New Wilson CorTex driver

[QuigleyDU]

Rick Shiel's review was pretty much what I've been predicting. Good driver, nothing ground breaking. Maybe now the sell out talk will cease.

 

its seem'd to me to be much more tempered than is his norm. i think he was trying to be very careful regarding the review of this club. probably a good thing.

[averysdad]

I felt like Rick’s #’s were good compared to his established baseline. I’d love to see what his #’s would be like, along with the other usual suspect reviewers, if they had a properly fitted or their gamer shafts.

[Ri_Redneck]

Someone mentioned earlier that the adapter was plastic?!?! Can anyone who has one confirm this? Just want to know before committing and finding I need to change shafts.

 

BT

[03trdblack]

Someone mentioned earlier that the adapter was plastic?!?! Can anyone who has one confirm this? Just want to know before committing and finding I need to change shafts.

 

BT

 

The adapter itself is metal but the top part that shows the loft change is plastic like the old TM adapters used to be. The loft ferrule part will melt if you try and pull the adapter and I know of no one that carries the ferrule.

[boggyman]

Someone mentioned earlier that the adapter was plastic?!?! Can anyone who has one confirm this? Just want to know before committing and finding I need to change shafts.

 

BT

 

The adapter itself is metal but the top part that shows the loft change is plastic like the old TM adapters used to be. The loft ferrule part will melt if you try and pull the adapter and I know of no one that carries the ferrule.

Golf Works carries the adapters. The F5 and C300 are both the same as what’s on the Cortex.

[Barracuda]

It's not that hard to save the plastic part. Just put some aloe vera sunscreen on the plastic part, and pull from the tip with a washer. The sunscreen will keep the ferrule cool enough not to melt.

 

Someone mentioned earlier that the adapter was plastic?!?! Can anyone who has one confirm this? Just want to know before committing and finding I need to change shafts.

 

BT

 

The adapter itself is metal but the top part that shows the loft change is plastic like the old TM adapters used to be. The loft ferrule part will melt if you try and pull the adapter and I know of no one that carries the ferrule.

[johnnypro]

Did someone here say the Cortex 10.5* is 1/2" shorter than the 9*?

Why is that?

[Clarinetmonster2]

I was getting some good #'s with the 6S blue today in a 9.5 degree, just wish they had ANY X options to try as I'm always going to have the tendency to hook the S. I think the blue 6x or 7x could be perfect with a 10.5 head. Swing weight, as has been mentioned, feels a bit on the heavy side like it's a bit of work to make the transition happen with my normal tempo. I'm sure that could be tweaked somehow.

[boggyman]

Did someone here say the Cortex 10.5* is 1/2" shorter than the 9*?

Why is that?

Don’t believe so. The 9 is slightly smaller cc head size than the 10.5 as is the 10.5 smaller slightly smaller than the 12 degree.

[Double Gee]

Honestly, it's a very deep face and the head is black so those are two things I actually really like about it. It is a Wilson though so it's $499 today and $179 by Jan 1.

 

So true!

 

Maybe, maybe not.

 

The Wilson C300 driver was launched in the UK on January at £349. Today, virtually a year later, they are £299.

 

Possibly Wilson are taking a lot of bad mouthing without true evidence.

[radiman]

Honestly, it's a very deep face and the head is black so those are two things I actually really like about it. It is a Wilson though so it's $499 today and $179 by Jan 1.

 

So true!

 

Maybe, maybe not.

 

The Wilson C300 driver was launched in the UK on January at £349. Today, virtually a year later, they are £299.

 

Possibly Wilson are taking a lot of bad mouthing without true evidence.

 

I think the kicker is the fact that the drivers are going for just over 50% of the retail price at auction. I saw one on eBay the other day go for $270. Not saying that they should sell for that new. But, I find that eBay is usually a good indicator of what the general public is willing to spend on, or just a general interest in a certain brand. I still think that the best way to rebound the Wilson perception is to get clubs in the hands of golfers. Having a shelf full of $500 drivers just looks like no one is interested in the brand. Selling them $100-$150 cheaper than the big boys and getting them in bags of every day golfers speaks a lot more to me. With how good this club looks, I think they could absolutely clean house at $399. All the big OEM's are jumping to $500+ and I think a lot of golfers just won't spend that kind of money outside of this forum.

[GoGoErky]

Honestly, it's a very deep face and the head is black so those are two things I actually really like about it. It is a Wilson though so it's $499 today and $179 by Jan 1.

 

So true!

 

Maybe, maybe not.

 

The Wilson C300 driver was launched in the UK on January at £349. Today, virtually a year later, they are £299.

 

Possibly Wilson are taking a lot of bad mouthing without true evidence.

 

I think the kicker is the fact that the drivers are going for just over 50% of the retail price at auction. I saw one on eBay the other day go for $270. Not saying that they should sell for that new. But, I find that eBay is usually a good indicator of what the general public is willing to spend on, or just a general interest in a certain brand. I still think that the best way to rebound the Wilson perception is to get clubs in the hands of golfers. Having a shelf full of $500 drivers just looks like no one is interested in the brand. Selling them $100-$150 cheaper than the big boys and getting them in bags of every day golfers speaks a lot more to me. With how good this club looks, I think they could absolutely clean house at $399. All the big OEM's are jumping to $500+ and I think a lot of golfers just won't spend that kind of money outside of this forum.

 

I’m curious how many of the eBay sales are did those who want the shaft and not looking to pay the $300 for it

[radiman]

Honestly, it's a very deep face and the head is black so those are two things I actually really like about it. It is a Wilson though so it's $499 today and $179 by Jan 1.

 

So true!

 

Maybe, maybe not.

 

The Wilson C300 driver was launched in the UK on January at £349. Today, virtually a year later, they are £299.

 

Possibly Wilson are taking a lot of bad mouthing without true evidence.

 

I think the kicker is the fact that the drivers are going for just over 50% of the retail price at auction. I saw one on eBay the other day go for $270. Not saying that they should sell for that new. But, I find that eBay is usually a good indicator of what the general public is willing to spend on, or just a general interest in a certain brand. I still think that the best way to rebound the Wilson perception is to get clubs in the hands of golfers. Having a shelf full of $500 drivers just looks like no one is interested in the brand. Selling them $100-$150 cheaper than the big boys and getting them in bags of every day golfers speaks a lot more to me. With how good this club looks, I think they could absolutely clean house at $399. All the big OEM's are jumping to $500+ and I think a lot of golfers just won't spend that kind of money outside of this forum.

 

I'm curious how many of the eBay sales are did those who want the shaft and not looking to pay the $300 for it

 

I think that it isn't a bad deal for someone looking to buy an Atmos. If I were looking for the shaft, I would seriously consider getting the Cortex at that price just to try it out.

[Nixhex524]

Honestly, it's a very deep face and the head is black so those are two things I actually really like about it. It is a Wilson though so it's $499 today and $179 by Jan 1.

 

So true!

 

Maybe, maybe not.

 

The Wilson C300 driver was launched in the UK on January at £349. Today, virtually a year later, they are £299.

 

Possibly Wilson are taking a lot of bad mouthing without true evidence.

 

I think the kicker is the fact that the drivers are going for just over 50% of the retail price at auction. I saw one on eBay the other day go for $270. Not saying that they should sell for that new. But, I find that eBay is usually a good indicator of what the general public is willing to spend on, or just a general interest in a certain brand. I still think that the best way to rebound the Wilson perception is to get clubs in the hands of golfers. Having a shelf full of $500 drivers just looks like no one is interested in the brand. Selling them $100-$150 cheaper than the big boys and getting them in bags of every day golfers speaks a lot more to me. With how good this club looks, I think they could absolutely clean house at $399. All the big OEM's are jumping to $500+ and I think a lot of golfers just won't spend that kind of money outside of this forum.

 

I think this is spot on. I hit this driver today and was really impressed actually. I was getting 2 mph faster ball speeds than I have seen on other drivers I have tried lately. Will I spend $500 on it... no. But I do think if Wilson wants in, selling these for less than what the big boys are charging would get them in much quicker. Great looking, quality performance... it does have potential, but pinning it up against drivers that are already priced too high regardless of brand is a death wish IMO. I spent the money on a TS3, still... it hurt and was almost embarrassing LOL, same with the Srixon. The Cortex outperformed both of them for me. If it were $399, I would definitely consider buying one and not feel like I was getting bent over.

[skraly]

Honestly, it's a very deep face and the head is black so those are two things I actually really like about it. It is a Wilson though so it's $499 today and $179 by Jan 1.

 

So true!

 

Maybe, maybe not.

 

The Wilson C300 driver was launched in the UK on January at £349. Today, virtually a year later, they are £299.

 

Possibly Wilson are taking a lot of bad mouthing without true evidence.

 

I think the kicker is the fact that the drivers are going for just over 50% of the retail price at auction. I saw one on eBay the other day go for $270. Not saying that they should sell for that new. But, I find that eBay is usually a good indicator of what the general public is willing to spend on, or just a general interest in a certain brand. I still think that the best way to rebound the Wilson perception is to get clubs in the hands of golfers. Having a shelf full of $500 drivers just looks like no one is interested in the brand. Selling them $100-$150 cheaper than the big boys and getting them in bags of every day golfers speaks a lot more to me. With how good this club looks, I think they could absolutely clean house at $399. All the big OEM's are jumping to $500+ and I think a lot of golfers just won't spend that kind of money outside of this forum.

 

I think this is spot on. I hit this driver today and was really impressed actually. I was getting 2 mph faster ball speeds than I have seen on other drivers I have tried lately. Will I spend $500 on it... no. But I do think if Wilson wants in, selling these for less than what the big boys are charging would get them in much quicker. Great looking, quality performance... it does have potential, but pinning it up against drivers that are already priced too high regardless of brand is a death wish IMO. I spent the money on a TS3, still... it hurt and was almost embarrassing LOL, same with the Srixon. The Cortex outperformed both of them for me. If it were $399, I would definitely consider buying one and not feel like I was getting bent over.

So you deliberately purchased an inferior driver, for your swing, desite the fact that both drivers were priced the same? No wonder you were embarrassed.

[Nixhex524]

 

So you deliberately purchased an inferior driver, for your swing, desite the fact that both drivers were priced the same? No wonder you were embarrassed.

 

Get it right..... "almost embarrassed".... LOL I had store credit so I demoed both and lost nothing on either per store policy upon return. Are you insinuating I should have bought the Cortex instead... which, wasn't even out at the time? Just sharing some real world experience, what are you doing?

[radiman]

 

So you deliberately purchased an inferior driver, for your swing, desite the fact that both drivers were priced the same? No wonder you were embarrassed.

 

Get it right..... "almost embarrassed".... LOL I had store credit so I demoed both and lost nothing on either per store policy upon return. Are you insinuating I should have bought the Cortex instead... which, wasn't even out at the time? Just sharing some real world experience, what are you doing?

 

Unwadding his panties cause apparently they're in a bunch.

[the bishop]

Honestly, it's a very deep face and the head is black so those are two things I actually really like about it. It is a Wilson though so it's $499 today and $179 by Jan 1.

 

So true!

 

Maybe, maybe not.

 

The Wilson C300 driver was launched in the UK on January at £349. Today, virtually a year later, they are £299.

 

Possibly Wilson are taking a lot of bad mouthing without true evidence.

 

I think the kicker is the fact that the drivers are going for just over 50% of the retail price at auction. I saw one on eBay the other day go for $270. Not saying that they should sell for that new. But, I find that eBay is usually a good indicator of what the general public is willing to spend on, or just a general interest in a certain brand. I still think that the best way to rebound the Wilson perception is to get clubs in the hands of golfers. Having a shelf full of $500 drivers just looks like no one is interested in the brand. Selling them $100-$150 cheaper than the big boys and getting them in bags of every day golfers speaks a lot more to me. With how good this club looks, I think they could absolutely clean house at $399. All the big OEM's are jumping to $500+ and I think a lot of golfers just won't spend that kind of money outside of this forum.

IRT to the people who are selling them on ebay: The fact that they are going for low prices isn't a reflection on the quality of the club or Wilson as a whole. It's a reflection on their (the seller's) lack of awareness of Wilson as a golf brand in both the marketplace and the minds of the consumers as well as misjudging supply and demand. Whereas TM or Callaway can spend $MM's on marketing leading up to a launch of a new product, which generates a lot of pre-demand and assures selling out of a first production run if early reviews and "first looks" are positive, DvD simply generated a lot of brand recognition and interest for people to at least go to a store, put it in hand and hopefully buy. If they do that, and I think they have, then its a win for Wilson because that wasn't happening with releases prior to this. So if people bought them with the idea of flipping them for a profit because they thought demand would be high they were misguided and again that says nothing about the relative merits of the club. I haven't hit it but reviews seem to be mostly positive and IMO it looks terrific.

I'm a W/S fan and their irons/wedges have consistently been first rate. Their woods much less so although they have had a sprinkling that have been really good performers but those have been the exceptions. The challenge for them is to get people to accept that they can produce a first class Driver/fw/hybrid so that when they do release more people pay attention and give them a shot. For people who say they'll never be TM or Callaway in terms of market presence or adoption that is not Wilson's goal here IMO. Mizuno, from what I read on this site, makes very good woods that people say are underrated but have a loyal following. They also appear to be penetrating more Tour players bags. If Wilson can achieve something similar that would be huge for them. I could see maybe one more season of DvD but don't see it as a consistent ongoing concern for Wilson.

[GoGoErky]

Honestly, it's a very deep face and the head is black so those are two things I actually really like about it. It is a Wilson though so it's $499 today and $179 by Jan 1.

 

So true!

 

Maybe, maybe not.

 

The Wilson C300 driver was launched in the UK on January at £349. Today, virtually a year later, they are £299.

 

Possibly Wilson are taking a lot of bad mouthing without true evidence.

 

I think the kicker is the fact that the drivers are going for just over 50% of the retail price at auction. I saw one on eBay the other day go for $270. Not saying that they should sell for that new. But, I find that eBay is usually a good indicator of what the general public is willing to spend on, or just a general interest in a certain brand. I still think that the best way to rebound the Wilson perception is to get clubs in the hands of golfers. Having a shelf full of $500 drivers just looks like no one is interested in the brand. Selling them $100-$150 cheaper than the big boys and getting them in bags of every day golfers speaks a lot more to me. With how good this club looks, I think they could absolutely clean house at $399. All the big OEM's are jumping to $500+ and I think a lot of golfers just won't spend that kind of money outside of this forum.

IRT to the people who are selling them on ebay: The fact that they are going for low prices isn't a reflection on the quality of the club or Wilson as a whole. It's a reflection on their (the seller's) lack of awareness of Wilson as a golf brand in both the marketplace and the minds of the consumers as well as misjudging supply and demand. Whereas TM or Callaway can spend $MM's on marketing leading up to a launch of a new product, which generates a lot of pre-demand and assures selling out of a first production run if early reviews and "first looks" are positive, DvD simply generated a lot of brand recognition and interest for people to at least go to a store, put it in hand and hopefully buy. If they do that, and I think they have, then its a win for Wilson because that wasn't happening with releases prior to this. So if people bought them with the idea of flipping them for a profit because they thought demand would be high they were misguided and again that says nothing about the relative merits of the club. I haven't hit it but reviews seem to be mostly positive and IMO it looks terrific.

I'm a W/S fan and their irons/wedges have consistently been first rate. Their woods much less so although they have had a sprinkling that have been really good performers but those have been the exceptions. The challenge for them is to get people to accept that they can produce a first class Driver/fw/hybrid so that when they do release more people pay attention and give them a shot. For people who say they'll never be TM or Callaway in terms of market presence or adoption that is not Wilson's goal here IMO. Mizuno, from what I read on this site, makes very good woods that people say are underrated but have a loyal following. They also appear to be penetrating more Tour players bags. If Wilson can achieve something similar that would be huge for them. I could see maybe one more season of DvD but don't see it as a consistent ongoing concern for Wilson.

 

Imo I don’t think they were buying to flip a profit. They bought based in the show and hype and then when they got the driver it wasn’t as good as what they had and then turned around and sold it on eBay.

 

Anyone with a clue would know that not even tour leveled Scotty’s get flipped for a profit so a Wilson staff driver isn’t going to. There were some pushing the story of sales the first few days of the release then that quoted down after about a week so I’m guessing there were a decent number sold and out if that some unhappy customers who then put them on the bay

[the bishop]

Imo I don't think they were buying to flip a profit. They bought based in the show and hype and then when they got the driver it wasn't as good as what they had and then turned around and sold it on eBay.

 

Anyone with a clue would know that not even tour leveled Scotty's get flipped for a profit so a Wilson staff driver isn't going to. There were some pushing the story of sales the first few days of the release then that quoted down after about a week so I'm guessing there were a decent number sold and out if that some unhappy customers who then put them on the bay

A quick check of ebay just now turned up 16 used Cortex up for sale and over 500 new. Most of those are from internet retailers and the majority priced at the release price of $499, with a few a little lower and with a "or best offer". Not sure how many used have been up before but that's not too many.

[GoGoErky]

Imo I don't think they were buying to flip a profit. They bought based in the show and hype and then when they got the driver it wasn't as good as what they had and then turned around and sold it on eBay.

 

Anyone with a clue would know that not even tour leveled Scotty's get flipped for a profit so a Wilson staff driver isn't going to. There were some pushing the story of sales the first few days of the release then that quoted down after about a week so I'm guessing there were a decent number sold and out if that some unhappy customers who then put them on the bay

A quick check of ebay just now turned up 16 used Cortex up for sale and over 500 new. Most of those are from internet retailers and the majority priced at the release price of $499, with a few a little lower and with a "or best offer". Not sure how many used have been up before but that's not too many.

 

It’s been a couple weeks since I looked but at one point there were close to a dozen used/like new heads on auction that went for between $270-285

[AMKS4]

Someone mentioned earlier that the adapter was plastic?!?! Can anyone who has one confirm this? Just want to know before committing and finding I need to change shafts.

 

BT

 

The adapter itself is metal but the top part that shows the loft change is plastic like the old TM adapters used to be. The loft ferrule part will melt if you try and pull the adapter and I know of no one that carries the ferrule.

 

They are a one piece milled metal part now. I believe they updated it when the C300 came out. Still works the same as the old one, but the plastic is now gone.

[eaglestan66]

Many of the Wilson Cortex drivers are likely being sold this low are by people with PUDs ...personal use discounts.

They gain access to the driver at a much lower price point.

I got mine this way ...it's a great stick ...beat out the TM M4!!

[radiman]

Imo I don't think they were buying to flip a profit. They bought based in the show and hype and then when they got the driver it wasn't as good as what they had and then turned around and sold it on eBay.

 

Anyone with a clue would know that not even tour leveled Scotty's get flipped for a profit so a Wilson staff driver isn't going to. There were some pushing the story of sales the first few days of the release then that quoted down after about a week so I'm guessing there were a decent number sold and out if that some unhappy customers who then put them on the bay

A quick check of ebay just now turned up 16 used Cortex up for sale and over 500 new. Most of those are from internet retailers and the majority priced at the release price of $499, with a few a little lower and with a "or best offer". Not sure how many used have been up before but that's not too many.

 

It's been a couple weeks since I looked but at one point there were close to a dozen used/like new heads on auction that went for between $270-285

 

Still the case. KSouth9 has a few listings. I know that they will list items as used or shop wear to get around the MAP restrictions. When I looked earlier this morning, there had been a total of 52 sold. I didn't go through and average out the prices. But, there were a few that sold right around retail when the driver launched. But, the majority are under $399 with quite a few under $299.

[the bishop]

Imo I don't think they were buying to flip a profit. They bought based in the show and hype and then when they got the driver it wasn't as good as what they had and then turned around and sold it on eBay.

 

Anyone with a clue would know that not even tour leveled Scotty's get flipped for a profit so a Wilson staff driver isn't going to. There were some pushing the story of sales the first few days of the release then that quoted down after about a week so I'm guessing there were a decent number sold and out if that some unhappy customers who then put them on the bay

A quick check of ebay just now turned up 16 used Cortex up for sale and over 500 new. Most of those are from internet retailers and the majority priced at the release price of $499, with a few a little lower and with a "or best offer". Not sure how many used have been up before but that's not too many.

 

It's been a couple weeks since I looked but at one point there were close to a dozen used/like new heads on auction that went for between $270-285

 

Still the case. KSouth9 has a few listings. I know that they will list items as used or shop wear to get around the MAP restrictions. When I looked earlier this morning, there had been a total of 52 sold. I didn't go through and average out the prices. But, there were a few that sold right around retail when the driver launched. But, the majority are under $399 with quite a few under $299.

When I checked I did see a couple of new ones listed at the thoroughly over optimistic price of $899 (for almost any driver much less the Cortex) and they were from US sellers. Anybody understand that strategy?

[johnnypro]

I'm one of those who bought one brand new off ebay at a greatly reduced price.

 

All I can is that after about 10 quality range balls, I KNEW there was no way it was better than my TS2.

 

And even if I thought it was great, the noise alone would drive me nuts!

[Ri_Redneck]

Someone mentioned earlier that the adapter was plastic?!?! Can anyone who has one confirm this? Just want to know before committing and finding I need to change shafts.

 

BT

 

The adapter itself is metal but the top part that shows the loft change is plastic like the old TM adapters used to be. The loft ferrule part will melt if you try and pull the adapter and I know of no one that carries the ferrule.

Golf Works carries the adapters. The F5 and C300 are both the same as what's on the Cortex.

 

Good to know. I can pull the adapter without melting the ferrule, done that before. Just was worried the whole thing was plastic.

 

For those who still think people are buying these for the shafts... If they are, I don't know what they're doing with the heads. There are still no heads alone online anywhere.

 

BT

[blackngold_blood]

Someone mentioned earlier that the adapter was plastic?!?! Can anyone who has one confirm this? Just want to know before committing and finding I need to change shafts.

 

BT

 

The adapter itself is metal but the top part that shows the loft change is plastic like the old TM adapters used to be. The loft ferrule part will melt if you try and pull the adapter and I know of no one that carries the ferrule.

Golf Works carries the adapters. The F5 and C300 are both the same as what's on the Cortex.

 

Good to know. I can pull the adapter without melting the ferrule, done that before. Just was worried the whole thing was plastic.

 

For those who still think people are buying these for the shafts... If they are, I don't know what they're doing with the heads. There are still no heads alone online anywhere.

 

BT

Yeah I have been looking for a decent price on the head only but nobody seems to want to let them go. I wonder if it is because of the rumors about limited quantities?

[PapaJohick]

I bought one and have played it 3 rounds now. Comparing to my f8+ I would say it’s pretty impressive.

 

Looks better down by the ball. Adjustments actually make a difference to me. I was seeing almost 4-500rpms difference in the most forward setting and the most back of the sliding weight. Most I’ve gotten from any other oem in the past few years. Launch is a little higher but not a terrible thing for me as with the lower spin I’m getting better carry and overall roughly the same distance numbers. Maybe 5-8 yards plus or minus depending on strike obviously. Thing is, I was fit for my f8+. I just threw in a shaft to the cortex (ust helium).

 

Feel off the face is very nice. Lively/hot compared to the f8+. Sound could be a little better, but it’s in line with most as cobra seems to always have the most muted/best sounding driver on the market to me. I thought it was in line with the rogue sound wise. Better than an m3 I hit and slightly more hollow than the ts2.

 

Obviously need more rounds but overall color me a fan of it. Is it loads better? No. But it hangs with the best drivers out there and I really don’t see the new Cally/Tm/ping being thatttt much better than their predecessors. Of course I’ll look into that when they come out haha

[linkerpan]

TXG review out. Basically says it keeps with the G400 in ballspeed with less spin. They like it