In today’s golf equipment world, the major manufacturers are companies like TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist and PING. Look in the bag of most players and you’re likely to find clubs with one of those names stamped on them. That wasn’t always the case though. It wasn’t long ago that a different name dominated golf clubs; Wilson Staff. While the company definitely lost a bit of popularity in the 2000s, they have been making a comeback as of late and their clubs are popping up in more and more bags, including both weekend warriors and tour pros alike.
The cream of the crop for Wilson Staff irons is their FG Tour Series, a set of clubs aimed at the better player. Released to the public this month are the FG Tour V4 irons, which have already found their way into the bags of Brendan Steele, Ricky Barnes and Padraig Harrington. Wilson uses a unique profiling system in which golfers fall into one of three categories: Feel, Control, or Distance. As you can guess, the FG irons are aimed at those in the Feel category. According to Wilson, those golfers demand classic styling, ultimate feedback, and shot-shaping control. If you hadn’t guessed already, their C series is aimed at the Control players while the D series is aimed at Distance players.
Even though the FG Tour V4 irons are aimed at better players, that isn’t to say that there isn’t technology to aid the golfer in hitting better shots. To start, the 3 through 7 irons in the set feature an 18 gram tungsten sole weight. This lowers the center of gravity of the clubs and make it easier to get the ball up into the air without increasing the spin. This is desirable as the higher peak height leads to a steeper decent angel making it easier to attack those tough pins or hold greens with long irons. The upper part of the face, where no impact occurs, was also thinned out and that mass was then repositioned to increase launch, spin and Moment of Inertia (MOI).
The clubs are forged from 8620 Carbon Steel and have precision milled grooves which help golfers control spin and gain consistency from shot to shot. The clubs come complete with the True Temper Dynamic Gold DG Pro shaft. These shafts have variably-sized steps in the bottom half of the shaft which helps increase workability, responsiveness and trajectory. Clubs will be available from wilsongolf.com and select retailers for $899.99.
To go along with the new irons are the new FG Tour V3 Utility Irons. While hybrids are the popular choice to fill out the top end of the bag, even among better players, there are still those that prefer something more like an iron. Compared to the irons, the FG Tour V4 Utilities have a longer blade length with lighter and longer shafts. The soles are also wider with thicker toplines and there is more offset compared to the irons. However, they have similar lofts, lies, and swing weights making the transition from utility to iron an easy one.
While cosmetically they look very similar to the irons, there are some key differences from a construction stand pint. The utility irons have a 7 gram adjustable weight positioned in the center of the sole that helps players fine-tune their ball flight. There is also a 9 gram tungsten weight in the toe of the club (not adjustable). The face is also made from Carpenter Custom 455 stainless steel. According to Wilson, this is the strongest and most premium material available and allows for an extremely thing and responsive face. The thinness of the face also allows for weight to be moved around to optimize the center of gravity. The stock shaft is the MRC Kuro Kage Black 90 and is available in A, R, and S flexes. Like the irons, these utilities are seeing play on tour, including Padraig Harrington. The utility is available as a 2, 3, or 4 iron replacement and can be had from wilsongolf.com or select retailers for $179.99.
I find the W/S commercials to be very annoying. Seriously.
The DUO and the old FG TOUR are great golf balls; havent tried the new ones yet, however it’s about time that they added more camber to the soles of their clubs, and everyone familiar with forged clubs knows that 8620 is not a true forged club, it’s drop form forged instead and does not have the same feel as the 1020s forged clubs, hence the old fluid feel. Drop form forged is the same process Cleveland uses to make its wedges and if you compare the feel to a Jaws forged Callaway wedge, you’ll definitely feel the difference.