Question about Tour Lock Counterweights

[MaxBuck]

Guy showed up at the range the other day with a bunch of Tour Locks and a few cordless drills. Proceeded to put them in my 6-iron and driver, and let me hit a bunch of balls. Didn't have a launch monitor or other analytics to help me evaluate objectively what effect they had, but tried to get me to spend $25 a club to install them. Obviously I said no. Felt good, but I'm not going to spend that kind of coin without having objective data. The guy was a goof for trying to sell them without any analytics.

Anyone give these an A-B comparison to see what effect they had on your results? I'm thinking about trying one on my Srixon driver that I've never been able to hit right. But I'll need to have a launch monitor available.

[skraly]

Backweighting really needs to be done on an individual basis. I’ve seen some helped by it and just as many who saw no gains. Of the ones I’ve have personally seen helped, most who saw any improvement saw it in the irons in the form if better accuracy. Distance didn’t seem much affected and fairways and drivers didn’t see much change. But like I said, it really needs to be tested individually. The amount of backweighting needed also varies by individual. So some extensive testing is probably required to see if it has any benefit for you.

[Valtiel]

Agreed with @skraly 100%. I have experimented with this before and also played a round at a course that had a TourLock tent setup trying to get people to demo them. It is extremely personal and is by no means a guaranteed improvement. What it is is simply another way to add weight to your club that feels different to adding head weight. For me it had the effect of feeling like my hands had less influence over the club in the downswing, which for some people may help them swing with their body more. This was however only at much higher weights.
The weights themselves aren't that expensive for experimentation purposes and I think it is worth trying out on a club or two if for nothing else than a data collecting exercise.

[ChipNRun]

Do certain modern shaft designs basically have internal backweighting due to heavier butts?

A few weeks ago someone discussed the counter-hook feature of the base Project X shafts. He said the heavier butt prevented the clubhead from closing down too fast.

In the previous century (probably 1950s and after), I knew of players who counterweighted using fishing weights. Players would put a lead fishing weight in the butt of their driver, and sometimes 3W, to lessen hand action in swing. Nicklaus mentions this in Golf My Way. Caution: Fishing weights was hit and miss - no one weighed the lead to ensure it was exactly X grams.

[Valtiel]

Not really, two different concepts at work there. A counterbalanced shaft has more weight in the handle, but it isn't additional weight, if that makes sense. Backweighting/counterweighting involves adding a meaningful amount of weight, usually at least 20g, to the very end of the club. Two very different concepts that yield different results.

[ChipNRun]

@Valtiel said: Not really, two different concepts at work there.
Well done, V. PX redistributed weight, while backweighting adds weight to shaft. Thanks for clarification!

[Noodler]

I have experimented with counterweights in irons extensively... and unfortunately was never able to come to a final determination of exactly how they impact the swing dynamics. I used weights of 20, 40, and 80 grams (significant weight) and mostly focused on how that added back weight affected the accuracy of on-center strikes, club head speed, and swing path. At the time of my testing, my release was quite a bit earlier than it is now. With that swing, I never saw any consistency in the testing that provided statistical evidence to draw any definitive conclusions and develop some guidelines. As already noted, in the end I really think it depends on the golfer's swing, the particular club balance that you're starting with, and the overall weight.

I would like to redo the entire experiment someday with more golfers and better identification of the variables to control and others to alter in each of the tests. Also, a higher end 3D monitoring system is probably needed to really get data on how the counterweights are impacting the golfer's swing. Needless to say, this isn't at the top of my priority list, but I may test them again at some point for myself.

[PepsiDuck]

Hahah, I remember the same exact Tour Lock guy set up at the range of Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert with his Tour Locks and cordless drills back in 2014. My club maker at the time introduced us, and he proceeded to drill out my 9 iron and install one. I hit a few shots and then switched back to a club without the counterweight. I ended up outfitting my entire set, to include the top end. I honestly don't think you should see any difference on a launch monitor; it's completely a subjective feel thing. Either you like it or you don't.

All my clubs from now until the end of time will be counterweighted to a C8 swingweight. Swinging "normal" clubs feels terrible to me.