Wilson STAFF vs Wilson STAFF's reputation

[ApocG10]

Damn man, im sure the pro shop at a nearby course has those, as I was trying it the same afternoon I bought the 8875! I liked the weight of the 8875, so I picked it up. But next time im there, ill check if they still have them. Its a long ways away, but im sure theyll ship it to you if you want one that bad.

I repeat, I absolutely love mine, and as far as im concerned, its as good as any Cameron, oddysee, rossa or any other putter ive tried. Rolls the ball amazingly. Its one of my favourite clubs. My putting and confidence improved dramaticly with it.

[whip_it_out]

wilson sucks, i had a putter and a lob wedge. they both suck. But i think wilson stuff is good stuff, just haven't gain their reputation yet. They are different product line tho.

What? I like they're golf balls, but never hit any of the irons or woods.

[Jon K]

I had a full set of 09' Wilson Staff products ... I was very pleased with them and think they are a great Entry/Mid Level product line

[WUTiger]

If I am not mistaken, Wilson Staff irons have been around quite a while and were quite popular at one time. I have always looked at the company as if they have already had their heyday, but, are still around, unlike some companies most notably MacGregor.

Both Wilson and MacGregor were leading golf club manufacturers during much of the 1900s. Both companies "lost their way" in the late 1980s, and have tried to rebound in the 2000+ era. Here's a web site with the history of Wilson and its golf division:

http://www.wilson.com/wilson/staff/history.jsp Note: Golfsmith bought MacGregor this summer, and a Golfsmith service rep told me that Gs plans to invest decent $$ on MacGregor line.

[Shanks A Million]

Wilson was the company for many years. Palmer, Kite, Snead? Any of those names ring a bell? Those were Wilson players. Wilson made the very best forged blades for many years, and fine balls as well. Wilson was as common to see on the PGA tour as Titleist or TaylorMade are today.

I think the advent of titanium drivers, cavity backs, and elastomer balls was their downfall. Wilson had exceeded making forged blades, persimmon woods, and balata balls. They were a brand that was long established and highly regarded, but the establishment and regards changed. Hence, by about 2000, Wilson was more or less gone from the picture. I would almost say Padraig Harrington has nearly singlehandedly brought them back.

[Billy33]

I just recently bought new irons. I bought the nike VR cavity. I have been playing golf for about 14 months and I am an addict. The first set of iron's I got was the Ci7's stiff flex. I have been playing with the Nike's for about two months and I feel like the
Ci7's were better clubs for me. I am going to go back to my old clubs. I wish I would have never bought the nike's. My golf game started to get better, which made me want to play more and get more serious about it so I went out and bought new clubs. I guess I should not have tried to fix what was not broken.

[tim31x]

i play the fi5 irons and wouldnt trade em for the world. incredible blended set of player cavities and muscleback's with buttery soft forged heads. there non player models are a little weak in my opinion but they are making a definite comeback to their old form.

[DarkPrince]

I think it's been mentioned before, but the thing to remember is that "Wilson" branded clubs are generally some of the cheapest clubs you can buy, whereas "Wilson Staff" are some of the nicest/better performing stuff you can buy. At my work, only one company makes cheaper wedges/putters/chippers/beginner sets and that is Trend Golf, next step up is Wilson, followed by Golden Bear/Jack Nicklaus which then jumps up to Adams/Callaway/Nike/Taylormade. These are all just brands marketed solely to the person who is either a beginner or someone who feels paying $200 for 7 clubs, a putter, a bag, and a bag cover is too much. Wilson Staff is marketed more towards experienced/better/ whatever else you want to call it players. Padraig didn't win 3 majors with the wilson harmonized wedges and matching putter with the profile hybrid iron sets :P I have definitely heard that in the 60's-80's, Wilson Staff clubs were the quintessential irons to have. I've got a friend who played a set for a few years from the 70's and only recently purchased a new set, predictably the Wilson FG Tour's, they also sent him some prototype golf balls for buying them too.

[xxsoultonesxx]

I played the hell out of my set of W/S Pi7's all summer, they are great sticks. I have hit their spine driver, though, and thought it had that tin can feel to it. But their balls and irons are great. How has nobody mentioned the FG Tour irons yet? those are a great set of forged irons that really slipped under the radar.

[LBlack14]

I think it's been mentioned before, but the thing to remember is that "Wilson" branded clubs are generally some of the cheapest clubs you can buy, whereas "Wilson Staff" are some of the nicest/better performing stuff you can buy.

You beat me to it! W/S equipment is top of the line.

[mrbillinoc]

I just bought a new set of Wilson Staff DI9 irons....absolutely LUV EM! Played 4 rounds so far and couldn't be more pleased. I looked and tried all the "usual" choices, but after reading the reviews of the Wilson Staffs I took the leap and bought 'em...sight unseen! The problem is in the USA hardly anyone carries them on display...I was told numerous times by different shops that there just wasn't enough "demand" for them. Shame..they are kind of like the "Rodney Dangerfield" of golf clubs...just can't get "no respect". If you search for golf discussion forums like this one in Europe you will find everyone singing the praises of Wilson Staff clubs. Just to make things even sweeter, I bought mine on EBAY...new...5,6,7,8,9,PW,AW,GW...Graphite shafts with the "wide-tip" technology that reduces clubface torque...got the whole set for $132.00 !!!

[zeg]

I have one Wilson club, my 52° wedge, which is just plain Wilson, not W/Staff. It's a cheap club, no doubt; $30 new, I bought it for $15 gently used, I think. However, it fit the bill for me perfectly, as I didn't need a "good" club, just something I could hit consistently for distances between my PW and my SW. It feels very light, but has turned out to be one of my most consistent clubs.

The talk up-thread about marketing is spot on. Above a certain level of build quality, there really isn't a "good" or "bad" club, it really depends on the player and what you want the club to do for you.

[mlf16507]

61 wins in Majors isn't chopped liver! In my humble opinion Wilson started going downhill in 1989 when Amer from Finland bought them. They were the top club on Tour until then. Wilson Staff irons the last couple of years look great and a set of FG 62 or FG Tour could be in my bag in the near future.

[wrx_junki]

I hit a Wilson FG51 2 iron blade and boy was that fun to hit. The Fybrids are great for the money and I loved the Ci7 irons.

[uttexas]

Wilson has always made beautiful forged irons. As mentioned, the company stumbled a bit in the 90s.
Wilson continued to do well in Europe during the 90s, but missed the boat in several key areas during that decade.

Wilson didn't spend a lot of money coming out with an exciting driver every year or two. The driver is the money maker for club companies (Taylor Made figured this out early on). People tend to play their irons for a decade+ while buying a new driver every 2-3yrs.
Wilson were late to the game marketing a players cavity.
Wilson also had some really cheap models widely available for purchase at Wmart and Target. Their key Tour Player in the US was John Daly (at least for a little while) This combination of having widely available cheap clubs and John Daly as your star player hurt Wilson's image.

Some interesting technology didn't pan out--Fat Shaft irons.

[lumpuckeroo]

I think their forged blades are as good as any made. I have played Mizuno for several years now but own a set of the FG51's and would be playing them today if they had "modern" lofts. Hopefully, with this years bonus money, I will be purchasing a set of FG59's or FG62's. I have hit the FG59's at a demo days, unfortunately they came out a year after I had just went with the Mizuno set I'm currently playing or I would have gone with them.

[TourSpoon]

Wilson makes a great player's iron...always has. Anyone who "looks down" at someone for playing them is just an ignorant poser. Those FG62 and FG Tours are money.

[stcjones]

Your friends (with no disrespect meant) are VERY IGNORANT!!!!   Wilson is HUGE overseas.....but for some unknown reason does not get that much respect over here in the U.S.!  I am not sure why that is because they make VERY well made and high technological equipment.....but still...like Rodney Dangerfield....get NO respect!!!  The good golfers and equip guys will tell you that Wilson is right up there with Ping, Taylor, and Cally in regards to quality and technological edge......just get overlooked here in the US......give one of their sets a try....you will NOT be disappointed!!