One-T
Skimming since Nov 2009
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Thats a great story. I loved hitting their equipmant and this just makes it tougher to not get something from them.
Boccieri Heavy Driver - Forum Testing Review
Thats a great story. I loved hitting their equipmant and this just makes it tougher to not get something from them.
Dr. Teeth
Well-known member
I was able to go to the range during lunch and had a great range session. I am starting to really groove with this new swing and things are falling into place all around the board. As far as my drivers go, I am still hitting both my R11 and Heavy D and today was a great day for both. I hit about 15 balls with each and saw really great results. I had one pull hook with the Heavy Driver, but other than that the other shots were either perfect or would have easily been in the fairway. I am really feeling so much confidence with the Heavy Driver and feel that when I get up to hit it, that I am going to hit it were I want it. I have only played one round where I hit them side by side but I still feel that distance wise these two are very similar. I think the slight edge would go to the Heavy Driver. Also, just for fun I took my back weighting out of my R11 and hit a few and it was no good! The only way I am getting the R11 to compare with the Heavy Driver is when I have my back weights in there.
One-T
Skimming since Nov 2009
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thats a pretty good statement there! Glad your seeing success with this driver!
- Staff
- #429
And THAT is what intrigues the heck out of me and makes me want to backweight just for the sake of trying it out.
Good stuff Dr.Teeth
Golf 'N Gator
Formally HoosierGolfer
Great story. Very nice to hear they contacted you quickly with a phone call. I think right now, getting the clubs out there for all to see and try is tops on Boccieri's list of things they must do. I know Mr. Boccieri told me during our call that they have made some big gains in this area, but they still have a way to go. Sooner than later, I think we will see the brand getting into all the large big box stores yet this year.
If you can get the correct shaft and specs in the driver, I'm betting you will like it. If you are able to pick one, be sure to follow up here with your thoughts.
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
I can't remember the last time I've been this excited to tee it up on just a course I play regularly. The performance that this driver gives me is one thing, but the confidence and excitement is another. Pair that with the irons, this is going to be a fun round!
So I went out for 18 today. There's only 3 holes I can pull driver on today, with the south wind, and the fact its about 100 degrees out. Still, I unfortunately felt like I've stepped backwards with the heavy driver. Either low push/fades or grounders. The heat was not helping me swing the club today, and like I said, it only got used 6 total times. Still gets tons of roll, but somewhere, I've lost the swing. Despite this, I still have more confidence in this club than my previous driver. Should be at the range some tomorrow, again, in the raging heat. I will probably just go back to square one training my swing with this driver. I will say, the reason I still believe this is the best club, is because my best 'feeling' swing of the day just launched the ball. Unfortunately, I was playing a fade (or at least I thought I was), hit it straight, and ended up in the rough.
~Rock
~Rock
d_in_la
Not so in LA.
Great story, but that bolded part bummed me the hell out since I was going to risk CARMAGEDDON here in LA to try the Heavy Driver at a golf store this weekend.
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
Today I just couldn't put a good swing in the golf ball. I kept breaking my left wrist at impact causing a hook that I really can't fix. But luckily, with the heavy, the weight helped mitigate the damage. My only good swing if the day was a 310 yard bomb uphill almost into a bunker that I haven't ever hit in my 3 years at Aronimink. Normally I barely make the carry and this time I carried my norm by 15 yards and got some roll uphill. Unreal. This is the first time I got to play this specific hole which such a specific area to hit into and it really opened my eyes to differences between my old driver and the HD.
Wow.
Wow.
SFCoach
New member
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Hi friends!
Just wanted to apologize for the lack of updates on my end recently. I haven't been feeling well for the past week or so and actually ended up having an overnight in the hospital recently. I was severely dehydrated and simply overworking myself. I've had to take a break from things recently and let my body recover. I'm feeling much, much the last few days and look forward to getting back on the course.
Fortunately, this is a long term testing process so I still have plenty of time to make up for my lack of updates recently. I plan on playing Tuesday so I'll have some more updates. I did, however, receive a new putter from Mr. Boccieri this past week - yeah, he just tossed me a new putter because he's pretty awesome. I'm so excited to use it because I've been great from tee to green before my hiatus but awful once I arrived. I was a three-putting machine. So, yeah, I plan on tracking my progress in the Flatstick forum.
So, I'll be back on track Tuesday!
Just wanted to apologize for the lack of updates on my end recently. I haven't been feeling well for the past week or so and actually ended up having an overnight in the hospital recently. I was severely dehydrated and simply overworking myself. I've had to take a break from things recently and let my body recover. I'm feeling much, much the last few days and look forward to getting back on the course.
Fortunately, this is a long term testing process so I still have plenty of time to make up for my lack of updates recently. I plan on playing Tuesday so I'll have some more updates. I did, however, receive a new putter from Mr. Boccieri this past week - yeah, he just tossed me a new putter because he's pretty awesome. I'm so excited to use it because I've been great from tee to green before my hiatus but awful once I arrived. I was a three-putting machine. So, yeah, I plan on tracking my progress in the Flatstick forum.
So, I'll be back on track Tuesday!
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
Today I played a round and hit the heavy driver pretty well. I had to start opening the face by a fairly wide margin because of me hooking everything. I really think an open faced version of this driver would suit me very well, but when I dont hook this thing, I am absolutely mashing it. I am still inlove with the shaft and headshape. The classic look is something I truly enjoy to look down at, and it meshes well with the irons. I love this driver for more than just its performance. It really is the complete package of forgiveness, distance, and the performance really helps boost confidence from the teebox..
Good call thainer, i need to try this next time i practice. I was just aiming more right to account for the hook. Six/seven of 10 of my tee balls with the HD are a hook.
Played another couple of rounds yesterday. I tried having a neutral grip, and slowed my swing speed, and it worked. In fact, it worked so well, I found myself aiming incorrectly. I hit quite a few straight balls going this route. Only time will tell if this was a fluke or not. However, hitting good shots again reminded me of why I love this driver. Low penetrating flight, tons of roll.
~Rock
~Rock
Dr. Teeth
Well-known member
I went to a local (about 1 1/2 hours away) course that has a bunch of Trackmans set up. I had a bunch of variables that I wanted to test so this was a great opportunity. I included a key along with the Trackman stats. Let me introduce the competitors in the Trackman Challenge. First there is one of the most prolific drivers in golf history. The R11 is a driver driven by amazing adjustability and fantastic marketing. So I felt this was the perfect place to start, the R11 without any backweighting. Next, the Challenger, the Heavy Driver. Our love for the Heavy Driver has been well documented on this forum, but will the numbers back up my claims of greatness. Next, I tested the R11 set at 9* and with 50 grams of backweighting in it. (I combined groups on the print out to make it easier to read). The fourth challenger was my R11 set at 9* with 50 grams of backweight, but it also has a Harrison Shotmaker E flex in it. The Harrison Shotmaker is a product that is supposed to decrease the deformation/deflection that happens at the tip of the shaft when the head impacts the ball. It supposed to do this without adding any relative stiffness to the shaft and ultimately, it is supposed to decrease sidespin. With claims like these I was excited to see if it backed up its claims. After seeing that many of my launch numbers were quite low, I decided to try a couple of unplanned adjustments. I tested my R11 set at 10* with 50 grams of back weight and the Harrison Shotmaker and then the same set up without the Shotmaker. Here are the numbers.
As you can see I am launching the Heavy Driver very low. This was surprising because I didn’t feel like it looked that low and when I compared the two previously on the course, there wasn’t that much difference in distance. But the numbers don’t lie. Also, my launch angle was very low for my R11 when it was set at 9*. There is no doubt that I was more consistent with the backweighting, but the big surprise to me was how much more consistent I was with the Shotmaker in. Now one thing to note is that these were averages, so one shot hit down the middle followed by one 20 yards to the right and one 20 yards to the left would give me an average of 0. That being said, I do think these numbers pretty accurately tell the story. I definitely saw an improvement in my shot dispersion with the Shotmaker in, and this was with the driver set at 9* and 10*. It is clear from the numbers that I should be playing a 10* driver, which is surprising because I was fit for this driver at the Kingdom, but I have begun a swing change that must not be giving me the height I was seeing before. In addition to the lower launch angle, my SS has decrease substantially (by 5 mph), but when I was hitting the R11 set at 10* with the backweight and Shotmaker, I was seeing really good distances as well as improved dispersion.
So what am I taking home from this outing? As far as the Heavy Driver is concerned, I am still very impressed. If you compare the two drivers and the total costs associated with the two and their performance, I would rate the Heavy Driver as a Best Buy. How can I make this statement about a $400 driver? Lets compare the cost of the Heavy Driver vs the R11 TP with Backweighting and the Shotmaker insert in it (this was the driver that performance wise was able to beat out the Heavy Driver). Heavy Driver $400. R11 TP $500 + Backweighting $20 + Shotmaker $140= $660. Yes, my tricked out R11 did perform better than the Heavy Driver (once I got my R11 set to the correct loft), but I really think that if you are looking for a driver to work right off the rack, then I think the Heavy Driver has to be on your shortlist.
Edited to enlarge the picture
As you can see I am launching the Heavy Driver very low. This was surprising because I didn’t feel like it looked that low and when I compared the two previously on the course, there wasn’t that much difference in distance. But the numbers don’t lie. Also, my launch angle was very low for my R11 when it was set at 9*. There is no doubt that I was more consistent with the backweighting, but the big surprise to me was how much more consistent I was with the Shotmaker in. Now one thing to note is that these were averages, so one shot hit down the middle followed by one 20 yards to the right and one 20 yards to the left would give me an average of 0. That being said, I do think these numbers pretty accurately tell the story. I definitely saw an improvement in my shot dispersion with the Shotmaker in, and this was with the driver set at 9* and 10*. It is clear from the numbers that I should be playing a 10* driver, which is surprising because I was fit for this driver at the Kingdom, but I have begun a swing change that must not be giving me the height I was seeing before. In addition to the lower launch angle, my SS has decrease substantially (by 5 mph), but when I was hitting the R11 set at 10* with the backweight and Shotmaker, I was seeing really good distances as well as improved dispersion.
So what am I taking home from this outing? As far as the Heavy Driver is concerned, I am still very impressed. If you compare the two drivers and the total costs associated with the two and their performance, I would rate the Heavy Driver as a Best Buy. How can I make this statement about a $400 driver? Lets compare the cost of the Heavy Driver vs the R11 TP with Backweighting and the Shotmaker insert in it (this was the driver that performance wise was able to beat out the Heavy Driver). Heavy Driver $400. R11 TP $500 + Backweighting $20 + Shotmaker $140= $660. Yes, my tricked out R11 did perform better than the Heavy Driver (once I got my R11 set to the correct loft), but I really think that if you are looking for a driver to work right off the rack, then I think the Heavy Driver has to be on your shortlist.
Edited to enlarge the picture
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Very nice write up. Loved sifting through all the numbers.
I played another round yesterday. The Heavy Driver is somewhat inconsistent in whether it wants to fade or play straight, but I'm getting great launch angle (to my eye anyways) and great distance. The 'trick' of a neutral grip and playing off my left heel, and to slow my swing down and not try to murder the ball, all seem to be working great with this driver. As has been said many times before, this driver wants you to swing on plane, will assist you some with that, and will reward you if you do swing on plane.
I played another round yesterday. The Heavy Driver is somewhat inconsistent in whether it wants to fade or play straight, but I'm getting great launch angle (to my eye anyways) and great distance. The 'trick' of a neutral grip and playing off my left heel, and to slow my swing down and not try to murder the ball, all seem to be working great with this driver. As has been said many times before, this driver wants you to swing on plane, will assist you some with that, and will reward you if you do swing on plane.
Snap Hook
I before E,excpt Titleist
Someone here got sent a bunch of "smart Grips" by Boccieri. Don't know much info on them but I think they were grips with backweighting already inside the grips. That would be easy to sell in different weights. Whoever got sent them could provide better info on them as I could be completly wrong about them.
I had not heard that - grips preinstalled with different backweights. I'd be interested to see some pics and maybe a vid of how they install.
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
Yesterday I was out with the HD and I must admit, I am really starting to battle the closed clubface. Once the thunder clears(rain or not) I will head out tonight and work on getting my golf swing back to where it was with the HD.
There are always those 1 or two drives though that completely open my eyes to why I fell in love with this driver in the first place. I cant wait to get back out there just so I can show the golf course who's boss.
There are always those 1 or two drives though that completely open my eyes to why I fell in love with this driver in the first place. I cant wait to get back out there just so I can show the golf course who's boss.
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
Today I was able to iron out a few swing flaws while on the course and get used to the closed face without hooks again. Its only been one round, but I took it slow, figured my stuff out, and went from there. I was able to flight the ball through and around wind, as well as hit draws and straight balls on command with minor misses each way. After remedying my wrist issue, this thing went back to its Cannon-like self. I really have no other ways to describe it. This driver continues to outperform my SuperTri and my FT Tour. My HiBore and VR Str8fit also have never come close to this performance. I have played many drivers over the years at my time at my club, but none have left me with these yardages into greens.
The one thing that keeps screaming back to me is the look of this driver. Many people say they love the classic look of a Titleist driver, and this driver to me, goes right there with it. The sound is like no other, super flat. I keep ho'ing out this club to everyone I know, and all replies have been positive. One guy picked up between 10-20 yds in distance on every hole that he hit it. One guy hit a green 8 times in a row from 285. This thing is the real deal, and I am blessed to have crossed paths with it.
The one thing that keeps screaming back to me is the look of this driver. Many people say they love the classic look of a Titleist driver, and this driver to me, goes right there with it. The sound is like no other, super flat. I keep ho'ing out this club to everyone I know, and all replies have been positive. One guy picked up between 10-20 yds in distance on every hole that he hit it. One guy hit a green 8 times in a row from 285. This thing is the real deal, and I am blessed to have crossed paths with it.
That is so awesome! Glad to see you are liking this driver so much
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
Thanks guys!
Unfortunately my posts seem repetitive because the results I see are consistently awesome(when I dont have personal swing issues). I think this technology when fitted to someones swing could benefit everyone. Much more than the "Faster, lighter" concept. This thing is so solid at impact that when people hit it they say "Whoa".
Unfortunately my posts seem repetitive because the results I see are consistently awesome(when I dont have personal swing issues). I think this technology when fitted to someones swing could benefit everyone. Much more than the "Faster, lighter" concept. This thing is so solid at impact that when people hit it they say "Whoa".
coolbreeze
Aspiring Golferr
Great Updates Thainer. This driver really sounds like the real deal, and I love your updates every time you get out there.