Will Wilson Golf ever rise to relevance again?

[Jag80]

I work in golf retail and recently met with our Wilson Golf rep.  He's a new guy so he was fired up about his products.  They have some interesting ideas with branding and prices.  Won't go into it here, but keep an eye out in the first quarter of 2024.  We have a big problem getting people to even try Wilson clubs.  Of course everyone asks for the Big Four (Cally, Titleist, Ping and TM.)  Try to put Wilson in the mix and most give you the side eye..LOL  We, as gear hoes know Wilson stuff is as good or better in some cases as any of the current lines offered by competitors.  

 

My question to you is what do you think will happen with their golf division?  Being that they are a full line Sporting Goods company, golf is just a small part of the big picture.  Thoughts?

[PowerCobra98]

Reputations are hard to change.  I wasn't around in the days when Wilson was prominent so I have no frame of reference.  I've also never looked at Wilson clubs before with any sort of interest.  However, having seen from the other thread what's coming for their 2024 Blades and CB's I will most certainly be giving Wilson a look and may even buy a set.  I can never have too many sets of irons so I may as well throw a set of Wilson's in there. 

[scott406]

I have never tried a Wilson club

 

But the Wilson Triads are a fantastic golf ball

 

[JDTex]

Their reputation was built off of Tour player success in the (distant) past. They make good stuff but they need to sign a big name or two and then have them have success with their clubs in the bag IMO for them to get truly back in the conversation. They had a little bump when Woodland won the US Open but then he left the company. Lower tier tour guys (not a slight so don’t take it as one) won’t move the needle. 

[me05501]

I think it's pretty obvious that they are existing right where they are willing to be in the marketplace. That means they know exactly what they'd need to do to grow or be more profitable but they have calculated that the required spend is not worth making. 

 

The products are good and comparable to most other "name" OEM brands. They must be selling them to someone. I only know one friend who plays Wilson irons and he got them for free from another buddy who didn't need them anymore. 

[Davidv]

They need to sign a high profile Pro to play their clubs, a top 10 Pro and they need more marketing.  Until then they will be viewed as a less expensive alternative to the big 3.

[GoGoErky]

29 minutes ago, JDTex said:

Their reputation was built off of Tour player success in the (distant) past. They make good stuff but they need to sign a big name or two and then have them have success with their clubs in the bag IMO for them to get truly back in the conversation. They had a little bump when Woodland won the US Open but then he left the company. Lower tier tour guys (not a slight so don’t take it as one) won’t move the needle. 

And despite financial benefits to play their driver they couldn’t find a combo for him to play which probably didn’t help draw attention 

[bcflyguy1]

Equipment performance constraints do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to preserving the status quo; makes it all but impossible to bring out a truly revolutionary product that will produce significant upward mobility in the market place. That leaves competitors scoring massive own goals (think Callaway C4, Taylormade R1/SLDR, Titleist 907) as the only real means for change in market share.

[Shilgy]

Wilson…Cobra….Honma….Fourteen….Srixon…..Bridgestone….Mizuno…PXG

 

All make really good irons.  All are a step, or two or three or four, behind the big four in popularity. Largely because of marketing.

[cgasucks]

1 hour ago, PowerCobra98 said:

Reputations are hard to change.  I wasn't around in the days when Wilson was prominent so I have no frame of reference.  I've also never looked at Wilson clubs before with any sort of interest.  However, having seen from the other thread what's coming for their 2024 Blades and CB's I will most certainly be giving Wilson a look and may even buy a set.  I can never have too many sets of irons so I may as well throw a set of Wilson's in there. 

 

I agree.  I started golf in 2000 and Wilson really wasn't much as force as it was in the 50s to the 80s.  They don't have the marketing budget as the big OEMs since their parent company won't give it to them so it hurts.  No question their clubs are great but they'll have to do their best to get rid of their reputation of boxed sets sold at your local Walmart before they can get back on their feet.

[cgasucks]

29 minutes ago, bcflyguy1 said:

Equipment performance constraints do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to preserving the status quo; makes it all but impossible to bring out a truly revolutionary product that will produce significant upward mobility in the market place. That leaves competitors scoring massive own goals (think Callaway C4, Taylormade R1/SLDR, Titleist 907) as the only real means for change in market share.

 

More like Jetspeed.

[Puttersaurus Rex]

Another year, another "Wilson relevant?" thread.

 

[hammergolf]

They make great products, and have a great pedigree and history. Wilson still has more major wins than any other club manufacturer. However, most of the younger golfers don’t know that. The hardest thing to do is to create or re-establish a brands perception. A big part of this in the golf market is tour usage. To make a difference in that segment takes a TON of money. I will say this, Wilson has Tour level products. I have no doubt that if they spent tens of millions of dollars they could win on tour. The issue is, would the investment of capital going to the Tour give you the return needed to justify it.

[Putter Addict]

I have a few of the Wilson infinite putters and the L is my current gamer. I have also owned some of the D series irons and woods. They are great clubs and a relative bargain price, but unfortunately I think Wilson has a couple things working against them. First off is a lack of big names playing their stuff. They simply don't have the money to put into endorsement deals that TM and Callaway have. Second I think the confusion between the consumer big box store brand Wilson and Wilson Staff hurts their ability to be taken seriously by a lot of golfers. I think it would help them to rebrand one or the other to differentiate the two, but who knows if that would ultimately hurt or help. 

[03trdblack]

1 hour ago, GoGoErky said:

And despite financial benefits to play their driver they couldn’t find a combo for him to play which probably didn’t help draw attention 

 

Or anyone else for that matter which is amazing to me because the Carbon driver is really good 

[KimmerBH]

I don't think they wanna be relevant again. When was the last time you saw a Wilson golf commercial? I've never seen one. Not even an ad in a golf magazine like ever. Their marketing is nonexistent as far as I know. At least in the US.

[BlueDragonKorea]

The problem is that it's not enough for Wilson to be as good as the big 4, they have to be substantially better than them to generate any buzz at all. There's not that much room (if any) for that to occur in any category of clubs, or at any of the different price points. And from the retail/fitting side, if the big 4 represent the best (or at least are among the best), why is there a reason to change?

Edited October 12, 2023 by BlueDragonKorea

[third-times-a-charm]

They have a long way to go. Its all about branding and reputation. Why do you think the big 4 spend tens of millions on it? The big 4 have good R&D and products to back it up, but the marketing will always get the bulk of the expenditure. 

 

You see how hard it is for Mizuno who has good performing AND good looking products.

 

Wilson current has very few that are both.

 

Money, money, money. Wilson will need to spend millions in the right personnel to design and build good looking and performing clubs and untold millions more to market them - if the company can stomach that.

 

Not to mention Wilson has market penetration in other sports and that can negatively effect their golf branding. Just ask Mizuno...

 

[AdamMH]

Everyone knows that capturing market share isn't just about good products - they're a requirement but if you don't get eyes and hands on the product it won't sell.

I do hope Wilson can make a comeback, but so far the only Wilson products to have caught my eye were 40+ years old...

[wam78]

Agreed about marketing.  It’s a big boy game when it comes to branding and marketing this day and age.  However, they are doing the right things and are on the right path with equipment.  Their irons and woods are making improvements.  The new putter line is pretty fantastic, but you barely seem them anywhere… ever.

 

It would be nice to see them make a real run at it because the products speaks for themselves.  High quality forgings, improved design on woods and golf balls.  One or 2 big names on tour would do them some good.  Gary Woodland was great for them, but only for a short time.

 

They seem to be more popular in EU currently.

[leftylama]

They have some great products. The Staff CB which I have, the Tour V6, and the  Blades are equal to anything the big 4 have. But certainly, in OZ, they are their own worst enemy when it comes to promotion/support to their dealer network.

 

As one of their main sellers told me, they're so hard to deal with now he doesn't bother putting the product forward to customers.

[Potch]

Unfair or lot, I think it is a lot easier for the smaller equipment manufacturers to get traction with irons/wedges/putters than it is for them to succeed with drivers/woods/hybrids. From my perspective, the assumption is that you need much bigger R&D budgets to optimize the latest technology in something like a driver to provide incremental gains on what's already out there, and it's tough for Wilson to compete with the big names on those clubs. But make a pretty set of forged blades or CBs, which fundamentally haven't changed for decades? People will give them a shot. I own and really like the Staff Model blades. But even trying a Wilson driver has never entered my head.   

[Kmagnuss]

I didn't even know Wilson still made clubs until fairly recently.  Then I bought some.  You know how when you buy a new car you suddenly start to notice that same model car all over the place?  Well that never happened with Wilson... I've still never seen an ad for them or another player using them (in person).

[NRJyzr]

5 hours ago, Shilgy said:

Wilson…Cobra….Honma….Fourteen….Srixon…..Bridgestone….Mizuno…PXG

 

All make really good irons.  All are a step, or two or three or four, behind the big four in popularity. Largely because of marketing.

 

I would say "entirely because of marketing," but I'm funny that way  😁

 

[nlinneman20]

Man I got the D7 Forged and LOVE them.

 

I tell people I'm playing them and they think I'm playing some rusty blade from the 80's until they see them.

[rd1959]

All I can say is Wilson has always been relevant....to me. I learned to play golf with my father's set of W/S blades back in the early 70s. As shocking as that may sound to all the younger, more modern teens, my wedge game was learned using a 90 year old hickory shafted niblick. I still use W/S equipment. Wilson Staff equipment is just as good as any other brand.  

[mantan]

As others have said, the problem is marketing and brand awareness.

 

The Wilson Staff stuff is REALLY good.  But I'd bet 90+% of golfers could explain the difference between the Wilson and Wilson Staff line.

 

So their good stuff gets confused with their cheap entry level stuff in the minds of consumers. And no matter how well it works, nobody wants to pay premium prices for something that is perceived as a poor brand. I'd say a brand with no reputation is better than a brand with a poor repuation.

 

And even the golfers who do know about the WS line feel differently about it than when they play main brands.  I played the Wilson Triad ball for awhile this year...and fairly or unfairly, I felt a certain way when we'd all share what ball/marking we were using at the beginning of a league round.

[blufblufshuv]

If Wilson keep on pumping out quality product like the unreal Staff Blades, they will always be relevant.

[launcher]

As many have stated. Wilson is as good as anything out there. Marketing is huge factor, but product cycles are the most important. Even the big four have had some lousy product cycles, but Wilson hasn't had enough really good ones. The C300 line has been their best. They need to follow that up to stay relevant. 

 

Same for the ball market. The Duo Professional was a fantastic ball, but then the replace it with the Triad? Not as good, and only in white? Makes no sense really. 

[Straphael]

They have almost zero presence here outside of the box stores. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in a pro shop which for selling things like balls matters. Shame because I’d put their ball offerings up against anything else on the market. 
they have a great line up all the way through the bag and I could easily play a whole Wilson staff bag driver to putter. But their shaft offerings are pretty poor and there’s almost no way for me to try them without just ordering and using the pga superstore return policy. 
Getting product in hands is the biggest challenge for them. Not sure if that means demo days constantly or begging fitting centers to carry and push them. Nobody knows that they are making quality products but they don’t really do anything to change that perception