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Boccieri Heavy Driver - Forum Testing Review

SuperStroke
Oh my gosh, can you believe what an afternoon on a launch monitor with Mr. Boccieri would be like? It would be so awesome, and probably the single biggest golf physics/science lesson ever. I would learn more about clubs in one afternoon than I could learn by reading articles online in a month.
 
Wow. Some great stuff so far in this thread. Keep it up guys.
 
This is one of my favorite threads so far in my short time at THP. The time Mr. B puts into helping you guys and recieving feedback is truly awesome!
 
I just got the call from my wife that a big, brown, golf club length box just showed up and since I am not expecting any other clubs, I am pretty sure I know what it is! I am heading home right now to pick it up and I will be going straight to the driving range after work!
 
Dr. Teeth said:
I just got the call from my wife that a big, brown, golf club length box just showed up and since I am not expecting any other clubs, I am pretty sure I know what it is! I am heading home right now to pick it up and I will be going straight to the driving range after work!
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Finally! Congrats Teeth. You have been excited for this driver since we played at Pumpkin. I am glad it finally arrived.
 
TexasHacker34 said:
This is one of my favorite threads so far....
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Yeah, mine too.

In fact, I'm so intrigued I'd really like to try the club myself, but none of the retailers nearby have any in stock.

So, I shamelessly ask: Mr. Boccieri, if you 're reading this and you're looking for more testers.... :hello:
 
It was indeed the fabled Heavy Driver. I was beginning to think the FedEx guy was off playing a few rounds with it, but the face was wrapped so I am pretty sure I will be the first to hit this club! So I decided that a lot of my reviews will be basing the Heavy Driver against my current driver which is the TaylorMade R11. This only makes sense since this is the HDs main competition. So without further adeu...

First impressions.

Background: I received the 9* Heavy Driver with the X-Stiff shaft (the same orange one that Thainer received).

Looks: The win goes to the R11. But this is hardly a fair fight. The R11 IMO is the sexiest driver ever made! That being said, I think the white version would look awesome! Even still the Heavy Driver looks better than I remember it. Maybe that is because this one is mine and I am already starting to develop a bond with it. It is like being the parent of an ugly child... sure he's ugly, but he is my ugly child and I love him! One thing that I really don't like about the driver is the headcover! I will be finding a replacement. For one, it just doesn't look good. It has all sorts of wrinkles, the foam looks cheap AND it has a zipper, which I don't think I would ever get used to having a headcover with a zipper. This is a minor thing though as headcovers are not expensive and many people prefer to put their own head covers on anyways. I am not that kind of person, I like having the OEM headcovers, it makes me feel special :D But a replacement headcover will be coming later on in the testing process. I find it really interesting that there are no grooves on the face and in face I LOVE that! I am a high spin player and I think this will only help me.

Feel: I love how this club feels! It is the Anti-Burner! It has balance! It says unapologetically, yeah I am heavy, but hit me and see what I can do! And that is exactly what I aim to do! I just can't wait to get out there and hit this club. If it is half as good as I remember it being than I will be in heaven.

One Last Note: I backweighted my R11 about a month ago and once I got the weight in the right spot I have been really liking it a lot! So the Heavy Driver has some stiff competition.
 
Looking forward to your test results Steve.
You are going to have to clue me in on the backweighting of your R11.
 
Dr. Teeth said:
It was indeed the fabled Heavy Driver. I was beginning to think the FedEx guy was off playing a few rounds with it, but the face was wrapped so I am pretty sure I will be the first to hit this club! So I decided that a lot of my reviews will be basing the Heavy Driver against my current driver which is the TaylorMade R11. This only makes sense since this is the HDs main competition. So without further adeu...

First impressions.

Background: I received the 9* Heavy Driver with the X-Stiff shaft (the same orange one that Thainer received).

Looks: The win goes to the R11. But this is hardly a fair fight. The R11 IMO is the sexiest driver ever made! That being said, I think the white version would look awesome! Even still the Heavy Driver looks better than I remember it. Maybe that is because this one is mine and I am already starting to develop a bond with it. It is like being the parent of an ugly child... sure he's ugly, but he is my ugly child and I love him! One thing that I really don't like about the driver is the headcover! I will be finding a replacement. For one, it just doesn't look good. It has all sorts of wrinkles, the foam looks cheap AND it has a zipper, which I don't think I would ever get used to having a headcover with a zipper. This is a minor thing though as headcovers are not expensive and many people prefer to put their own head covers on anyways. I am not that kind of person, I like having the OEM headcovers, it makes me feel special :D But a replacement headcover will be coming later on in the testing process. I find it really interesting that there are no grooves on the face and in face I LOVE that! I am a high spin player and I think this will only help me.

Feel: I love how this club feels! It is the Anti-Burner! It has balance! It says unapologetically, yeah I am heavy, but hit me and see what I can do! And that is exactly what I aim to do! I just can't wait to get out there and hit this club. If it is half as good as I remember it being than I will be in heaven.

One Last Note: I backweighted my R11 about a month ago and once I got the weight in the right spot I have been really liking it a lot! So the Heavy Driver has some stiff competition.
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Glad you can looks behind you for performance! Hope this driver tests well
 
Just got done at the range and am about to head home. Before I go let me leave you with one word... WOW!!!
 
Dr. Teeth said:
It was indeed the fabled Heavy Driver. I was beginning to think the FedEx guy was off playing a few rounds with it, but the face was wrapped so I am pretty sure I will be the first to hit this club! So I decided that a lot of my reviews will be basing the Heavy Driver against my current driver which is the TaylorMade R11. This only makes sense since this is the HDs main competition. So without further adeu...

First impressions.

Background: I received the 9* Heavy Driver with the X-Stiff shaft (the same orange one that Thainer received).

Looks: The win goes to the R11. But this is hardly a fair fight. The R11 IMO is the sexiest driver ever made! That being said, I think the white version would look awesome! Even still the Heavy Driver looks better than I remember it. Maybe that is because this one is mine and I am already starting to develop a bond with it. It is like being the parent of an ugly child... sure he's ugly, but he is my ugly child and I love him! One thing that I really don't like about the driver is the headcover! I will be finding a replacement. For one, it just doesn't look good. It has all sorts of wrinkles, the foam looks cheap AND it has a zipper, which I don't think I would ever get used to having a headcover with a zipper. This is a minor thing though as headcovers are not expensive and many people prefer to put their own head covers on anyways. I am not that kind of person, I like having the OEM headcovers, it makes me feel special :D But a replacement headcover will be coming later on in the testing process. I find it really interesting that there are no grooves on the face and in face I LOVE that! I am a high spin player and I think this will only help me.

Feel: I love how this club feels! It is the Anti-Burner! It has balance! It says unapologetically, yeah I am heavy, but hit me and see what I can do! And that is exactly what I aim to do! I just can't wait to get out there and hit this club. If it is half as good as I remember it being than I will be in heaven.

One Last Note: I backweighted my R11 about a month ago and once I got the weight in the right spot I have been really liking it a lot! So the Heavy Driver has some stiff competition.
Click to expand...

Good stuff! Thanks for the post!
 
I hit the range with my HD again last night, and finally got it straightened out. I'm back to hitting my slight draws with my normal trajectory. I teed it up a bit lower than I normally do with my SuperTri and made an effort to really keep my hands from turning over. I'm very satisfied with the flight and trajectory and will be testing it on the course Friday when I play. I'm looking fwd to checking on course distance and if my new found flight can hold up.
 
As promised here are my initial thoughts on the Heavy Driver. First off, this was not my first time hit the HD. Thainer and I had the opportunity to hit the driver at the Demo Day a few weeks ago. I was thrilled with it then and for me the entire Heavy Control Series of clubs were the big winners. So I was really excited to see if the driver performed as well as I remembered and I was excited to see how the X Stiff shaft performed as well. I got to the driving range and decided that my testing would take the form of a competition, since that is what this is, a competition for the spot in my bag.

Format: I hit 3 drives with one driver then switch and hit 3 drives with the other. At the end of each round a winner was chosen by comparing the outcomes of the three shots.

Let's get ready to Rumble!

Round 1: The Heavy Driver started out round one and started out of the gates strong. All three shots were long and straight with a high fade. It was a tough act to follow and the R11 was up to the challenge. The first two were also long and straight, but it faltered on the third driver with a pull to the left. Round 1 goes to the Heavy Driver.

Round 2: The R11 started this round and it wanted to make up the lost ground. All three shots were long and straight. It was the Heavy Driver that had to respond and it wasn't quite up to the challenge this time. A pull, a pull hook and then a nice beautiful straight drive. Round 2 goes to the R11.

Round 3: The Heavy Driver started round three off and the first shot was a big slice (I think I was over compensating for my previous pulls). The two straight shots, one of which was pretty short. The R11 had a pull, a slight pull on the second shot and a very long straight shot. Round 3 goes to the R11 just barely.

Round 4: This round I wanted to see how these drivers would perform when I tried to really smack one. The Heavy Driver started this round off again and man did it perform! Each drive was long and straight. The R11 folded under the pressure. Two BIG pull hooks and a push slice. Round 4 goes unequivocally to the Heavy Driver.

Round 5: The R11 started round 5 and started off poorly. A pull again, the a nice draw followed by a straight drive. The Heavy Driver answered big time! The next three shots were so identical that had someone been standing out there, they could have caught all three balls with out moving an inch. Round 5 goes to the Heavy Driver in a big way!

Final Round: the Heavy Driver started this round and was great again. A high fade followed by a low fade and then the longest drive of the day dead straight and long! The R11 answered the call producing a high draw, a drive that was as long as the previous one with the Heavy Driver and then another long drive. The final round was a draw with both drivers finishing off strong.

The Decision: the Heavy Driver was the winner of the competition 4:3. However, looking back at it I am surprised to see that it was as close as it was. I really felt like the Heavy Driver was far and away more consistent than the R11. My misses with the Heavy Driver were less pronounced and more manageable, whereas with the R11 when you hit it well, it really goes far. I guess I mean that the R11 has moments of true greatness mingled with some frustration, whereas the Heavy Driver is mister dependable. It just feels so natural at set up. I just feel even before I hit it that this is going to be a great shot, and then it is. I would attribute this to the way the club feels in my hands, the length of the club, the way the club sits on the ground and the feedback it gives you when you pull it back. It create this muscle memory that just feels repeatable. the one thing that troubled me at first was this club looks closed at address. I just said to myself go with it and you know what it just worked, so I figure why ask questions if it is working. It is important to note that I struggle with a big time pull hook as my miss, so a closed club face is normally not my friend, but like I said it just works. Most of my drives were a high fade, which is what I would like to see. Also, I was not having an issue getting the ball in the air like others have been, but like I said before I hit a high, spinny ball normally. The sound off this driver is very nice. I love the sound of my R11 and this sound is completely different. It has more of a metallic "ping" sound to it. I tried to record it, but I put my phone too close to the ball and all you can hear is the swoosh of the club head. That is about all I have for right now. As you can see this was a fantastic first day with this club and I hope the honeymoon never ends. I think Boccieri golf have a very special club on their hands.

I will leave you with one final thought... If someone were to tell me that I could only use one of these drivers for the rest of my life and I had to choose right now. My choice would be the Heavy Driver... in white!
 
That's a great first review right there Dr T. Very impressed.

Considering how much you like your R11, this driver must have blown your socks off.
 
GREAT write-up Dr Teeth! I know what you have thought about the R11 since getting it at the Kingdom so for you to say that it can push the R11 out of your bag is saying alot. Looking forward to the next battle report to see if results stay the same.
 
the_paulo said:
That's a great first review right there Dr T. Very impressed.

Considering how much you like your R11, this driver must have blown your socks off.
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As I was driving home I just had this permagrin on my face. I was really surprised to see that the contest was as close as it was because it sure felt like the HD was the undiluted winner of the day (edit. haha that is supposed to say undisputed winner).
 
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Surprised you would go with the HD Dr. Teeth. It must have really left a good impression on you.
 
Great review Dr.T! Can't wait to get back to work with my testing.
 
Dr. Teeth said:
As I was driving home I just had this permagrin on my face. I was really surprised to see that the contest was as close as it was because it sure felt like the HD was the undiluted winner of the day.
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That in itself is a great testimony to trying out every club you can. How many pretty R11's would fly off the shelf before someone picked up the Heavy Driver? Yet that one guy might just be seen bombing it past all of them on the course! :D
 
Great write up Dr. Teeth. That was very interesting and I think surprising results for a lot of the people who have never hit the HD.
 
Very nice write up Doc. I know how much you like your R11, for the comparison to be even close this early means great things to come.
 
Dr. Teeth said:
I will leave you with one final thought... If someone were to tell me that I could only use one of these drivers for the rest of my life and I had to choose right now. My choice would be the Heavy Driver... in white!
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Wow! But after reading about your results I guess I shouldnt be shocked.. but I am
 
Dr. Teeth said:
As I was driving home I just had this permagrin on my face. I was really surprised to see that the contest was as close as it was because it sure felt like the HD was the undiluted winner of the day.
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Question; Do you feel that either club had an unfair advantage due to the difference in weight? For example, after hitting the R11 a few times and switching to the HD, you may swing the club a bit different due to the different in weight? Did you hit each driver back to back? How noticeable of a difference was there between swinging the two?

Disclaimer; I have never held a Heavy Driver, so I have no clue how significant the weight difference may be, nor how it would affect a swing.

Thanks!
 
rpjohs said:
Question; Do you feel that either club had an unfair advantage due to the difference in weight? For example, after hitting the R11 a few times and switching to the HD, you may swing the club a bit different due to the different in weight? Did you hit each driver back to back? How noticeable of a difference was there between swinging the two?

Disclaimer; I have never held a Heavy Driver, so I have no clue how significant the weight difference may be, nor how it would affect a swing.

Thanks!
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Not for me since I have had my R11 back weighted for a few weeks. The weight on these two seem to be very similar to me. I would say the head weight on the Heavy Driver is slightly heavy, but how much I dont know (I am going to weigh my R11 head to find out). That being said the Heavy Driver seems to me to be better balanced than even my back weighted R11. I don't really know the reason since they should be pretty similar, but it just feels better in my hands.
 
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