Are Counter Weighted Putters just Hype?

Are Counter Weighted Putters just Hype?

Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction at the Mel Sole Golf School, headquartered at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC.  We conduct 1, 2, and 3-day golf schools, hourly golf lessons, and senior golf schools—any golf instruction program your heart desires. Give us a call at 800-624-4653 or 843-237-4993.  We will be happy to book a commuter school or a package that contains accommodations, golf, and golf school.

Golf Blog by the Mel Sole Golf School.

Heavy Putter and Counter Weighted putters have been around a long time, yet 95% of my students use regular putters.  Why has the bulk of the golfing population not embraced this technology? At least 50% of the students I teach (maybe more) have a putter that does not fit them.  The main culprit is the length.  Most golfers putt with putters that are too long for them, causing the ball to be way outside the eye-line and making alignment difficult.  Consider all the factors when getting ready to buy a new putter and make sure it fits your putting style.  Although there are many factors in play here, shaft length and lie angle would be the easiest to correct.  But what about weight.  Heavy head?  Heavy grip?  Counter Balanced?

Here Dave Wolf of golfspy.com gives us the inside track on what to look for when buying a new putter.

 I know that counter weighting golf clubs is not new. I bet you were getting ready to let me know about how Jack Nicholas used to duct tape Kruger Rands under his grips to counterweight them. Again, relax; we know it’s not new. The concept and the practice of counter weighting have been around for decades, what makes it different now is that the golf big boys are now promoting it. Regardless of your feelings about Odyssey, Taylor Made, or Ping, what they do and say makes a huge impact on the golf world. That’s the truth, and that’s why the “new” counter weighted putter design trend warrants further exploration.

Here's What We Asked:

1.  What is the primary advantage to playing a counter weighted putter?

2.  How does counter weighting change the "feel" of a putter?

3.  Although the idea has been around for a while, why has the presence of counter weighting increased in 2013?

4.  Does this increased presence represent a real, lasting market change, or is counter weighting just the putter trend of the year?

5.  Is this a technology that can benefit ALL golfers?

6. Are Counter Weighted Putters just Hype?

Bobby Grace Putters

Bobby Grace is not new to the putter game, nor is he new to counterweighting, or Back Weighting as he refers to the practice. Bobby's website tells the story of how he was making back weighted putters for PGA players, such as Fred Funk, as far back as 1995.  You can follow this LINK to Bobby's page on Counter Balancing/Back Weighting to see a couple of video clips with Bobby himself explaining about the concept.

How much does Bobby believe in back weighting putters? Well the F-22 Back Weight shown below is the model he currently games. It says something if someone who can make any putter that he wants chooses a back weighted model. Bobby's use of the Tour Lock weighting system also allows him to customize the back weight, something that is not easily possible with some of the other putters.

5 Counterweighted Questions: Bobby Grace Putters

1. What is the primary advantage of playing a counterweighted putter?

The primary advantage is slowing the hands, which results in an increase in distance and direction consistency. I have worked with hundreds of Tour Players doing just this.

2. How does counterweighting change the "feel" of a putter?

This I have always termed as “Tuning the shaft” in the putter. This is in part due to raising the balance point in the shaft closer to the middle of the putter shaft. Balance Certified, who perfected this technology in the early 1990’s, taught me a tremendous amount while working on the PGA Tour, fitting Tour Players to this concept. When you counterweight a putter that has a metal face it not only increases how solid the feel is but it also makes the metal feel significantly softer.

3. Although the idea has been around for a while, why has counterweighting increased in 2013?

The increase comes from a few reasons.  The Belly putter ruling, which caused some further experimenting with longer shafts, bigger grips, and heavier heads as an alternative to anchoring. What was known was that the back weighting steadies the hands, what was never tried was to grip the putter below the back weight. The discovery of the increased inertia of the entire club was very evident once you worked with it for the first 5-10 putts.

4. Does this increased presence represent a real, lasting market change, or is counterweighting just the putter trend of the year?

There is no question that this is a lasting market change. This is a real awakening and expansion of a very significant technology that has been proven over the years and now (Thanks to the media of today) the cat is out of the bag.

5. Is this a technology that can benefit ALL golfers?

Yes it certainly can benefit all golfers. Most people have a back swing with their putter that is way too quick, the term “Low and Slow” is not a new concept and it is found most all of the top players who play this game.  For instance Loren Roberts has one of the best putting strokes in the game. He takes the putter back extremely low to the ground. He also takes it back very slow and with great tempo. This is a perfect example of “Low and Slow”. The Back Weighting system slows the hands down and promotes better tempo and and more consistent pace. You will find a huge difference in feel and consistent solid putts when your putter has a counter weight installed.

To read about all putters covered in the article, go here

Source: Dave Wolf   GolfSpy.com

Pictures: Bobby Grace Putters    Golfspy.com  Paul L Dineen

Thanks for reading - Are Counter Weighted Putters just Hype?  I hope you learned something!

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