Wilson Ci11 Irons

[displayname]

Editor Review

2012 Wilson Staff Ci11 Irons Review




















EDITOR REVIEW:

Wilson has been an established name in the golf world for decades and in recent years has been gaining popularity with their D and C series of irons. Building off the Ci9 irons, the Ci11 irons are Wilson’s game improvement offering for 2012.

Designed for the mid handicap, or “aspirational golfer”, the Ci11 irons offer a deep cavity back design with a midsize profile, moderate topline, and progressive offset. The more unique features of this design are the exoskeleton which pushed weight further from the face in the heel and toe of the club, a thinner face for higher CT, and a sleek black PVD finish to reduce the visual head size at address.

These irons are on the market now. Stock configuration includes 4-P with 3 iron, gap wedge, and sand wedge available. Stock shaft offerings include Aldila VS Proto II graphite and True Temper TX Flighted steel.

PROS:
Sleek black PVD design
Great forgiveness and distance
Midsize head
Very easy to launch
Workable
Decent feel
Moderate to minimal offset
Decent stock shafts (steel tested)

CONS:
No chrome/satin offering (black only)
Strong lofts (44* PW, 48*GW)
Grips felt cheaper than other brands
Limited stock shaft offerings
Long stock shafts (stock 36 inch PW and GW)
Durability of the PVD finish

BOTTOM LINE:
These irons are another solid offering from Wilson in their C series of irons. After 2.5 rounds, and several range sessions, they will be in my bag for time being due to the forgiveness the clubs add to my game. I will, however, be having them fit for length and lie before they have a permanent place in my bag. The black finish is very sleek looking, and its unique appeal will likely get it some attention in stores but it took me a little bit to adjust to the finish on the course. You should also expect to be making changes to your wedges if you are going to bag these with the very strong lofts. Although a 45-50-54-58 set up has become common, the Ci11′s will force you to be creative with 44-48 PW/GW setup. I likely will be going to 52-58 at the end of the bag.

EDITOR REVIEW

LOOKS
In the bag and on the shelf, the black PVD finish looks outstanding. The finish looks almost like a black chrome, rather than a flatter black that some designs use. Wilson is claiming the black helps to visually reduce the club head size. I think it makes the club head look slightly larger. I have never taken a black iron to the course, so this was a little bit of an adjustment at first, but after about two swings I didn’t even notice anymore. Overall, I would imagine people will either love hate the black.

The top line is a little thicker than what I had been playing, but it is moderate for a GI club, and was not bothersome. When I first set the club down at address I thought the top line was a little thick, but once I was on the range it was not a problem. The clubs are also a slightly more squared design, which is what I prefer. The cavity of the 4 and 5 irons are just barely visible at address, and this maybe when the black actually saves the day because normally seeing the cavity bothers me, but with the finish, I did not notice it.

The best part of the look of the club is the moderate offset. The irons are progressively offset, which was a pleasant surprise. The clubs are easy to align, and set up very nicely behind the ball. Really the only things that prevented this club from being a 5 on looks is the top line which is just a tad larger them I am used to, and the black finish. Those are really subjective and personal items though, and I’m sure several people would put the looks at a 5.

One additional note that I wanted to add was the shaft bands with the serial number. These did not change the visual look of the club in play, but I thought it was very odd, that Wilson chose to place a shaft band with the serial number just below the grip. I have a feeling those may be coming off if the fitter and I decide the shafts need to be cut down.

PERFORMANCE/PLAYABILITY
This is where these irons really shine. They are both forgiving and workable. If you are moving from more of a players club, you might find that these aren’t quite as workable, but I had no problem getting them to move both directions and control the ball flight.

They really do launch the ball on a well struck shot. This was quite nice for me, but I can image that it will not be for everyone. Some players might have issues keeping the ball down, especially with the stock shaft offerings.

The forgiveness of the club was excellent. They can still take a nice healthy divot as the sole is not overly thick, but the perimeter weighting can help when the ball is stuck slightly off the mark. The forgiveness really seemed to standout on the thin shots for me. Although the ball did not launch as high on a thin shot, it was still able to get up and out a good distance. These irons are not the most forgiving club on the market.

Direction: Workable, but straighter then many GI clubs. They will fly straighter then a thinner profile club, especially when stuck poorly. I noticed couple times that the forgiveness saved a few poor shots. The club obviously isn’t going to work any miracles, but a fading ball might end up right side of the green rather off the green to the right. After a few range sessions, it was easy to control the shape of my shots.

Forgiveness: Again, the forgiveness is a pleasant surprise, both in distance forgiveness, and in directional forgiveness. I have hit more forgiving irons, but these offer a good mix of forgiveness and feel. Thin shots and overall ease of launch are where these clubs really shine. I haven’t hit everything that is out there for the 2012 GI lines, but I would think that the Ci11′s fall in the middle of the road for overall forgiveness. They are probably slightly more forgiving than the average GI club.

Ball flight: For me this was another standout category, particularly in the long irons. Some may find the high launch to be an area of concern, but I felt it was excellent. I did not feel that I was over launching the short of middle irons, but I was getting a nice high ball flight. Launching a 4 iron has previously been an issue for me, and I still do not launch these as high as some players, but I can easily say I launch the 4 iron of the Ci11′s higher than my previous clubs, and higher than anything else I have taken on the course. Because of the increased launched and strong lofts, you should expect to gain a half or full club distance as well.

FEEL
The feel of these clubs is very good for a deep cavity back iron with perimeter weighting. I ranked it at a 4 though because there are better feeling irons out there. I was able to tell where I was hitting the ball on the face, but it was often muted. The sound is great, and a well struck shot comes off like the ball was never there. However, I would prefer a little more feedback. That is the trade off with forgiving clubs though.

The shafts play into feel as well. The stock TX Flighted steel had decent feel, but are also not a category winner in my mind. I personally prefer smoother steel shafts such as KBS or Nippons. The TX Flighted is a nice light weight shaft, but it is not as smooth as others. It is on par with other TT shafts I have hit before, so if you are a TT fan, these will work nicely. The shafts do have a nice kick you can feel through impact, and they are fairly easy to load. In my opinion they do play close to the listed flex, which also can be lacking in many other stock shafts from other companies.

OVERALL
These clubs are solid performers. They get the job done, and should appeal to a wide range of golfers. The main elements that limit them from being a 5 for me are the feel, the shaft offerings, and the black PVD being the only finish option. I was tempted to add the lofts, stock lengths, and cheap feeling grips in as a strike against the clubs, but if you are getting fitted for new clubs when you buy them, these things should all take care of themselves. I have been playing these clubs at the stock specs during my testing, but I think once I have a fitting and some more time to dial these in, I should be pretty happy with these overall.

They are a good offering in the GI category at a great price point. I think if they expanded the shaft offerings, and put a silver version of some kind out there Wilson would have a real winner. As much as it’s easy to fall in love with a black PVD in the store, it will wear down over time. At the end of the day though, performance is what matters and these clubs do great in that category. Even if the full set doesn’t fit your eye, the long irons are really outstanding. With the right shafts, these clubs would be a great fit for a wide range of players.

[Lash1]

I have been playing the Pi5 irons for a few years....dabbled with the Ci7's, but didnt like the look of the cavity (i know you cant see it at address, but I didnt like it). So I went back to the Pi5. Great club, but am thinking about a little bit more foregivness in the long irons. So I am currently wavering between the Ci11 (not crazy about the way the black will wear), going with Ci9 (which are great, and have the chrome finish), or going mixed with the Ci9 in the long irons, and the Fg tours in the scoring irons. Bur wilson staff is back with great irons and wedges. They just need to address a few things to be outstanding (the grips, and multiple shaft offerings).

That being said, some people will never give them a serious look, just because they cant get past the Titleist and Mizzuno lovefest. Too bad for them, they done relize the diamond in the rough, that Staff products have become.

[displayname]

I think going with a mixed set would be very appealing, but you should undoubtedly go to a fitter to discuss where and how to split the set. You might end up with two 7 irons if you do a mid split given that the 6i loft on the V2's are at 31*, while the 7i on the ci9/11's is 32 with a longer shaft. But if you were to split at the 5/6 iron, they only have a 1* difference. That would likely work pretty well.

I think another one of Wilson's current short comings has been discussed in a previous thread. Not only will people not give them a look due to the Titleist and Mizuno lovefest, but due to the fact that their products can be hard to find. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Ci11's, but I still have yet to see them in any store in my area. Some places have the Ci9's, but it's few and far between. Wilson has great products, great price points, and decent marketing going right now, but none of that will pay off if people can't get out and swing the clubs.

[DJ412]

I play the Ci11s and I love them! They feel great, I actually really like the grips. And after 3 rounds and 2 range sessions the finish is holding up reasonably well. I think range mats put the scratched in them and I got a nice scratch on the 4 iron from the bunker. But who cares? They play wonderfully.

[displayname]

[quote name='DJ412' timestamp='1330669101' post='4417251']
I play the Ci11s and I love them! They feel great, I actually really like the grips. And after 3 rounds and 2 range sessions the finish is holding up reasonably well. I think range mats put the scratched in them and I got a nice scratch on the 4 iron from the bunker. But who cares? They play wonderfully.
[/quote]

Glad to hear you are enjoying them so much! The grips and black finish really are subjective and hold different amounts of value to different people. It's nice when off the rack just works out from time to time.

[TripleGrindSole]

Love that black finish

[RentDeezy12]

Those look awesome! IME these are the sharpest irons on the market.

[wedgeaddicted55]

As much as I love black finishes, these are to shiney for me. Black looks great in the store but not so great after some play. I agree if Wilson had a brushed chrome finish and offered a kbs ot dynamic gold shaft I think they would have a big hit. They probably will anyway. Thanks for the great review

[joeshmo]

Any update on these clubs from people that are using them?

I really like the looks of these clubs and thinking of giving them a try. My problem is where I live there is no way to demo them.
My biggest concern is the strong lofts and extra length of the shafts. My current clubs are old TM 300's and I'm guessing the Ci11's will be 1 full club longer. With the PW being 44* I'm thinking I would need to have 5 wedges. is this the case with those using these clubs?

Thanks

[displayname]

[quote name='joeshmo' timestamp='1332837868' post='4590090']
Any update on these clubs from people that are using them?

I really like the looks of these clubs and thinking of giving them a try. My problem is where I live there is no way to demo them.
My biggest concern is the strong lofts and extra length of the shafts. My current clubs are old TM 300's and I'm guessing the Ci11's will be 1 full club longer. With the PW being 44* I'm thinking I would need to have 5 wedges. is this the case with those using these clubs?

Thanks
[/quote]

I still have them in the bag, and I'm still glad I do. It took me a little longer then expected to get fully adjusted to the shafts and weight change, but now I feel really good with the set. I've got my distances pretty well figured out as well. The main thing to remember is to not be to stressed out about what is on the bottom of the club. Just remember that the 44* PW is also 36" in the stock set up. No matter what they put on the bottom, that's an old school 9 iron. If you want to have 5 "wedges" don't stress about it because that would be just like playing a set of traditional/old fashion with a 48* PW. I would recommend you either get the GW with the set, or a 48* wedge. this plays perfectly into the rest of the set.

If you decide you want to carry the 4iron, you will need to change up your wedges. I dropped the 60* from my self for the time being. I have a 52/58 set on the way. I will likely be bending the 52 to 53. That gives me 4 wedges according to the Ci11's, but it's really just 3 being 48/53/58. If I'm not pleased with that experiment I'll go back to 52/56, but I have a good feeling about this new set up.

[DJ412]

Another update. I've played 10 rounds with the Ci11's so far and they are great clubs. Hit the sweet spot on them and they just go and go, then land soft as can be. The finish is holding up reasonably well too. The few scratches I have on them are/were from the mats at the range and a few fairway bunker shots. I got a snady range ball out of the toe of the PW and its a little scratched up but isn't bad at all. Not that I've had the opportunity to hit all that many clubs, but so far these are my favorite clubs. I can even hit the 4 iron reasonably well and have it land nicely on the green. I had a 210 yd shot from the rough today to reach a par 5 in two, caught it on the heel side abit and it still flew to the front of the green and rolled out about 15 feet or so. With my old clubs that would have rolled off the back. A+ job from Wilson. I was so impressed by the Ci11's I picked up 2 TW9 wedges and they are just as good as my Cally Jaws if not better as well. The wedges are so cheap right now it's a no brainer. Heck Rock Bottom is giving away 58* on orders of $75.

[Lash1]

yeah i was looking at the lofts, and the fg tours have the same lofts as the pi5's. so that combo set i was thinking about would be the ci9 4 iron, and then the fg tours the rest of the way, which still keeps my gaps set for my wedges (52, 56, 60). gonna go with the fg tours and not the fg v2's. and still keeping my rifle 7.5 shafts in.

[7464]

[color="#FF0000"][/color][quote name='displayname' timestamp='1332853828' post='4590634']
I still have them in the bag, and I'm still glad I do. It took me a little longer then expected to get fully adjusted to the shafts and weight change, but now I feel really good with the set. I've got my distances pretty well figured out as well. The main thing to remember is to not be to stressed out about what is on the bottom of the club. Just remember that the 44* PW is also 36" in the stock set up. No matter what they put on the bottom, that's an old school 9 iron. If you want to have 5 "wedges" don't stress about it because that would be just like playing a set of traditional/old fashion with a 48* PW. I would recommend you either get the GW with the set, or a 48* wedge. this plays perfectly into the rest of the set.

If you decide you want to carry the 4iron, you will need to change up your wedges. I dropped the 60* from my self for the time being. I have a 52/58 set on the way. I will likely be bending the 52 to 53. That gives me 4 wedges according to the Ci11's, but it's really just 3 being 48/53/58. If I'm not pleased with that experiment I'll go back to 52/56, but I have a good feeling about this new set up.
[/quote]

[size="3"]Thanks for the update...I recently put the [b]Ci[color="#FF0000"]11[/color][/b] in the bag...was going to have them custom ordered with KBS Tour (shaft I usually play in my irons) but was getting good results with the stock shaft in the simulator so decided to give the 4-PW a shot with the stock shaft in stiff...after one round and two practice sessions I am leaning toward ordering a set (3-GW) with the KBS Tour in them because I really like these irons...I love the way they set up to the ball and they work great with my fade swing...first 9 holes I played with them I hit 6 greens and missed two makeable putts to shoot 37.

[u][b]SERIOUSLY!!![/b][/u]

But I was wondering if anyone knows the offset numbers on the [b]Ci[color="#FF0000"]11[/color][/b] irons as I cannot find that spec anywhere??? [/size]

[size="3"]Also the black is awesome looking in the bag and at address!!! [/size]

[7464]

[quote name='7464' timestamp='1338232075' post='4989814']
[size=3]But I was wondering if anyone knows the offset numbers on the [b]Ci[color=#ff0000]11[/color][/b] irons as I cannot find that spec anywhere??? [/size]
[/quote]

Well I emailed Wilson Staff directly and they emailed me the specs which include the hosel offset just in case anyone was wondering:

[attachment=1231488:Ci11_Specs.JPG]

[7464]

[quote name='7464' timestamp='1338232075' post='4989814']
Well I emailed Wilson Staff directly and they emailed me the specs which include the hosel offset just in case anyone was wondering:

[attachment=1231488:Ci11_Specs.JPG]
[/quote]

The large cavity back area on the [b]Ci[color=#ff0000]11[/color][/b] iron makes one think it is purely a GI iron but looking at the offset numbers (less offset than the PING i20 3-6 iron and less offset 7-PW than the TM MC irons) and a very workable sole (not too wide) one could defintiely catagorize these as a "Tweener"......they do offer some forgiveness (which I define as distance control) but I am finding you still have to put a pretty good swing on them to hit the shot. I still like them very much, but I am [color=#ff0000]seriously[/color] (did I just write that?) thinking about having them reshafted with KBS Tour. I think it would raise the swing weight to maybe D3 or D4 but that is fine with me...any feedback on these maybe fitting the "Tweener" category?

Seriously!

[Andro]

Hmmm... Still thinking if I should give them a try. Look decent. Rightnow I use Nike Ignite with steelmshafts, but I hate the shafts and love to hit the graphite irons of my wife.

[Beatupfender]

Just looked at the numbers, and the ci11s are more lofted than my di11s, by one or two degrees!

[avrag]

Two questions to the OP:
1) Do you still play the Ci11s?
2) How did they work in the summer on dry, hard fairways (which I suppose you get in Texas)?

Thank you.

Edit:

A third question after looking at your latest WITB (circa May 2012):
I can see that you have them with the stock shafts in stiff, but you play R shafts in your woods (albeit rather stout ones). So, I suppose you are a "tweener" when it comes to shafts, just like me.
What made you choose the stfiff shafts in the TX?
When I demoed the Ci11s, I tried both flexes, and both the ballflight and the LM numbers left me completely unsure, which ones to choose, should I buy the irons.
I do have the option to order them from the UK with no upcharge for KBS Tour shafts, so I could probably go that way (in R), as those always pop up for me in the Mizuno shaft optimiser. But this would make the clubs a touch heavier overall.
All the demoing and fitting still has me scratching my head, so thanks again, if you want to share long term experiences.

[displayname]

[quote name='avrag' timestamp='1351261386' post='5849265']
Two questions to the OP:
1) Do you still play the Ci11s?
2) How did they work in the summer on dry, hard fairways (which I suppose you get in Texas)?

Thank you.

Edit:

A third question after looking at your latest WITB (circa May 2012):
I can see that you have them with the stock shafts in stiff, but you play R shafts in your woods (albeit rather stout ones). So, I suppose you are a "tweener" when it comes to shafts, just like me.
What made you choose the stfiff shafts in the TX?
When I demoed the Ci11s, I tried both flexes, and both the ballflight and the LM numbers left me completely unsure, which ones to choose, should I buy the irons.
I do have the option to order them from the UK with no upcharge for KBS Tour shafts, so I could probably go that way (in R), as those always pop up for me in the Mizuno shaft optimiser. But this would make the clubs a touch heavier overall.
All the demoing and fitting still has me scratching my head, so thanks again, if you want to share long term experiences.
[/quote]

Thanks for the questions. I'll address them individually.

1. Yes, I still play the Ci11's. They work well for me, and I am trying to focus on constantly rather than having to adjust to new clubs here and there. (The hoe is bound to take over soon) I've been playing less due to work/life obligations, and these breaks of playing about half as often as I used to have really let me appreciate the forgiveness of these clubs. The 4 and 5 irons are still the standouts on this set. The 4 iron used to be a question mark for me every time I was I was over a ball, and now it's grip and rip club.
2. Dry, hard fairways... not a problem. The soles are wider then some other "tweener" clubs, but the bounce is very reasonable. I am a bit of a digger, but I have never once had a problem with Texas hardpan, and I've seen plenty of it.
3. For the shafts, I only had the option for the TX Flighted. I went with stiff because I normally fit very well into midweight and light weight steel shafts in stiff. I've used NS950, KBS tour, KBS tour 90, and some other options all in various irons, all in stiff flex. I tried the R in KBS Tours at a demo day because it was technically a better fit, but I hated the feel. Therefore, once I saw the specs on the TX Flighted, I figured stiff was the way to go, and I feel I made the right choice.
I have nothing to prove this, but I am fairly certain the TX flighted is just a flighted version of the DGSL S300. All the specs are fairly close. Maybe it's not exact, but it should be very close. If you have used/tried KBS tours and you know you like them, I would go with those personally. However, if you are a fan of the DGSL, the TX flighted would be perfect. They have a very different feel, and you can probably expect a slightly lower launch from the KBS Tours.

Other notes - The black has held up MUCH better then initially expecting. It is wearing, don't get me wrong. I thought the soles would be bare quickly, and bag chatter would take it's toll. However, the wear on the black finish has held up really well.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[avrag]

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide all this information. This helps me a lot.

[mcharlton]

Could you take some pics of how the finish is holding up?? I'm just curious ....

[displayname]

[quote name='avrag' timestamp='1351635217' post='5869213']
Thank you very much for taking the time to provide all this information. This helps me a lot.
[/quote]

No problem. Glad I could help, and feel free to write here or PM if you have any other questions. Let us know what you end up getting too!

[displayname]

[quote name='mcharlton' timestamp='1351637628' post='5869401']
Could you take some pics of how the finish is holding up?? I'm just curious ....
[/quote]

I'll see if I can get the clubs and the camera in the same room in the next few days. I will get them up at some point for sure.

[7464]

[quote name='displayname' timestamp='1351569958' post='5865607']
The 4 and 5 irons are still the standouts on this set. The 4 iron used to be a question mark for me every time I was I was over a ball, and now it's grip and rip club.
[/quote]

I hear you...I have tried every hybrid in the world trying to make myself play them as everyone says they are so much easier to hit than a 3 or 4 iron...well I am 6'4 and have a upright swing (fade bias) and have never really liked them...well with the [b]Ci[color=#ff0000]11[/color][/b] irons I dont need to try them any longer as I can "grip and rip" this 3 iron like it is a 7 iron...I wonder if they would make me a 2 iron??? [b]Seriously![/b]
[b] [/b]

[7464]

[quote name='displayname' timestamp='1351569958' post='5865607']
The 4 and 5 irons are still the standouts on this set. The 4 iron used to be a question mark for me every time I was I was over a ball, and now it's grip and rip club.
[/quote]

Hey "displayname" do you know if Wilson Staff offers a 2 iron in the [b]Ci[color=#ff0000]11[/color][/b] irons?

[displayname]

[quote name='KoKo2' timestamp='1351775677' post='5876863']
[quote name='displayname' timestamp='1351569958' post='5865607']
The 4 and 5 irons are still the standouts on this set. The 4 iron used to be a question mark for me every time I was I was over a ball, and now it's grip and rip club.
[/quote]

Hey "displayname" do you know if Wilson Staff offers a 2 iron in the [b]Ci[color=#ff0000]11[/color][/b] irons?
[/quote]

I've never seen or heard of anyone having a Ci11 2 iron. I'm sure if one of the tour pros wanted one they would set them up though. Given the set makeup, that would be a 17*, 40", 2 iron. Even with all the forgiveness the ci11's offer, I'm not sure I could swing that bad boy, haha.

[displayname]

[quote name='mcharlton' timestamp='1351637628' post='5869401']
Could you take some pics of how the finish is holding up?? I'm just curious ....
[/quote]

Updated pics are below. I have the 8 iron (cleaned) which is the most used and beat club. And the PW, which I hadn't cleaned yet, which is probably the least used club. The pictures honestly seem harsher then they look. From address in person they look great, and the toplines are still smooth black with no scratches. If you catch a rock, it will show, and the sole is going to show wear. It's still black after all. But every time I'm out with these I still get comments on how sweet the black looks. Like I said, the pictures seem to show more then most would ever notice in the bag or on the course.

[attachment=1405691:2012-11-01_22-39-31_515.jpg]
[attachment=1405693:2012-11-01_22-40-01_955.jpg]
[attachment=1405695:2012-11-01_22-40-32_453.jpg]
[attachment=1405697:2012-11-01_22-41-08_996.jpg]
[attachment=1405699:2012-11-01_22-41-34_378.jpg]
[attachment=1405701:2012-11-01_22-42-04_387.jpg]

[displayname]

One more update for anyone wondering. I was able to hit the Ci11's indoors at the PGA superstore with a few different shafts. I tried them with the stock first to warm up, then with the KBS Tours and with DG S300. I normally am a fan of the KBS Tours, but for some reason they were not working well for me for that short session. The DG's felt great! Still got plenty of launch from the iron head design, and if I was going to re-shaft, they would be a serious consideration. The weight difference was obvious and noticeable between each of the shafts. The only big surprise was that I was having more distance control issues with the DG. I radomly caught one hot spot that was about 20 yard longer then the rest of the bunch. Could have been a monitor fluke, but it was strange. However, I was still getting the most consistent numbers with the stock TX flighted, so I will be sticking with those. It was fun to experiment though. I highly recommend finding a place with the Wilson fitting cart of you are considering these though. After seeing the all 3 side by side, I also still believe the TX flighted is very close to the TT DG SL.

[James GGF]

These look really good. I've never considered Wilson irons before but these are tempting me. Great review!

[displayname]

[quote name='James GGF' timestamp='1353628626' post='5967427']
These look really good. I've never considered Wilson irons before but these are tempting me. Great review!
[/quote]

You should def give them a try before you move on to anything else. If you can, hit a long iron as well. I still cannot stress enough how great the long irons of this set are.