Heavy Putter Review - What’s up with it?

For better or worse, Boccieri Golf and its Heavy Putter are bucking the trend in the golf club industry. Drivers and woods are becoming lighter, with the goal of boosting a golfer’s swing speed and distance.

This Putter takes the opposite approach. Pick up one of these babies and you’ll be startled by its weight. I wasn’t mentally prepared the first time I did. I felt like I needed to muscle-up in order to use one.

You see, a typical Heavy Putter (one of the models in the series Boccieri calls “Heavy-Weight”) isn’t just a little heavier than conventional putters – at 900 grams it weighs almost twice as much. That’s a significant weight difference, and it’s quite noticeable. Boccieri must realize that can be too much weight for some of us, because it also makes a number of “Mid-Weight” and “Lite-Weight” putters.

There are a lot of different models – way too many to list here. Suffice it to say they come in all shapes and styles of heads and there’s a large assortment of shaft lengths. Different models also have different hosel styles, positions and offset. Some of the putter heads are faced-balanced, while others are toe-droop and so on. As a result of all the different models and combinations, there’s probably a putter that would be ideal for just about every golfer – assuming the extra weight isn’t bothersome.

Every Heavy Putter uses some pretty sophisticated (and heavy!) weighting techniques and has a stainless steel, CNC milled face. The company claims that a “back weighting” system positioned under the putter’s grip (it’s actually a weight plug inserted into the butt end of the shaft) alters the golfer’s body mechanics and improves stroke consistency, allowing the golfer to find the sweet spot more often.

According to Boccieri, back weighting a putter this way shifts its balance point higher up the shaft. The company claims the net effect is a reduced tendency to use a “wristy” or “handsy” putting stroke. Of course, the head itself is also heavier than the head of a conventional putter. Basically, the reason for all the extra weight relates to the fact that your wrist and hand muscles are difficult to control precisely. Your shoulder and upper arm muscles are bigger and easier to control. In theory, the extra weight forces you to use your upper arms and shoulders to move the putter, taking your hands and wrists out of the equation.

Naturally, extra weight is the hallmark of every Heavy Putter. But control is further enhanced by the slightly oversized, special Winn grips that are fitted to the putter. Made with a “V17 Super Soft” compound and a cord base material, Boccieri says the grip is extremely tacky but firm, a combination that many better golfers prefer.

I had my pick of several “Heavy-Weight” and “Mid-Weight” putters, but I just couldn’t bring myself to try one of the heavier versions. I ended up choosing a “Mid-Weight” Heavy Putter – the CX2 model, which is a traditional-looking, face-balanced Anser®-style blade with a plumber’s neck hosel and a full shaft offset.

Don’t be misled by the name “Mid-Weight,” because at 750 grams these putters still weigh significantly more than conventional putters, which are usually around 500 grams in total weight. Even the “Lite-Weight” models of Heavy Putters, at 600 grams, are noticeably heavier than other putters.

Not surprisingly, I had a hard time with distance control when I was using the CX2 – especially on longer putts. Distance control is all feel, so I suspect I’d improve with practice. When I did gauge the distance right, the roll was pure.

Unfortunately, I felt like the weight dulled the feedback that I’ve come to expect and rely on while I’m putting. Even when I thought I hit the sweet spot, I wasn’t absolutely sure because the face always felt a little “dead.” Despite the dead feel, the ball seemed to jump off the face – probably because of all the mass behind the ball. That means a Heavy Putter might be a good choice if the greens are slow on your course.

The Bottom Line: This is a putter that will require a lot of practice before you play it, but it does produce a pure, straight roll. Distance control will probably be a problem at first, but practice will probably make perfect. The weight plug in the grip end does manage to counterbalance the heaviness of the head, so overall the Heavy Putter had a nice balance – just “heavy.” After you adapt to the additional heft, the results could be excellent because it promotes the type of shoulder-driven, “pendulum stroke” that all the experts agree is the most accurate and dependable.

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