Heavy Putter A1-M: In Review

As with most radical yet successful products, the knock against the Heavy Putter is its virtue. By being different, it galvanizes critics nearly as fast as it gains fans.

In a golf industry populated with ridiculous inventions, failed experiments and suspicious technologies, there is a practical aspect to conformity. Certain things always work, and many things don’t. Yet once every blue moon something works without conforming. What then? You ride the waves of reactionary backlash until you reach the still waters of progressive thinking. This, I believe, is the current journey of the Heavy Putter ($199). In Review today is Heavy Putter’s A1-M center-shafted model, which is the newer matte finish version of the original satin A1 model.

The Storyline
The critics imply that you shouldn’t rely on the Heavy Putter’s pioneering technology to reduce errant wrist hinge and small muscle movements, as if it violates some unspoken do-it-yourself performance code. Yes, and while you're at it, learn to hit the ball true with a persimmon wood—don't expect a forgiving 460cc titanium driver to do it for you. And is that a game improvement iron in your hands? Get back on the blades, chump.

It’s one thing to say the Heavy Putter just isn’t for you. It’s another thing to outright reject a proven technology simply because it doesn’t conform to your worldview. Troy Matteson recently won $720,000 at the Frys.com Open with the Heavy Putter A1 model in his arsenal. If it helped a guy earn $720,000 on a Sunday afternoon, then it just might help you, too.

The patented Heavy Putter heads weigh between 450 and 550 grams, in contrast to conventional putter heads that typically weigh between 330 to 350 grams. According to Boccieri Golf, creators of the Heavy Putter: “The heavier mass of the putter head disengages a golfer's small wrist muscles and engages the larger shoulder muscles of the upper body. This promotes a pendulum stroke and leads to a more consistent swing path. The heavier head mass also produces a softer feel by dampening vibration at impact.”

The heavier weighting is found not only in the putter head, however, but inside the shaft as well: “…A low balance point exacerbates the putter head's release, causing wrist breakdown through impact, making the putter head uncontrollable. Heavy Putters have a Weight Management System (WMS) insert weighing 250 grams located inside the upper shaft. The WMS shifts the putter's balance point 75% higher up the shaft than conventional putters.”

In other words, we’re not talking about some slight technological nudge. We’re talking about a paradigm shift, which is immediately evident when you handle a Heavy Putter for the first time. There’s more to the Heavy Putter story than weight management, but I don’t have room here to go into all of it. Let’s just say that Heavy Putter inventor Stephen Boccieri likes to pull rabbits out of hats.

The View from PutterZone.com
The A1-M model is one of three A series blades (differentiated mainly by hosel placement), which complement the company’s three B series mallets. The A1-M model is a beautiful thing to hold and behold. It is sleek yet sturdy, artful yet industrious. From a design standpoint, it reflects nothing less than pure conviction. Some might find it to be a bit ascetic in comparison to the shapely vixens known as Bettinardi and Cameron, but I find it to be uniquely elegant in its obvious sense of purpose.

The A1-M’s centralized shaft placement balances nicely with the Heavy Putter’s signature “Surround Sight” feature (a semicircle cutout behind the putter face that aids alignment and contact), promoting confidence and alignment stability. As with all Heavy Putters, the A1-M comes with changeable Weight Management System tip weights. Personally, I prefer the lighter aluminum tip weights. The green brand accents on the grip and putter cover are distinctive and assertive without veering into obnoxious. The putter cover wraps around the head via magnetic attachment, a cool twist that adds points to the Fetish Factor. My only quibble with the entire package concerns the model name (and related model names, such as B2-M, etc.). There's nothing necessarily wrong with A1-M, but it blends into the putter crowd and is thus not quite up to the creative standard of the Heavy Putter itself. I’m still giving the A1-M a rare Fetish Factor rating of 90+, not on cosmetics alone, but also for what I consider the added value and allure of its innovative features.

The Bottom Line
Look at it this way: When is the last time you saw a new putter paradigm gain traction at the highest levels of golf? It’s been a while. For that reason alone, the Heavy Putter earns kudos and consideration. Also, as I’ve said before, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Heavy Putter is brilliantly marketed. At this point in time, the entire Heavy Putter experience—from product development through marketing—reflects a rare sense of clarity and conviction. Does that mean the Heavy Putter is for everyone? No, of course not (what putter is?). Heck, I’m still trying to figure out if it’s the best putter for me, although it’s definitely in the running. All I'm saying is don't dismiss the Heavy Putter based on negative hearsay from the Luddites and reactionaries. This is one option that belongs on your table.