Ever hear the saying ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover?’ Well that saying more than applies itself in the world of golf equipment. There are some companies out there in the golf universe that make very nice golf equipment yet because they do not spend the same amount of money on advertising as other companies do and therefore never have a chance to be considered for a spot in your golf bag. Because you may not know of a company like this, you may not have the chance to demo or test their equipment. Case in point, Boccieri Golf. Boccieri Golf is the company that first brought you the Heavy Putter followed by the Heavy Wedge. Now Boccieri Golf is back with the Heavy Irons and I bet you didn’t know they made irons did you? Well now that you do, THP was fortunate enough to have these at the 2011 THP Demo Day and also subject the Heavy Irons to a formal review. So how do these irons perform? Check it out.
Did You Know?
The Heavy Irons were developed after last year’s introduction of the Heavy Wedge.
From the Company
• Designed to improve the player’s overall consistency by providing better tempo and a more consistent plane back to the ball improving sweet spot contact
• Polished Mirror Finish
• 17-4 Stainless Steel Head
• True Temper GS-95 Steel Shaft is standard
• Parallel Hosel Bore
Look
Let’s face it, we are attracted to attractive things. The more pleasing the look of the object is the more readily we will accept it. When you first spy the Heavy Irons you’re going to notice a basic yet functional appearance that to some will seem plain and to others simply beautiful. Personally they are not the most appealing irons I’ve ever seen but they are far from ugly. After some time they grew on me and now I think that they’re very good looking irons in their own right. Everything from the polished mirror finish of 17-4 steel to the workmanlike aspect of the irons pulls together nicely. One thing should be noted here, regardless of the name, these irons look anything but heavy. They are packaged in a nice modern yet traditional look which should appeal to golfers of all ages and skill levels.
Technology
In a period of time in the golfing world where everything is getting longer, lighter, and faster the Heavy Irons are anything but. In a good way. As mentioned earlier in the ‘From the Company’ section, the Heavy Irons are designed to improve the player’s overall consistency by providing better tempo and a more consistent plane back to the ball improving sweet spot contact. This is done by increasing the weight in the club head by 8 grams more than conventional clubs. This is achieved by installing a 50 gram weight in the butt end of the shaft which raises the balance point about 3 inches. Next, each club is shortened 1/4” which brings the clubs back to the original length which all club manufacturers used to conform to. How is this important to you the golfer? With a higher balance point a golfer can have better control of their swing including better tempo, smoother transition, and more control. This will all result in better sweet spot contact which should yield some better consistency. All of this technology of the Heavy irons blends seamlessly with each club to present a clean and functional tool of the golfing trade.
Specs
Boccieri Heavy Irons are available in 3-PW, 4-PW or 5-PW and come standard with True Temper GS-95 steel shafts available in R and S flexes. Other shaft options include True Temper Dynamic Gold R-300 and S-300 steel shafts as well as Aldila NV Graphite shafts that are available in A, R, and S flexes. If you order graphite shafts in these irons be aware that the shaft lengths are 1/4” longer than their steel cousins. One more thing, the Heavy Irons are available in RH only which I think is a serious omission. If a company is looking to introduce new product into an already crowded marketplace, why eliminate 10% of the population to start?
Testing
This was the first set of irons I’ve tested that I was a little apprehensive about. Golf is such a mental game filled with individual quirks, thoughts, and stigmas and I’m going to be hitting something called ‘Heavy Irons?’ Just my own thoughts here but I think these irons could attract more attention from the consumer if Boccieri were to drop ‘Heavy’ from the overall product name. If they were called just ‘Boccieri’ that would give it a more boutique sounding name which would fit these irons perfectly.
That being said, I began hitting these irons at the range a few times before actually taking them to the course, and I was glad I did. The feeling these irons have during the swing, impact, and follow through is unlike any iron I’ve ever hit. I really liked the initial feeling of the extra weight which made me focus more on form and tempo vs the swing itself. The extra weighting really gives you an added sense of power to your shots without sacrificing control. When you strike the ball the weight of these irons carry you through the impact zone, almost making you release the club and follow through. These irons darn near swing themselves once you get used to them. Once at impact, the feeling of a well struck shot feels very solid (no, not heavy) and you hear a nice ‘crack’ of the ball coming off the club face. The ball wants to get up in the air quickly and on target as well. I found the ball flight to be mid-high to high, not overly long but boy are these accurate. For instance, I was getting a consistent 125 yards with the 9 iron and I couldn’t miss the 125 yard pin at the range with it. Maybe there’s something to the shorter shafts and higher balance point? Either way, they were very impressive! All of this took a little getting used to but once I did it was time to get a few rounds in with these unique sticks.
On the course is where clubs earn their keep. All clubs can look and feel like all-stars on a constant flat lie but how do they perform from various lies, the rough, etc. is where the story is told. These performed well in all of those conditions. Where these irons shine the most, albeit unexpectedly, is in the rough. For those of you who find yourself in the rough as often as I do, the added weight in the club head and the shaft really help drive the club through the rough. Granted it’s not like a hybrid but when was the last time you could get away with a 6 or 7 iron from the rough that felt like you were able to get all of the shot with minimal club head twist. Yeah I can’t remember either.
You may be curious as to whether these are forgiving or not. I think they are to an extent but if you’re looking for an iron set to cover up a lot of your mistakes these won’t do that. When you have a mis-hit these irons will definitely let you know about it. Yes the added weight adds a level of forgiveness but I think these irons are built more for control and accuracy than distance. Remember, these irons want you to slow your tempo down and swing more in control. Personally I think I’d like to see a little less weight in the shaft and a little more in the club head which could promote a little more forgiveness while giving you a bit more distance without sacrificing the accuracy. The accuracy is already there and the distance will come later as your find the sweet spot with the Heavy Irons.
One thing I did notice was that if you’re one to become fatigued at the end of your round these irons may present a problem for you. On a couple of occasions where I found myself tired on the range or on the course these irons felt that much heavier in my hands. I really noticed that I was dragging the club head through impact rather than squaring it which resulted in a lot of poor shots. Not completely the fault of the irons themselves but I think they contributed to this a bit because of the extra weight they carry.
Overall
At the end of the day I really like the Heavy Irons, their concept, and what they offer. Are they the irons for me and my game? I’m not sure. Don’t let the name ‘Heavy Irons’ dissuade you from checking these out before you decide on your next iron purchase. Remember the whole ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ adage? Don’t fall victim to that. You’re too smart as a consumer to let that adage apply to you and your golf game. Check out the Boccieri Heavy Irons. These irons could almost be your swing coach on the range or even on the course by keeping you in tempo and a smoother transition back to the ball while carrying you through impact to a balanced finish. Sounds good right? Depending on what set configuration you go with, these irons will retail anywhere from as much as $849 (3-PW), $749 (4-PW) to as little as $649 (5-PW). Remember, regardless of the name, there’s a method to the madness that is Heavy in the Heavy Irons. Make it work for you and you may become a better golfer faster than you think. Now that’s Heavy, man.
T. Hanks
