't want to blanket statement it.
What are the white dots on club face ?
They are to capture club data on the launch monitor.
I would have thought less weight in the head would steepen the angle of attack.
I think it's all golfer dependent.
@@EFGMC I think I love that about swing weight. Its really open to alot of experiments. I'm off to smash some C9 irons at the range rn now. See how they go!
I wish I could hit terrible shots like that
Hmmmmmm.
When you said it’s quicker to take away…. And you say you are going to slow it down.. right there you lose credibility in the test…. You slowed the swing down. The test was to see how the counterbalance would change things right??