Heavy Putter gets weight-conscious, changes name to Boccieri

I always liked the Heavy Putter, at least by name. The company never did respond to my requests to send a demo model for review, and my one experience with the heavy-bodied flat-stick was on a crowded practice green during a demo day.

The engineering technology that makes the Heavy Putter different, say true believers, is not only a heavy putter head, but also extra weight added to the grip end. This, they say, produces a pendulous stroke automatically.

Maybe and maybe not – I can’t say first-hand. Nevertheless, I liked the homey, unself-conscious moniker.

Today I find a press release in my in-box announcing that the company is changing names, from Heavy Putter to the decidedly sleeker-sounding Boccieri (pronounced, according to the press release, bo-CHERRY). The change is purportedly because Boccieri is the surname of Heavy Putter inventor, founder and President/CEO Stephen Boccieri and club designer. But like I say, there is a certain Italian style to it that “Heavy Putter” most certainly does not convey.

I wonder if the company would change its name to that of the CEO if said CEO’s name were, say, Vanderbiggerdicker.

Oh, there will still be a Heavy Putter (or rather eight models of the Heavy Putter), but now they will be called “The Heavy Putter by Boccieri.” Sounds kind of like “The Denim Overalls by Armani,” or “The Gucci Adult Diaper.” See what I mean? Add a cool Italian designer’s name to just about anything and it sounds more appealing. Just ask all those folks who’ve ponied up the dough for a high-end Bettinardi putter.

Of course now the company can branch out into other clubs. It would, after all, be difficult to market The Heavy Putter Driver.