Wilson Golf Product Testing and Fitting Experience @ Pinehurst | Following Along Here

[Olson12]

Dinner time! 

[Orchardist]

It pays to play Wilson.  Toast!

 

[golfnerd91]

6 minutes ago, Orchardist said:

It pays to play Wilson.  Toast!

 

[Olson12]

8am tee time but we’re closing down Dugan’s Pub.

[TM golf guy]

Just now, Olson12 said:

8am tee time but we’re closing down Dugan’s Pub.

 

[Orchardist]

4 minutes ago, TM golf guy said:

 

That a boy…

 

Great day following you lads.

[QuigleyDU]

1 hour ago, Olson12 said:

Dinner time! 

That not terrible.

[molecularman]

1 hour ago, Olson12 said:

Dinner time! 

I hope Wilson is sending everyone home with a few pairs of pants in the next size up.  😁

[ChrisATL]

I missed the wrong day to be off WRX - finally caught up. What a great day of testing - super jealous of this incredible opportunity. Can’t wait to see pics of #10 tomorrow!

[Orchardist]

6 minutes ago, molecularman said:

I hope Wilson is sending everyone home with a few pairs of pants in the next size up.  😁

Now we know where the profits go..😂

[Olson12]

Alright… Day 2

 

Slept like a baby after a long day of travel, thanks to a little help from ZzzQuil. Thank goodness!

 

Started the day off with breakfast at the buffet at the Carolina Hotel. Delicious and quick—the perfect combo. Full-service omelet bar, biscuits and gravy, French toast, OJ, bacon… and the list goes on. Great start to the day.

 

We hopped on the shuttle from our hotel over to No. 8, and as we pulled in, I spotted the iconic Wilson Red from 200 yards away. The excitement started to grow. I knew today would be fun, but I had no idea what we were in store for.

 

First Step: Meet the Film Crew

 

I brought my Insta360 action camera, tripod, and even bought some DJI microphones to try and get really good content for you all. Boy, would that have been embarrassing. The GolfWRX and Wilson crew had a full production setup—mics, producers, the works. Bob Thurman, the Global VP of Golf, was mic’d up and ready to do some intros and set the agenda for the day. He introduced Ed Garland, their VIP club fitter and the brains behind their new AI fitting tool. We met both of them the night before, but this time it was all business. If you’ve ever had a conversation with someone about their passion, you know how easy it is to feed off their energy and gain that same level of excitement. Both of these guys LOVE golf and love Wilson golf. Bob has been there for 32 years, for goodness' sake.

 

AI Fit

@Shilgy went first, and I watched the process. Wilson gave me an iPad that mirrored what Ed was doing, so I saw all the cool data points. I’ll leave that part for Shilgy to cover for you all.

 

My Turn

 

You start by building a profile. It asks about your skill level, goals in golf, grip size, wrist-to-floor measurements, height, and a few other pieces I’ve forgotten about. Once you have that, the fitting is with a stock 7-iron with a softish flex shaft. Ed walked me through the tech along with the do’s and don’ts for the fitting. The sensor is similar to hitting a club with an Arccos sensor on the butt. However, instead of screwing into the grip, this sensor is an extension of the grip and aligns with the clubface. It measures your G-force, Axis, Tempo, and many other things I don’t fully understand. Ed is going to send us some screenshots from our profiles, and I’ll share those when they come through.

 

After warming up, Ed had me hit a handful of shots. It took maybe five or six shots, and we decided it was enough. Of the six shots, I hit four pretty well, one perfectly, and one really bad one. The app spits out recommendations based on all the data it collected and gives you both a steel and graphite option. On the graphite side, it went straight to the Steelfiber 110s, so that was the first one we tried. Ed built up a 7-iron in the Wilson Staff CB with the Steelfiber 110s, and we were off to the races.

Iron First Impressions

 

They aren’t that shiny. Living in Arizona, I was genuinely concerned that the chrome would be a problem, but it wasn’t. They framed the ball really well—no offset and a very good-looking topline. Compared to my T100, I think the Wilson looks slightly larger from the top, but it could just be the finish difference.

Iron Results

 

I currently play a Titleist T100/T100s combo set with Nippon Modus 120x shafts. I bought this used set from a local shop after bouncing around a few different sets. (Thank God for the 90-day playability policy.) We’ve all heard the standard saying, “you want 1k spin x the number of the club.” For me, I’ve never even come close to getting 7k with my 7-iron. I’ve always hovered around 5500 and just learned to play with the rollout. My first few shots with the Staff CB were 7400, 7600, and 7100 with the Wilson Model X ball. Nice high cut, landed soft, PERFECT. Didn’t need to hit any other combos. However, what kind of WRX’er would I be if I didn’t check out the other offerings? So, let’s give the blades a shot.

 

I’m not a blade guy. To me, if I see pros starting to play CB’s, then there is no reason I should even be holding these things. First few swings were okay. It took a few to get the turf interaction down and the feel of the club. After hitting a few good ones, I look at the Flightscope and see I’m at 8200 spin with a 7-iron. LOL! I went from never sniffing 7k to being over 8k. Okay, I’ve had enough fun. Ed tells me he’s seen enough and knows what I should be playing. He asks me if I plan on playing the Utility. UMMMM YES! He then makes up my set: 4-PW Wilson Staff CB, Steelfiber 110X soft-step.

 

Driver First Impressions

 

Ed was focusing on irons, so I had the pleasure of working with Harry Nodwell. He’s the resident equipment junkie, but I think his official title is Pro Equipment Manager?! I had never seen, held, or swung a Wilson club before this trip. So when I grabbed the driver and saw the carbon crown, I had flashbacks to the 2017 M1 from TaylorMade. It had a nice shape, and since we started with the 10.5 and turned it down, the face sat just open enough to fit my eye. Harry had watched me hit irons for a bit, so he had a good understanding of my swing and built up a combo for us to start with and build a baseline. I didn’t want to put any thought into what he was building, so when he handed me the club with a shaft I didn’t recognize, I fought the urge to check out the specs and just started swinging. Guys, the driver is GOOD. Solid, muted sound, and it just jumped off the face. I was able to keep my misses on the planet, and when hit well, this thing was a rocket launcher. I posted my Flightscope numbers earlier, and they were pretty good. Harry wanted to get my launch up just a little bit, so we threw in some other shafts that were a bit more recognizable (AD DI & Velocore Blue). While the good hits were good, when the swing was off, the misses were just too big for me. So we decided to go with the original baseline build, which happened to be the stock shaft offering.

 

Driver Setup:

Dynacore Carbon 10.5* -1* on the sleeve with the Project X Denali Blue 6s

 

Utility Iron

 

I’ve played Srixon & Ping Utilities for a while now. I recently gave up the Crossover and went back to a 3 hybrid because the offset was just not working for me. Since the club was just announced today, we had just the stock HZRDUS Black shaft in both the 3 and 4 iron. I hit the 3 and realized it’s been a really long time since I hit a long iron. It took a few swings, but I started to find my groove. Minimal offset, satin finish, and a good-looking topline. This thing is going to compete with the big boys. Hell, @TLUBulldogGolf was getting 150mph ball speed when hitting it off of a tee.

 

Man, this is getting long! Sorry, guys.

 

Wedges and Ball

 

Now onto the biggest surprises for me—something I wasn’t really looking for: wedges and the ball. Many of you know how hard it is to get ‘fit’ for these two parts of our bags, but they impact our scores more than any other clubs. Wilson had every loft and bounce combo in the lineup, and we hit them all.

Wedge First Thoughts

 

The HT is not for me. Didn’t like the shape and just couldn’t get comfortable holding it. I currently play 50, 54, 60 Vokey SM9 wedges but decided to give the 58/6* a whirl, and I’m glad I did. I mentioned to the staff earlier that I never use my 60 for anything longer than 50 yards. I’ve never felt comfortable with a full swing lob. Going to the 58* gives me more confidence on full shots but was still able to hit all the chips and bunker shots I normally hit with my 60*.

Guys… These are fully forged wedges for $150. I just ordered my three Vokey wedges a few months ago for like $600. What the hell, man! If you are in the market for wedges, do yourself a favor and just give them a shot. Nice traditional shape and a super soft feel. Not too clicky but still gives audible feedback on mishits.

 

The Ball

 

Harry was excited to show us the performance numbers on the two different Staff Model balls. I had hit the X with irons and the regular with the driver, and both felt good on both shots. It all came down to the spin around the greens and the feel off the putter. Around the green and from the bunker, the X was by far the better ball for me. Tons of spin but still felt good off the face. I lipped out three chips from 25 yards and only bladed one off the green.

We hit their Staff and Infinite line of putters. I again went with the X. Off the Infinite cast line, it was a bit clicky for my taste, but off the fully milled Staff model, it felt soft enough for me to put in play.

 

I’ll give the ball a full run-through tomorrow over at No. 10 (if I don’t lose them all). But overall, I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the Wilson product. What stands out the most is the people behind the scenes. This group of people is IMPRESSIVE. They love golf, they are competitive, and they want to compete with the best of the best. I’m thankful to be part of their story, and once we get the full set and get a chance to play them out in the wild, I’ll be able to give a more thorough breakdown.

 

I’m going to bed now. Goodnight!

[Orchardist]

Olson12, outstanding report.  Thank you for taking the time to share your day!

[NAM2212]

9 hours ago, Olson12 said:

Alright… Day 2

 

Slept like a baby after a long day of travel, thanks to a little help from ZzzQuil. Thank goodness!

 

Started the day off with breakfast at the buffet at the Carolina Hotel. Delicious and quick—the perfect combo. Full-service omelet bar, biscuits and gravy, French toast, OJ, bacon… and the list goes on. Great start to the day.

 

We hopped on the shuttle from our hotel over to No. 8, and as we pulled in, I spotted the iconic Wilson Red from 200 yards away. The excitement started to grow. I knew today would be fun, but I had no idea what we were in store for.

 

First Step: Meet the Film Crew

 

I brought my Insta360 action camera, tripod, and even bought some DJI microphones to try and get really good content for you all. Boy, would that have been embarrassing. The GolfWRX and Wilson crew had a full production setup—mics, producers, the works. Bob Thurman, the Global VP of Golf, was mic’d up and ready to do some intros and set the agenda for the day. He introduced Ed Garland, their VIP club fitter and the brains behind their new AI fitting tool. We met both of them the night before, but this time it was all business. If you’ve ever had a conversation with someone about their passion, you know how easy it is to feed off their energy and gain that same level of excitement. Both of these guys LOVE golf and love Wilson golf. Bob has been there for 32 years, for goodness' sake.

 

AI Fit

@Shilgy went first, and I watched the process. Wilson gave me an iPad that mirrored what Ed was doing, so I saw all the cool data points. I’ll leave that part for Shilgy to cover for you all.

 

My Turn

 

You start by building a profile. It asks about your skill level, goals in golf, grip size, wrist-to-floor measurements, height, and a few other pieces I’ve forgotten about. Once you have that, the fitting is with a stock 7-iron with a softish flex shaft. Ed walked me through the tech along with the do’s and don’ts for the fitting. The sensor is similar to hitting a club with an Arccos sensor on the butt. However, instead of screwing into the grip, this sensor is an extension of the grip and aligns with the clubface. It measures your G-force, Axis, Tempo, and many other things I don’t fully understand. Ed is going to send us some screenshots from our profiles, and I’ll share those when they come through.

 

After warming up, Ed had me hit a handful of shots. It took maybe five or six shots, and we decided it was enough. Of the six shots, I hit four pretty well, one perfectly, and one really bad one. The app spits out recommendations based on all the data it collected and gives you both a steel and graphite option. On the graphite side, it went straight to the Steelfiber 110s, so that was the first one we tried. Ed built up a 7-iron in the Wilson Staff CB with the Steelfiber 110s, and we were off to the races.

Iron First Impressions

 

They aren’t that shiny. Living in Arizona, I was genuinely concerned that the chrome would be a problem, but it wasn’t. They framed the ball really well—no offset and a very good-looking topline. Compared to my T100, I think the Wilson looks slightly larger from the top, but it could just be the finish difference.

Iron Results

 

I currently play a Titleist T100/T100s combo set with Nippon Modus 120x shafts. I bought this used set from a local shop after bouncing around a few different sets. (Thank God for the 90-day playability policy.) We’ve all heard the standard saying, “you want 1k spin x the number of the club.” For me, I’ve never even come close to getting 7k with my 7-iron. I’ve always hovered around 5500 and just learned to play with the rollout. My first few shots with the Staff CB were 7400, 7600, and 7100 with the Wilson Model X ball. Nice high cut, landed soft, PERFECT. Didn’t need to hit any other combos. However, what kind of WRX’er would I be if I didn’t check out the other offerings? So, let’s give the blades a shot.

 

I’m not a blade guy. To me, if I see pros starting to play CB’s, then there is no reason I should even be holding these things. First few swings were okay. It took a few to get the turf interaction down and the feel of the club. After hitting a few good ones, I look at the Flightscope and see I’m at 8200 spin with a 7-iron. LOL! I went from never sniffing 7k to being over 8k. Okay, I’ve had enough fun. Ed tells me he’s seen enough and knows what I should be playing. He asks me if I plan on playing the Utility. UMMMM YES! He then makes up my set: 4-PW Wilson Staff CB, Steelfiber 110X soft-step.

 

Driver First Impressions

 

Ed was focusing on irons, so I had the pleasure of working with Harry Nodwell. He’s the resident equipment junkie, but I think his official title is Pro Equipment Manager?! I had never seen, held, or swung a Wilson club before this trip. So when I grabbed the driver and saw the carbon crown, I had flashbacks to the 2017 M1 from TaylorMade. It had a nice shape, and since we started with the 10.5 and turned it down, the face sat just open enough to fit my eye. Harry had watched me hit irons for a bit, so he had a good understanding of my swing and built up a combo for us to start with and build a baseline. I didn’t want to put any thought into what he was building, so when he handed me the club with a shaft I didn’t recognize, I fought the urge to check out the specs and just started swinging. Guys, the driver is GOOD. Solid, muted sound, and it just jumped off the face. I was able to keep my misses on the planet, and when hit well, this thing was a rocket launcher. I posted my Flightscope numbers earlier, and they were pretty good. Harry wanted to get my launch up just a little bit, so we threw in some other shafts that were a bit more recognizable (AD DI & Velocore Blue). While the good hits were good, when the swing was off, the misses were just too big for me. So we decided to go with the original baseline build, which happened to be the stock shaft offering.

 

Driver Setup:

Dynacore Carbon 10.5* -1* on the sleeve with the Project X Denali Blue 6s

 

Utility Iron

 

I’ve played Srixon & Ping Utilities for a while now. I recently gave up the Crossover and went back to a 3 hybrid because the offset was just not working for me. Since the club was just announced today, we had just the stock HZRDUS Black shaft in both the 3 and 4 iron. I hit the 3 and realized it’s been a really long time since I hit a long iron. It took a few swings, but I started to find my groove. Minimal offset, satin finish, and a good-looking topline. This thing is going to compete with the big boys. Hell, @TLUBulldogGolf was getting 150mph ball speed when hitting it off of a tee.

 

Man, this is getting long! Sorry, guys.

 

Wedges and Ball

 

Now onto the biggest surprises for me—something I wasn’t really looking for: wedges and the ball. Many of you know how hard it is to get ‘fit’ for these two parts of our bags, but they impact our scores more than any other clubs. Wilson had every loft and bounce combo in the lineup, and we hit them all.

Wedge First Thoughts

 

The HT is not for me. Didn’t like the shape and just couldn’t get comfortable holding it. I currently play 50, 54, 60 Vokey SM9 wedges but decided to give the 58/6* a whirl, and I’m glad I did. I mentioned to the staff earlier that I never use my 60 for anything longer than 50 yards. I’ve never felt comfortable with a full swing lob. Going to the 58* gives me more confidence on full shots but was still able to hit all the chips and bunker shots I normally hit with my 60*.

Guys… These are fully forged wedges for $150. I just ordered my three Vokey wedges a few months ago for like $600. What the hell, man! If you are in the market for wedges, do yourself a favor and just give them a shot. Nice traditional shape and a super soft feel. Not too clicky but still gives audible feedback on mishits.

 

The Ball

 

Harry was excited to show us the performance numbers on the two different Staff Model balls. I had hit the X with irons and the regular with the driver, and both felt good on both shots. It all came down to the spin around the greens and the feel off the putter. Around the green and from the bunker, the X was by far the better ball for me. Tons of spin but still felt good off the face. I lipped out three chips from 25 yards and only bladed one off the green.

We hit their Staff and Infinite line of putters. I again went with the X. Off the Infinite cast line, it was a bit clicky for my taste, but off the fully milled Staff model, it felt soft enough for me to put in play.

 

I’ll give the ball a full run-through tomorrow over at No. 10 (if I don’t lose them all). But overall, I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the Wilson product. What stands out the most is the people behind the scenes. This group of people is IMPRESSIVE. They love golf, they are competitive, and they want to compete with the best of the best. I’m thankful to be part of their story, and once we get the full set and get a chance to play them out in the wild, I’ll be able to give a more thorough breakdown.

 

I’m going to bed now. Goodnight!

Bob is an awesome guy. Super smart and friendly. He was a member at the club I worked at in college when he was testing Wilson golf balls and clubs. Played quite a few rounds with him back then. He also let us golf obsessed teenagers test the Wilson golf balls and later Demarini softball bats. 

[golfnerd91]

9 hours ago, Olson12 said:

Alright… Day 2

 

Slept like a baby after a long day of travel, thanks to a little help from ZzzQuil. Thank goodness!

 

Started the day off with breakfast at the buffet at the Carolina Hotel. Delicious and quick—the perfect combo. Full-service omelet bar, biscuits and gravy, French toast, OJ, bacon… and the list goes on. Great start to the day.

 

We hopped on the shuttle from our hotel over to No. 8, and as we pulled in, I spotted the iconic Wilson Red from 200 yards away. The excitement started to grow. I knew today would be fun, but I had no idea what we were in store for.

 

First Step: Meet the Film Crew

 

I brought my Insta360 action camera, tripod, and even bought some DJI microphones to try and get really good content for you all. Boy, would that have been embarrassing. The GolfWRX and Wilson crew had a full production setup—mics, producers, the works. Bob Thurman, the Global VP of Golf, was mic’d up and ready to do some intros and set the agenda for the day. He introduced Ed Garland, their VIP club fitter and the brains behind their new AI fitting tool. We met both of them the night before, but this time it was all business. If you’ve ever had a conversation with someone about their passion, you know how easy it is to feed off their energy and gain that same level of excitement. Both of these guys LOVE golf and love Wilson golf. Bob has been there for 32 years, for goodness' sake.

 

AI Fit

@Shilgy went first, and I watched the process. Wilson gave me an iPad that mirrored what Ed was doing, so I saw all the cool data points. I’ll leave that part for Shilgy to cover for you all.

 

My Turn

 

You start by building a profile. It asks about your skill level, goals in golf, grip size, wrist-to-floor measurements, height, and a few other pieces I’ve forgotten about. Once you have that, the fitting is with a stock 7-iron with a softish flex shaft. Ed walked me through the tech along with the do’s and don’ts for the fitting. The sensor is similar to hitting a club with an Arccos sensor on the butt. However, instead of screwing into the grip, this sensor is an extension of the grip and aligns with the clubface. It measures your G-force, Axis, Tempo, and many other things I don’t fully understand. Ed is going to send us some screenshots from our profiles, and I’ll share those when they come through.

 

After warming up, Ed had me hit a handful of shots. It took maybe five or six shots, and we decided it was enough. Of the six shots, I hit four pretty well, one perfectly, and one really bad one. The app spits out recommendations based on all the data it collected and gives you both a steel and graphite option. On the graphite side, it went straight to the Steelfiber 110s, so that was the first one we tried. Ed built up a 7-iron in the Wilson Staff CB with the Steelfiber 110s, and we were off to the races.

Iron First Impressions

 

They aren’t that shiny. Living in Arizona, I was genuinely concerned that the chrome would be a problem, but it wasn’t. They framed the ball really well—no offset and a very good-looking topline. Compared to my T100, I think the Wilson looks slightly larger from the top, but it could just be the finish difference.

Iron Results

 

I currently play a Titleist T100/T100s combo set with Nippon Modus 120x shafts. I bought this used set from a local shop after bouncing around a few different sets. (Thank God for the 90-day playability policy.) We’ve all heard the standard saying, “you want 1k spin x the number of the club.” For me, I’ve never even come close to getting 7k with my 7-iron. I’ve always hovered around 5500 and just learned to play with the rollout. My first few shots with the Staff CB were 7400, 7600, and 7100 with the Wilson Model X ball. Nice high cut, landed soft, PERFECT. Didn’t need to hit any other combos. However, what kind of WRX’er would I be if I didn’t check out the other offerings? So, let’s give the blades a shot.

 

I’m not a blade guy. To me, if I see pros starting to play CB’s, then there is no reason I should even be holding these things. First few swings were okay. It took a few to get the turf interaction down and the feel of the club. After hitting a few good ones, I look at the Flightscope and see I’m at 8200 spin with a 7-iron. LOL! I went from never sniffing 7k to being over 8k. Okay, I’ve had enough fun. Ed tells me he’s seen enough and knows what I should be playing. He asks me if I plan on playing the Utility. UMMMM YES! He then makes up my set: 4-PW Wilson Staff CB, Steelfiber 110X soft-step.

 

Driver First Impressions

 

Ed was focusing on irons, so I had the pleasure of working with Harry Nodwell. He’s the resident equipment junkie, but I think his official title is Pro Equipment Manager?! I had never seen, held, or swung a Wilson club before this trip. So when I grabbed the driver and saw the carbon crown, I had flashbacks to the 2017 M1 from TaylorMade. It had a nice shape, and since we started with the 10.5 and turned it down, the face sat just open enough to fit my eye. Harry had watched me hit irons for a bit, so he had a good understanding of my swing and built up a combo for us to start with and build a baseline. I didn’t want to put any thought into what he was building, so when he handed me the club with a shaft I didn’t recognize, I fought the urge to check out the specs and just started swinging. Guys, the driver is GOOD. Solid, muted sound, and it just jumped off the face. I was able to keep my misses on the planet, and when hit well, this thing was a rocket launcher. I posted my Flightscope numbers earlier, and they were pretty good. Harry wanted to get my launch up just a little bit, so we threw in some other shafts that were a bit more recognizable (AD DI & Velocore Blue). While the good hits were good, when the swing was off, the misses were just too big for me. So we decided to go with the original baseline build, which happened to be the stock shaft offering.

 

Driver Setup:

Dynacore Carbon 10.5* -1* on the sleeve with the Project X Denali Blue 6s

 

Utility Iron

 

I’ve played Srixon & Ping Utilities for a while now. I recently gave up the Crossover and went back to a 3 hybrid because the offset was just not working for me. Since the club was just announced today, we had just the stock HZRDUS Black shaft in both the 3 and 4 iron. I hit the 3 and realized it’s been a really long time since I hit a long iron. It took a few swings, but I started to find my groove. Minimal offset, satin finish, and a good-looking topline. This thing is going to compete with the big boys. Hell, @TLUBulldogGolf was getting 150mph ball speed when hitting it off of a tee.

 

Man, this is getting long! Sorry, guys.

 

Wedges and Ball

 

Now onto the biggest surprises for me—something I wasn’t really looking for: wedges and the ball. Many of you know how hard it is to get ‘fit’ for these two parts of our bags, but they impact our scores more than any other clubs. Wilson had every loft and bounce combo in the lineup, and we hit them all.

Wedge First Thoughts

 

The HT is not for me. Didn’t like the shape and just couldn’t get comfortable holding it. I currently play 50, 54, 60 Vokey SM9 wedges but decided to give the 58/6* a whirl, and I’m glad I did. I mentioned to the staff earlier that I never use my 60 for anything longer than 50 yards. I’ve never felt comfortable with a full swing lob. Going to the 58* gives me more confidence on full shots but was still able to hit all the chips and bunker shots I normally hit with my 60*.

Guys… These are fully forged wedges for $150. I just ordered my three Vokey wedges a few months ago for like $600. What the hell, man! If you are in the market for wedges, do yourself a favor and just give them a shot. Nice traditional shape and a super soft feel. Not too clicky but still gives audible feedback on mishits.

 

The Ball

 

Harry was excited to show us the performance numbers on the two different Staff Model balls. I had hit the X with irons and the regular with the driver, and both felt good on both shots. It all came down to the spin around the greens and the feel off the putter. Around the green and from the bunker, the X was by far the better ball for me. Tons of spin but still felt good off the face. I lipped out three chips from 25 yards and only bladed one off the green.

We hit their Staff and Infinite line of putters. I again went with the X. Off the Infinite cast line, it was a bit clicky for my taste, but off the fully milled Staff model, it felt soft enough for me to put in play.

 

I’ll give the ball a full run-through tomorrow over at No. 10 (if I don’t lose them all). But overall, I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the Wilson product. What stands out the most is the people behind the scenes. This group of people is IMPRESSIVE. They love golf, they are competitive, and they want to compete with the best of the best. I’m thankful to be part of their story, and once we get the full set and get a chance to play them out in the wild, I’ll be able to give a more thorough breakdown.

 

I’m going to bed now. Goodnight!

Wow that was a full fitting experience! This is something I hope Wilson begins to incorporate more at box stores and green grass facilities. This is the in-depth bag fitting that I need!

 

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[Olson12]

We’re off and playing No. 10 gonna be slow updates today boys.  Sorry! 

[radiman]

27 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

We’re off and playing No. 10 gonna be slow updates today boys.  Sorry! 

Ooh! I peep some pretty sweet customized bags there.  

[ChrisATL]

11 hours ago, Olson12 said:

Alright… Day 2

 

Slept like a baby after a long day of travel, thanks to a little help from ZzzQuil. Thank goodness!

 

Started the day off with breakfast at the buffet at the Carolina Hotel. Delicious and quick—the perfect combo. Full-service omelet bar, biscuits and gravy, French toast, OJ, bacon… and the list goes on. Great start to the day.

 

We hopped on the shuttle from our hotel over to No. 8, and as we pulled in, I spotted the iconic Wilson Red from 200 yards away. The excitement started to grow. I knew today would be fun, but I had no idea what we were in store for.

 

First Step: Meet the Film Crew

 

I brought my Insta360 action camera, tripod, and even bought some DJI microphones to try and get really good content for you all. Boy, would that have been embarrassing. The GolfWRX and Wilson crew had a full production setup—mics, producers, the works. Bob Thurman, the Global VP of Golf, was mic’d up and ready to do some intros and set the agenda for the day. He introduced Ed Garland, their VIP club fitter and the brains behind their new AI fitting tool. We met both of them the night before, but this time it was all business. If you’ve ever had a conversation with someone about their passion, you know how easy it is to feed off their energy and gain that same level of excitement. Both of these guys LOVE golf and love Wilson golf. Bob has been there for 32 years, for goodness' sake.

 

AI Fit

@Shilgy went first, and I watched the process. Wilson gave me an iPad that mirrored what Ed was doing, so I saw all the cool data points. I’ll leave that part for Shilgy to cover for you all.

 

My Turn

 

You start by building a profile. It asks about your skill level, goals in golf, grip size, wrist-to-floor measurements, height, and a few other pieces I’ve forgotten about. Once you have that, the fitting is with a stock 7-iron with a softish flex shaft. Ed walked me through the tech along with the do’s and don’ts for the fitting. The sensor is similar to hitting a club with an Arccos sensor on the butt. However, instead of screwing into the grip, this sensor is an extension of the grip and aligns with the clubface. It measures your G-force, Axis, Tempo, and many other things I don’t fully understand. Ed is going to send us some screenshots from our profiles, and I’ll share those when they come through.

 

After warming up, Ed had me hit a handful of shots. It took maybe five or six shots, and we decided it was enough. Of the six shots, I hit four pretty well, one perfectly, and one really bad one. The app spits out recommendations based on all the data it collected and gives you both a steel and graphite option. On the graphite side, it went straight to the Steelfiber 110s, so that was the first one we tried. Ed built up a 7-iron in the Wilson Staff CB with the Steelfiber 110s, and we were off to the races.

Iron First Impressions

 

They aren’t that shiny. Living in Arizona, I was genuinely concerned that the chrome would be a problem, but it wasn’t. They framed the ball really well—no offset and a very good-looking topline. Compared to my T100, I think the Wilson looks slightly larger from the top, but it could just be the finish difference.

Iron Results

 

I currently play a Titleist T100/T100s combo set with Nippon Modus 120x shafts. I bought this used set from a local shop after bouncing around a few different sets. (Thank God for the 90-day playability policy.) We’ve all heard the standard saying, “you want 1k spin x the number of the club.” For me, I’ve never even come close to getting 7k with my 7-iron. I’ve always hovered around 5500 and just learned to play with the rollout. My first few shots with the Staff CB were 7400, 7600, and 7100 with the Wilson Model X ball. Nice high cut, landed soft, PERFECT. Didn’t need to hit any other combos. However, what kind of WRX’er would I be if I didn’t check out the other offerings? So, let’s give the blades a shot.

 

I’m not a blade guy. To me, if I see pros starting to play CB’s, then there is no reason I should even be holding these things. First few swings were okay. It took a few to get the turf interaction down and the feel of the club. After hitting a few good ones, I look at the Flightscope and see I’m at 8200 spin with a 7-iron. LOL! I went from never sniffing 7k to being over 8k. Okay, I’ve had enough fun. Ed tells me he’s seen enough and knows what I should be playing. He asks me if I plan on playing the Utility. UMMMM YES! He then makes up my set: 4-PW Wilson Staff CB, Steelfiber 110X soft-step.

 

Driver First Impressions

 

Ed was focusing on irons, so I had the pleasure of working with Harry Nodwell. He’s the resident equipment junkie, but I think his official title is Pro Equipment Manager?! I had never seen, held, or swung a Wilson club before this trip. So when I grabbed the driver and saw the carbon crown, I had flashbacks to the 2017 M1 from TaylorMade. It had a nice shape, and since we started with the 10.5 and turned it down, the face sat just open enough to fit my eye. Harry had watched me hit irons for a bit, so he had a good understanding of my swing and built up a combo for us to start with and build a baseline. I didn’t want to put any thought into what he was building, so when he handed me the club with a shaft I didn’t recognize, I fought the urge to check out the specs and just started swinging. Guys, the driver is GOOD. Solid, muted sound, and it just jumped off the face. I was able to keep my misses on the planet, and when hit well, this thing was a rocket launcher. I posted my Flightscope numbers earlier, and they were pretty good. Harry wanted to get my launch up just a little bit, so we threw in some other shafts that were a bit more recognizable (AD DI & Velocore Blue). While the good hits were good, when the swing was off, the misses were just too big for me. So we decided to go with the original baseline build, which happened to be the stock shaft offering.

 

Driver Setup:

Dynacore Carbon 10.5* -1* on the sleeve with the Project X Denali Blue 6s

 

Utility Iron

 

I’ve played Srixon & Ping Utilities for a while now. I recently gave up the Crossover and went back to a 3 hybrid because the offset was just not working for me. Since the club was just announced today, we had just the stock HZRDUS Black shaft in both the 3 and 4 iron. I hit the 3 and realized it’s been a really long time since I hit a long iron. It took a few swings, but I started to find my groove. Minimal offset, satin finish, and a good-looking topline. This thing is going to compete with the big boys. Hell, @TLUBulldogGolf was getting 150mph ball speed when hitting it off of a tee.

 

Man, this is getting long! Sorry, guys.

 

Wedges and Ball

 

Now onto the biggest surprises for me—something I wasn’t really looking for: wedges and the ball. Many of you know how hard it is to get ‘fit’ for these two parts of our bags, but they impact our scores more than any other clubs. Wilson had every loft and bounce combo in the lineup, and we hit them all.

Wedge First Thoughts

 

The HT is not for me. Didn’t like the shape and just couldn’t get comfortable holding it. I currently play 50, 54, 60 Vokey SM9 wedges but decided to give the 58/6* a whirl, and I’m glad I did. I mentioned to the staff earlier that I never use my 60 for anything longer than 50 yards. I’ve never felt comfortable with a full swing lob. Going to the 58* gives me more confidence on full shots but was still able to hit all the chips and bunker shots I normally hit with my 60*.

Guys… These are fully forged wedges for $150. I just ordered my three Vokey wedges a few months ago for like $600. What the hell, man! If you are in the market for wedges, do yourself a favor and just give them a shot. Nice traditional shape and a super soft feel. Not too clicky but still gives audible feedback on mishits.

 

The Ball

 

Harry was excited to show us the performance numbers on the two different Staff Model balls. I had hit the X with irons and the regular with the driver, and both felt good on both shots. It all came down to the spin around the greens and the feel off the putter. Around the green and from the bunker, the X was by far the better ball for me. Tons of spin but still felt good off the face. I lipped out three chips from 25 yards and only bladed one off the green.

We hit their Staff and Infinite line of putters. I again went with the X. Off the Infinite cast line, it was a bit clicky for my taste, but off the fully milled Staff model, it felt soft enough for me to put in play.

 

I’ll give the ball a full run-through tomorrow over at No. 10 (if I don’t lose them all). But overall, I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the Wilson product. What stands out the most is the people behind the scenes. This group of people is IMPRESSIVE. They love golf, they are competitive, and they want to compete with the best of the best. I’m thankful to be part of their story, and once we get the full set and get a chance to play them out in the wild, I’ll be able to give a more thorough breakdown.

 

I’m going to bed now. Goodnight!

Outstanding write-up @Olson12!  I’ve been on Wilson’s site the last 30 minutes shopping for wedges 😬

 

Hope yall have a blast on #10!

[Orchardist]

5 minutes ago, ChrisATL said:

Outstanding write-up @Olson12!  I’ve been on Wilson’s site the last 30 minutes shopping for wedges 😬

 

Hope yall have a blast on #10!

That's funny, I ordered a ZM wedge a couple of days ago after coming to terms with my 2023 staff model wedge.  After I got the weight feeling good I realized how much I prefer the leading edge over the tm mill grinds I've been playing.

Wilson is rocking currently.

[jwhite86]

Ready to try the balls. I play the Duo as my cold weather ball so I'll definitely look into some of the other offerings.  

 

And the wedges are getting a hard look also

[TM golf guy]

That is a special golf course. I plan to write something up at the airport, but what an amazing trip and group of people. Hats off to WRX and @Wilson_Golf for a truly phenomenal experience. 

Edited June 5 by TM golf guy

[Olson12]

Time to hit the showers.  Beautiful day today out there with the Wilson crew. 

[QuigleyDU]

50 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

Time to hit the showers.  Beautiful day today out there with the Wilson crew. 

how did you play?

[Orchardist]

19 minutes ago, QuigleyDU said:

how did you play?

Quigley drops the bomb and pops the question😅

 

Anyone play the round with the either version of the new model Staff Ball?

Edited June 5 by Orchardist

[grochol17]

1 hour ago, TM golf guy said:

That is a special golf course. I plan to write something up at the airport, but what an amazing trip and group of people. Hats off to WRX and @Wilson_Golf for a truly phenomenal experience. 

 

Are you going to change your user name now?

[Shilgy]

5 hours ago, radiman said:

Ooh! I peep some pretty sweet customized bags there.  

Imagine driving up to #10 at Pinehurst and seeing four of these lined up.

 Wilson went way above and beyond on this trip.

[grochol17]

4 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

Imagine driving up to #10 at Pinehurst and seeing four of these lined up.

 Wilson went way above and beyond on this trip.

 

Did they build up a full set of 14 clubs for everyone based on the fittings from the previous day?

[Orchardist]

Well, that says it all Shilgy.  King for a day.  Wonderful!! Wonderfull!!

[QuigleyDU]

6 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

Imagine driving up to #10 at Pinehurst and seeing four of these lined up.

 Wilson went way above and beyond on this trip.

did they have all your clubs built for you!?

[golfnerd91]

4 minutes ago, QuigleyDU said:

did they have all your clubs built for you!?

Wow! Those are sweet. Not only am officially jealous now, but I wang to figure out how to get one of those bags🙈

[Shilgy]

12 minutes ago, grochol17 said:

 

Did they build up a full set of 14 clubs for everyone based on the fittings from the previous day?

13 all but putters

 But yes. There are a few clubs that they need to redo because of grip or shaft availability on such a quick turnaround but they’ve assured us all will be corrected ASAP.