Will Wilson Golf ever rise to relevance again?

[pak]

The first set of irons I bought were Wilson 1200GE.

 

They were great marketers then with major victories just a distant memory 35 years ago.

 

Sadly, the golf equipment world has passed Wilson by. No matter how good their clubs are, most will never even glance at the brand when shopping in bricks and mortar or online. 
 

 

[Tar_Heel_93]

They are relevant for me😀. I love their irons. Will they ever catch the big 4? No. Will they catch Mizuno or Cobra, doubtful. I just need them to keep making great irons.

[dmeeksDC]

Let’s hope not. If they get real popular then the great prices we’re getting from Wilson right now will rise! 
 

I played another round today with a set of Wilson Staff Model CBs/D9 Forged. Not my only set of irons but they are probably my most precise due to the CB’s compact blade length. I like that look for aiming. Am playing well with these heads and Modus 120 shafts. All I can say is my experience with Wilson is they make well-designed, outstanding clubs.
 

A lot of people who knock them have not ever tried them or last hit a Wilson club decades ago. The discussions about “relevance” are more about how they fare against the big brands but doesn’t matter at all to me as a golfer. I’ve played every big brand and many of the smaller ones. Wilson’s lineup compares very favorably. If you try equipment with an open mind, Wilson will do very well. Most people really don’t do that. I actually enjoy showing up with clubs nobody else is carrying. I’ve got a combo set of fantastic Maltbys I roll with too. 
 

I honestly had not thought of buying Wilson irons. Liked the look of the Staff Model CB and in testing took to it immediately. Felt like a proper iron should. Very consistent. Try them and they will surprise you. Wilson’s better player iron shapes are appealing to me.  Look great in the bag. 
 

[vman]

7 hours ago, Tar_Heel_93 said:

They are relevant for me😀. I love their irons. Will they ever catch the big 4? No. Will they catch Mizuno or Cobra, doubtful. I just need them to keep making great irons.

Nice irons........but those ferrules.😬

[Tar_Heel_93]

54 minutes ago, vman said:

Nice irons........but those ferrules.😬

Yeah, I’m lazy. Just rebuilt the V6 and MB irons and haven’t turned the ferrules yet. CBs aren’t much better as I built them as a test and never went back to fix the ferrules. I should have edited out the ferrules so you guys didn’t have to suffer through that😀.
 

Swing weights are good.

Edited October 13, 2023 by Tar_Heel_93

[Fwitz11]

Happy to see Wilson getting some love. I have always thought there irons looked fantastic but never knew enough about quality. Seems like it’s right on par with the others. Will have to try out a set.

[Tar_Heel_93]

2 hours ago, Fwitz11 said:

Happy to see Wilson getting some love. I have always thought there irons looked fantastic but never knew enough about quality. Seems like it’s right on par with the others. Will have to try out a set.

Wilson irons are right up there with Mizuno, Miura and Bridgestone in my opinion. I love the soft solid feel of the Wilson Staff CB irons. Fit and finish of the iron heads is excellent on the sets I have. Weight progression has been very good so they are easy to build to your desired swing weight. 

[Fwitz11]

32 minutes ago, Tar_Heel_93 said:

Wilson irons are right up there with Mizuno, Miura and Bridgestone in my opinion. I love the soft solid feel of the Wilson Staff CB irons. Fit and finish of the iron heads is excellent on the sets I have. Weight progression has been very good so they are easy to build to your desired swing weight. 

I always seem to be bouncing between players distance iron and GI as a mid handicapper. Are sets like the D9 still as solid as the staff sets?

[Garydean]

5 minutes ago, Fwitz11 said:

I always seem to be bouncing between players distance iron and GI as a mid handicapper. Are sets like the D9 still as solid as the staff sets?

I got d9 and d9 forged both solid iron sets, far from box store quality. 

[BraxtonFullerton]

22 hours ago, hammergolf said:

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.

 

 

Ask Nike.

[boggyman]

Irons and wedges are as good as any I think, especially for the price. I’d love to see them make a comeback and be relevant but likely it’ll happen. Just not enough marketing presence or availability for folks to try! I’m a longtime fan and always will be! 

[boggyman]

21 minutes ago, Fwitz11 said:

I always seem to be bouncing between players distance iron and GI as a mid handicapper. Are sets like the D9 still as solid as the staff sets?

Absolutely! 

[SwooshLT]

22 hours ago, third-times-a-charm said:

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...

 

 

Don't forget, Mizuno has a completely different market that it can rely upon.....And Wilson isn't as GLOBAL as Mizuno 

[rd1959]

17 hours ago, launcher said:

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. 

IMO, Wilson Staff has too many low compression offerings. The 50 elite and Zip are so close in performance (I played both), one could be dropped wihout any issue then, The Duo Pro could have been retained, or they could have kept all three but pick one and increase compression (somewhere in the 70-75 range) on it to fill the gap between low and high compression offerings.

[IcemanYVR]

My first set of irons were the Wilson Staff Dynapower irons. 1-PW. Wilson were pretty popular at the time, with the Titleist, RAM, and McGreggor thrown in for good measure. (this is my memory from our CC as a young, impressionable junior). I like them, cut my teeth and learned to play on them. I also have a set of Wilson Staff Ultra 45 at my Dad's place that were excellent clubs, right up there with the DCI, 845, and PE2 of the day. 

 

Wilson pro level stuff is as good as anything else out there, but they lack the marketing budget to let us know that. They've also tried some funky gimmicks over the years, that I think only diminished their products in golfer's eyes. I think if they concentrated on irons, wedges, and maybe putters (the 8802 is one of the GOAT's) and worked a little harder on player contracts and marketing, they'd surge forward in popularity and rankings.

 

 

[launcher]

5 hours ago, rd1959 said:

IMO, Wilson Staff has too many low compression offerings. The 50 elite and Zip are so close in performance (I played both), one could be dropped wihout any issue then, The Duo Pro could have been retained, or they could have kept all three but pick one and increase compression (somewhere in the 70-75 range) on it to fill the gap between low and high compression offerings.

Agree they have to many ball offerings, but don't they all, (Callaway, Titleist, TM)? I believe the Triad fits the gap you're referring to, but around 85 for compression. The Duo Pro is the softest urethane ball I've ever played without it feeling like a mushy two piece. Have gone to the Tour B RXS as a replacement. 

[rd1959]

53 minutes ago, launcher said:

Agree they have to many ball offerings, but don't they all, (Callaway, Titleist, TM)? I believe the Triad fits the gap you're referring to, but around 85 for compression. The Duo Pro is the softest urethane ball I've ever played without it feeling like a mushy two piece. Have gone to the Tour B RXS as a replacement. 

There's room in their lineup between the low comp. balls (50) and the Triad (85) for another model, make it around 70 comp. I consider the Triad a mid compression ball comparable to balls like the Top Flite Gamer and the Maxfli Tour. 

[launcher]

25 minutes ago, rd1959 said:

There's room in their lineup between the low comp. balls (50) and the Triad (85) for another model, make it around 70 comp. I consider the Triad a mid compression ball comparable to balls like the Top Flite Gamer and the Maxfli Tour. 

Agree again. They could have just kept the Duo Pro in the lineup, as it's around 65 for compression. The Triad makes no sense to me at all, as there are so many urethane balls at that firmness already. 

[rd1959]

24 minutes ago, launcher said:

Agree again. They could have just kept the Duo Pro in the lineup, as it's around 65 for compression. The Triad makes no sense to me at all, as there are so many urethane balls at that firmness already. 

That would've worked. 

[95124hacker]

Only chance is if they hire Paige Spiranac to be the host of the 3rd season of Driver vs Driver lol

[Straphael]

Funny seeing the triad getting some flak because I have switched a few golfers to it seems it’s the most consistent thing on the market. It’s dispersion is amazing and everyone that reviews it sings it’s praises. Not saying the posters here are wrong but surprising to me after so much positive feedback from reviews and other golfers around me. 

[rideandfly]

Purchased a set of new Wilson Staff Graphite Dynapower Irons delivered for a competitive price a few months ago. Owned Ping, Mizuno, Takomo, and Taylormade irons in the past, I'm 68.

 

Completely changed my swing because of knee problems at the same time the Wilson Irons were purchased. These clubs are long hitting and just as accurate as my previous Irons. They have AI designed club face that has forgiveness when the shot is hit on the toe side of center. They are not as nice looking as blades, but Wilson did a nice job on the looks for a game improvement club. Still playing with ProV1s, have not tried Wilson balls yet. The new swing & Wilson Irons are working great for me!

 

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by rideandfly

[WestCoastSeminole]

I sure hope so. They're a classic American company and they make a pretty great product. As many have already said, their players' irons are some of the most beautiful looking irons out there right now and their wedges aren't too far behind. The Cortex driver that came out five or so years ago was also quite good looking. The problem is getting a marketable guy on Tour to win while with Wilson Staff AND with a Wilson Staff driver in the bag. If they can come out with a great driver and get a Tour guy to start winning with one in the bag, people will buy it. 

 

My dad is still a single-digit high-ish speed player (about 100mph driver club head speed) and for years has had a thing for messing around with different brands of premium golf balls, including those outside the big 4 or 5 (Srixon before they were much of a thing in the US, MacGregor, Nicklaus, Maxfli, Wilson Staff to name a few from over the years), and he says the Wilson Staff Model is just as good as any other ball that's out right now. I've also got a friend who is a really high speed player (I saw him register 129mph club head speed once or twice on TrackMan when we were in college) and we recently played in a scramble where he was hitting the Staff Model off the tee. I'm not sure why he was playing it since he had never played one before but he was very impressed with it.

 

Simply put, the answer to how Wilson Golf/Wilson Staff will rise from the ashes is probably doing or both of the following:

• Come out with a great driver at a competitive price point, AND/OR
• Come out with a great golf ball at a competitive price point

And following that up with both of the following:

• Find a highly ranked and marketable player(s) to use it and have success with it on Tour (preferably in Majors)
• Do all the marketing needed to back the product up (advertising with the player(s), product demos at local courses/shops/golf expos, etc.)

[dmeeksDC]

On 10/15/2023 at 1:48 AM, Straphael said:

Funny seeing the triad getting some flak because I have switched a few golfers to it seems it’s the most consistent thing on the market. It’s dispersion is amazing and everyone that reviews it sings it’s praises. Not saying the posters here are wrong but surprising to me after so much positive feedback from reviews and other golfers around me. 

Nothing wrong with the Triad. Plenty of players find it is a great ball for them. People like to knock Wilson. 

[bekgolf]

Wilson makes solid equipment.  Somewhere in the balance sheet is a ratio of advertising cost vs manufacturing and r&d cost vs price point.  Whatever is it that they do it works for them and they continue to make quality sporting goods.

 

I would agree that their golfing products are better than the perception most golfers have of the WS brand.  I've been most impressed with WS golf balls.  I can't understand how they make these great balls than nobody knows about.  One example would be the 50 Elite, a fantastic two piece ball that suits the needs of many golfers for a great price. 

 

If they were a DTC company everyone would be singing their praises.

[ronnbee]

I stll have the Cortex driver

[Steve o]

 Some like the irons, some don't. Some like Triad and others like a ball thats discontinued. Woods have gotten great reviews in Europe and in the states. Another website name the DP 3wood its best in it's testing review. Still, it's like people are afraid to try the brand.

They have bags on tour but it's mainly journeymen. None have the driver in the bag.

They don't treat golf like they treat tennis, or any ball sport. They dominate football, basketball and baseball with the ball. A lot of us come to golf from sports we played a kids. We know Wilson balls, bats, racquets, gloves, Seems you could market against that.

 Get their tech reps into the field into public and private courses and create some form of the Pepsi Challenge. (Yes, I am old) If it's tried iWilson will win a fair amount. 

 

[me05501]

On 10/12/2023 at 11:22 PM, dmeeksDC said:

Let’s hope not. If they get real popular then the great prices we’re getting from Wilson right now will rise! 
 

 

This is exactly the problem IMO. They've conditioned the buying public to ignore their MSRP and wait 12 months to buy the same clubs at half off. 

 

I'm willing to bet that no one on this thread is buying Wilson gear at full retail upon release. Everyone knows they just have to be a little patient and they can buy Mizuno quality at half the cost. 

 

That's a great value for the consumer but doesn't seem like a very good deal for Wilson. 

[bluedot]

If there are Wilson fitting carts, I’ve never seen them.  If there are Wilson Demo Days, I’ve never known of one. No ads, print or TV.  So the question becomes whether or not Wilson is really trying to break through.  

 

I’m 71, and I remember when Wilson and MacGregor were dominant in golf equipment.  The name “Wilson Staff” for clubs and balls was elite.  I played college tennis, and we got Wilson rackets as team equipment (Jack Kramer’s or Stan Smith’s, your pick). My son was a baseball player, and the Wilson A2000 is still one of the iconic pro-level gloves on the market.  I was a HS basketball coach, and the Wilson Jet ball is not only still the gold standard of leather basketballs, but the official ball of the NBA.  Same with the NFL; The Duke is the official ball, and a ton of college and HS teams also use Wilson footballs.

 

So Wilson as an elite global, multi-sport company is unquestioned.  In fact, I’m not sure there is another company in the world with as much of a multi-sport, top level presence as Wilson, even today.  I don’t think anybody that uses current Wilson golf clubs or balls has anything but good to say about them; Wilson makes quality stuff in every sport.

 

So I’ve got to figure that they are unwilling to spend the money they’d have to spend to TRY to break thru to the highest level of golf equipment sales, with absolutely NO guarantee that it would work.  Doesn’t mean that Wilson is ok with where they are, but might mean there is no easy path forward to greater sales.

[dmeeksDC]

25 minutes ago, me05501 said:

 

This is exactly the problem IMO. They've conditioned the buying public to ignore their MSRP and wait 12 months to buy the same clubs at half off. 

 

I'm willing to bet that no one on this thread is buying Wilson gear at full retail upon release. Everyone knows they just have to be a little patient and they can buy Mizuno quality at half the cost. 

 

That's a great value for the consumer but doesn't seem like a very good deal for Wilson. 

Oh, I think they still make money. What price cuts prove is how overpriced golf clubs are upon release. People are acting like Wilson Golf is struggling. It is part of a huge, successful company. 

 

You can buy new gear at a discount from any OEM if you wait. All the prices are ridiculous. I rarely buy any irons at full retail. No reason to do that. All of them go on sale sooner or later. Or you find new releases that someone buys and immediately does not like. Or buy components such as Maltby, which are excellent clubs. Irons don’t change that much if at all. I don’t even like to pay full retail for drivers but I did in the case of Paradym Triple Diamond because I loved it. But then I was getting a double bonus on trade-ins that made a big cost difference. And I’ll splurge on a putter here and there but I am often getting a previous release. 
 

Really, buying the Wilson CB’s is about as close as I’ve come — paid retail, but at the sale price after the new one was announced, but then paid to have Modus 120’s installed. Granted, that happened after three full testing sessions. It was the tight dispersion more than anything. They kept testing as more accurate for me, so something about the shape fits my eye. 
 

You can find great gear mining the close outs and barely used previous releases.