Counterbalancing Irons

[stickman]

I am considering counterbalancing my irons and have a few questions.

Background: I currently play Titleist 712 AP2 w/ DG Tour Issue X100 soft-stepped once, standard length. The reason I want to do this is because I am hoping it will help me control the club better at the top of my swing / transition, counter balancing would make the handle of the club feel heavier at the top of the swing, right?

 

 

How will counterbalancing effect the overall swing weight, it makes it lighter, right?

 

The clubhead is going to feel lighter, correct?

 

About how much weight would I need to add to the butt-end of the shaft to counter-balance the irons, the weight I need to add to a 4 iron is going to differ from the weight I add to a PW, right?

 

Is there any other info I should be aware of before trying this?

 

 

I appreciate any help / info you guys can give me.

 

Thank you!

[LaggingBehind]

[quote name='stickman' timestamp='1429977007' post='11439631']
I am considering counterbalancing my irons and have a few questions.
Background: I currently play Titleist 712 AP2 w/ DG Tour Issue X100 soft-stepped once, standard length. The reason I want to do this is because I am hoping it will help me control the club better at the top of my swing / transition, counter balancing would make the handle of the club feel heavier at the top of the swing, right?


How will counterbalancing effect the overall swing weight, it makes it lighter, right?

The clubhead is going to feel lighter, correct?

About how much weight would I need to add to the butt-end of the shaft to counter-balance the irons, the weight I need to add to a 4 iron is going to differ from the weight I add to a PW, right?

Is there any other info I should be aware of before trying this?


I appreciate any help / info you guys can give me.

Thank you!
[/quote]
I've been experimenting with this a bit lately. Counterbalancing makes the clubhead feel lighter as you say, and also makes the club easier to control from transition to impact. IMO, its best to have the weight spread fairly evenly throughout the handle as opposed to only on the butt end. It feels better and more secure.
I have an Opti-vibe and tour-lock pro in my driver, and its amazing. The optivibe fits in the shaft, and the depth can be adjusted based on your feel preference. The Tour-lock pro is a counterbalance weight on the butt end. I've never been happier with my driver tbh, can't blame the club for my bad shots anymore lol.
I've put the tour lock pro in my irons but I'm going to add an optivibe to those as well. It really adds to the feel and also reduces some vibration.

I believe Sergio uses them in all his clubs.

The weight is all preference. To your irons, I'd at least add 20 grams of counterbalance weight. Anything less offers minimal difference really.
Just my 2c, hope that helps.

[schiavone02]

After an edel putter fitting, I saw just how helpful an opti vibe can be in adding stability to your stroke. I tried the boccieri secret grips & counter balanced putters like the daddy long legs & odyssey tank line, but never felt totally comfortable.

Ordered the installation tool & a wide variety of opti vibe weights to try out. Not planning on using the tour lock pro weights. Anyone have any experience going this route?

[Stuart_G]

[quote name='stickman' timestamp='1429977007' post='11439631']
How will counterbalancing effect the overall swing weight, it makes it lighter, right?

The clubhead is going to feel lighter, correct?

About how much weight would I need to add to the butt-end of the shaft to counter-balance the irons, the weight I need to add to a 4 iron is going to differ from the weight I add to a PW, right?

Is there any other info I should be aware of before trying this?


I appreciate any help / info you guys can give me.

Thank you!
[/quote]

Sorry, but from what I've seen, there is not a lot of solid guidance out there when it comes to counterbalancing irons. It's way too subjective so you're going to need to rely on your own testing and results for how much and whether or not you use the same or varying amounts of weight across the set. There is also no way to predict whether it will help or not. If the core problem is the swing plane, I would have my doubts. If the problem is consistency with rhythm or timing in the transition then it's possible it might but hardly a guarantee.

Counterbalancing will certainly increase the static weight and will result in the SW scale registering a lighter swing weight but the head weight/heft or MOI of the club itself will really not change. Whether that makes the head feel lighter to you or not is going to completely depend on your particular swing and sensitivities to weight.

[hobbygolfer]

HI agree with Stuart,

counterbalancing is mostly a longer trial and error process. Some players I work with, are sensitive about the extra weight in the handle, others don't really change their release pattern at all. Also need weight is trial and error. You will have to check ballflight, quality of ballstriking, on course performance, etc. It will take some time to figure it out. There is no general rule, when it comes to counterbalancing clubs.

Regards,
Michael

[Kball10]

I am considering counterbalancing my irons and have a few questions.

Background: I currently play Titleist 712 AP2 w/ DG Tour Issue X100 soft-stepped once, standard length. The reason I want to do this is because I am hoping it will help me control the club better at the top of my swing / transition, counter balancing would make the handle of the club feel heavier at the top of the swing, right?

 

 

How will counterbalancing effect the overall swing weight, it makes it lighter, right?

 

The clubhead is going to feel lighter, correct?

 

About how much weight would I need to add to the butt-end of the shaft to counter-balance the irons, the weight I need to add to a 4 iron is going to differ from the weight I add to a PW, right?

 

Is there any other info I should be aware of before trying this?

 

 

I appreciate any help / info you guys can give me.

 

Thank you!

I've been experimenting with this a bit lately. Counterbalancing makes the clubhead feel lighter as you say, and also makes the club easier to control from transition to impact. IMO, its best to have the weight spread fairly evenly throughout the handle as opposed to only on the butt end. It feels better and more secure.

I have an Opti-vibe and tour-lock pro in my driver, and its amazing. The optivibe fits in the shaft, and the depth can be adjusted based on your feel preference. The Tour-lock pro is a counterbalance weight on the butt end. I've never been happier with my driver tbh, can't blame the club for my bad shots anymore lol.

I've put the tour lock pro in my irons but I'm going to add an optivibe to those as well. It really adds to the feel and also reduces some vibration.

 

I believe Sergio uses them in all his clubs.

 

The weight is all preference. To your irons, I'd at least add 20 grams of counterbalance weight. Anything less offers minimal difference really.

Just my 2c, hope that helps.

 

I realize this is a very old thread and post, but I am considering starting to experiment with some counterbalancing using opti-vibe and tour lock. I am curious if you are still doing this and have any updates as to how it is working?

[platgof]

You will move your contact point as well. The lighter the club the more it goes to the toe and up. Remember, it doesn't take much to make a difference. Could you put rtv and foam in the grip end to test it?I did this on my wedges to eliminate shanks and it has worked very well, moving contact away from the hosel and toward the toe. I over did one and it was all over the toe, so I went down on the weight and brought it back to center.