RIduffer Posted December 29, 2012 Report Share Posted December 29, 2012 Was asked by a couple of people about this and so here is what I understand to be true along with a couple of photos... But first a little background... When I started in JDM I was playing stiff shafts(NS SP Blue) in a set of Miura Baby Blades. It was about that time that I began playing regularly, when not traveling I was at the course daily with the standing first tee time. So over the course of about a season and half of that my SS increased to warrant a move up to X flex shafts. At the same time, having played lots of tennis as a youth I was familiar with the pain associated with lots of repetitive striking of a little ball. So when I made the switch to X I opted for graphite shafts as a preventive measure, also when the outside temperature is in the high 30s low 40s a miss struck ball can leave your hands/wrists ringing in pain for several minutes with steel shafts... Other than the Matrix it is challenging to find heavy weight shafts in graphite so in order to increase the static weight of the club and also impact the swing weight given lighter shafts I began using light butt weights in my clubs. After a couple of more involved fittings and discussions with my builder he introduced me to club builds based on MOI as opposed to swing weight and shifting the impact location on the club head via increases in the butt weight. So as it stands now, when he builds, my clubs are built to an MOI spec and include a 44.5 gram weight under the grip... Now onto the weight details: From what I understand lighter weights under the grip will simply affect SW and static weight of a club as there is not sufficient weight to alter the swing path. As you increase the amount of weight you also start having an effect on the hand location at the beginning of the transition thereby changing the swing path and altering the impact area on the club face. The Elite Grips as supplied only allow for a maximum of ~10g of weight to be added, for heavier clubs that will only impact SW while for lighter clubs could also alter swing path. It is achieved by adding lead tape to a central pillar in the butt cap of the club. If you can see the two butt caps below, the one without the lead tape has a small "spike" in addition to the pillar. That spike is lacking in the butt cap of the one with lead tape. I am hoping that spike will prevent the current jostling I notice when adding weight in excess of the recommended maximum. The nice thing about the Elite Grips in this regard is that you can fine tune the amount of weight up to the max very easily and cheaply. The alternative method is to cut holes in butt end of your grips and swap out various weights, without the fine grained control of the Elite system. The Balance Certified cuts a hole in the butt end of the grip and the weight is inserted trough the hole. Then it is secured using a compression type plug that as you tighten the screw it expands against the inner walls of the shaft. You can see the black portion of the weight, that is what expands when compressed. The difference between the red sheathed weight and the brass looking one is simply the covering. It is frequently removed to accommodate smaller inside diameter shafts. Sadly another limitation I found with X flex graphite was the inner diameter of the shaft is narrower than other types of shafts so a standard BCW model does not fit. I had to special order from BC a set of custom sized weights. They are now under the grips of my TS 905 with Crazy CBI Evo 2s. Here is a shot of the Balance Certified tools and a couple of weights: Below is an example of a Balance Certified weight inserted into a normal grip vs the design of the Elite Grip: Balance Certified: Elite: The benefit of the Balance Certified weight is that it can get much heavier than the weight system of the Elite Grips, at least at this point in time. The detractor to the BCW is their cost. Once you have nailed down a weight, it is much cheaper to to simply add tungsten powder/lead shot to a plug and place it under the grip. The other thing with the Elite Grips is their putter weighting option. This is more about changing the balance point of the putter than anything else. As seen below, the weight can be adjusted vertically in the shaft to bring that balance higher or lower. The little white things on the pillar are designed to stabilize the weight and pillar in the shaft so you do not feel it making contact on the inside of the shaft. The reason I went down the Elite Grip path, is that my favorite grip is no longer made and the replacements do not feel/play the same nor do they make an OS version anymore. I was a happy user of the GripMaster Classic Tour Wrap in Shock Absorbant Perfortated OS. From my emails with GripMaster, the pittard wraps are the replacement and while nice feeling they do not last like the classics. What a pity… Those were the perfect grip for me. Since discovering the sad news, I have tried NOWON, Iomic, Golfpride, etc and none have had the longevity or feel I was after. Until I tried a couple of the Elite grips, I was using Lamkin Wraps in midsize, but had to use a glove again when it got too humid or was drizzly/raining. The Elite Grips seem to have a good firm grip feel and unique pattern of textures similar to Iomic, but better. Additionally they are great when humid/wet and don't need the glove. The weight system(WCS) was a bonus/curse as the it is more expensive than the non WCS grips but the pattern and grip size I was after the model A50 only comes in a WCS model. Since I use more weight in the butt section of my clubs I am precluded from using the WCS attachment. Hope that clears things up some... Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idrive Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 I thought I was up on most everything golf related but today I learned something new. great write up and greatly appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIduffer Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 I thought I was up on most everything golf related but today I learned something new. great write up and greatly appreciated Glad I could help… Hopefully useful info… And thanks for the complement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdGolf Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 I use those in my YES putter and feels great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoreBeerBetterGolf Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Not to detract from the fascinating subject of butt weighting ( touchy subject with my wife, fwiw) but I can't help but notice both online, in pro shop, and here in these pictures that sometimes it is spelled "elite" and other times as "etile" (elite backwards). Just kind of curious what that's all about. I also am considering trying this out somewhere along the line, cuz I need something ELSE to tinker with.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogeydog Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Etile is the US name. Elite is used in Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIduffer Posted January 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Etile is the US name. Elite is used in Japan. Etile does not import the whole Elite catalog, so some models need to come through TSG otherwise they are price competitive but shipping is less from Etile... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoreBeerBetterGolf Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIduffer Posted June 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 Blader, this has the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim James Posted December 29, 2013 Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 I have become a fan of the "Elite" grip. A few months ago the great Stew sold me a Yamaha driver fitted with a "Elite TD50" grip....didn't think much of it until last week while playing in fine rainy conditions. I get to the 5th tee and proceed to hit 3 balls OB....grip slipping in hands with glove... ....so I take glove off and hit my 4th and what do you know Boom straight down the middle!! Reality check - I don't need a glove with the 'Elite" grips!!! With my XXL size hands finding gloves that fit and last can be a task. Maybe I need to consider changing the Golf Pride on the irons and uts to the Elites or Etiles. So thanks to you learned TSG bloggers that post info on the quit-essentials your input is valued and appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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