Di11s Are Next Generation In Wilson’s Distance Quest

Wilson Staff is introducing the newest edition of its “Di” family of distance irons, with modifications and updates in the Di11 iron.

The modified exoskeleton in the Di11 irons pulls weight low to promote a higher ball flight and back from the club face for better head stability and straighter ball flight. The ultra-wide sole is designed to improve turf interaction, allowing it to glide over tight lies and get through heavy rough.

Weight is also removed from the perimeter of the face and inside the cavity towards the heel to create a large, unsupported face. The urethane medallion from the Di9 was removed to pick up weight and replaced by a coating of lightweight elastomer used on the underside of bridges to dampen vibration from traffic.

A wider sweet spot and perimeter weighting, combined with the torsional stability of its wide tip shaft combine in the objective of more forgiveness and greater accuracy. Meanwhile, lightweight shaft options combine with the low, wide head design with the goal of more faster clubhead speed.

Wilson’s patented wide-tip shaft technology is offered on the stock set of Di11 irons to negate the twisting on off-centre hits for straighter, longer ball flight.

Also, the patent-pending Half-and-Half Shaft Technology that is also available was pioneered in baseball bats and features graphite under the grip through the mid-section to remove weight from under the hands and dampen vibration.

Steel is used from the mid-section through the tip to provide low torque and consistency for straighter shots in a 76-gram HNH shaft.

The Di11 irons also has a thinner top line.

“We classify the largest segment of the golfing population as D or distance players, who are looking to hit the ball further and straighter,” said Bob Thurman, global director of research and development for Wilson Golf.

“The Di11 not only meets these needs, it exceeds them. As we like to say: once you hit it, you get it.”

The 411 on the 888s from Wilson

The new dual-milled 888 series of putters from Wilson Golf uses VPD, or Visual Plane Differential, as an alignment aid with multi-surface markings to help players position their eyes directly above the target line.

“The 888 series of putters have a style for every player,” said Bob Thurman, Wilson’s global director of research and development.

“We have taken the vintage shapes from our rich history of Wilson archives and applied the most cutting edge technology to the designs to provide golfers with a putter that looks streamlined and classic, but has all the latest innovations to keep putts straight and accurate.”

The 888 series includes five different models:

1. 8881: Traditional heel-toe putter that is heel-shafted with a plumber hosel.
2. 8882: Heel-shafted with an offset gooseneck hosel.
3. 8883: Toe-weighted putter with semi-mallet.
4. 8884: Heel-toe weighted, semi-mallet hybrid.
5. 8885: Heel-toe weighted mallet putter with heel-shafted plumber hosel.

*8881 and 8885 available in men’s right and left-handed models.

New Wilson Driver Is A Lightweight

Wilson Golf is going with the formula that lighter weight equals faster swing speed leading to more distance with the introduction of its Shockwave driver.

The wall thickness has been reduced for weight reduction with higher moment of inertia due to a five-gram tungsten back weight. The Shockwave has a variable face thickness insert similar to that used in the Wilson Staff Smooth driver to deliver hotter ball speeds over a wider area of the face.

The major weight saving comes with the 50-gram shaft series from UST Mamiya, which eliminates decals and non-essential paint to reduce the weight by two grams. Also, a low-density compound was used in a grip than is eight grams lighter than standard.

“The key to the Shockwave driver is its meticulously crafted, lightweight design,” said global director of research and development Bob Thurman. “When a club weighs less, it increases a player’s swing speed. The higher swing speed will result in a longer carry that allows golfers to play their very best.”

The Shockwave weights approximately 295 grams, which is 25 grams lighter than the Smooth driver.

Wilson Ci9 Irons Have The Look

The new Ci9 from Wilson Golf is the third generation in its control iron category, featuring a mid-size head that is designed to appeal to players of varying skill levels while providing the looks expected by high level players, including a thinner top line and moderately progressive offset.

The Ci9 offers improved mass distribution by positioning a hidden rear cavity exoskeleton that pushes weight to the heel and toe to create a higher moment of inertia and more stability.

Made from soft 431 stainless steel material, the Ci9 has a one-piece Soft Response Insert that extends across the entire iron cavity to create a satisfying sound and more solid feel, even on off-centre hits.

The Ci9 irons are available with stock FST Step-Less steel shafts or Aldila VS Pro ByYou graphite shafts and feature modified U-grooves that fall within the new specifications required by the United States Golf Association and R&A.

“The new Ci9 irons fall under what we call the C-style player category,” said Bob Thurman, global director of research and development for Wilson Golf.

“To develop and iron that can fulfill crossover styles without compromising playability is an exciting challenge and we are confident the that the Ci9 will deliver in its third generation.”

Wilson Has A Golf Ball Trifecta

Wilson Golf has introduced three new golf balls including the Wilson Staff FG Tour, a soft, high-spinning urethane ball, the low-compression, three-piece C:25 for players seeking spin, distance and feel, and the D:25 for low driver spin and soft feel.

All three are developed in anticipation of new groove standards that begin in January.

Wilson Staff FG Tour

Designed for the competitive golfer, this three-piece, multi-layer product is a low-compression distance ball covered in a thin, soft veneer of urethane for traction control on iron and wedge shots.

It has a 75 compression rating and features a 318-dimple pattern on its cast urethane cover.

The FG Tour was created as a low-compression solution for competitive players seeking spin, greenside control and distance.

Wilson Staff C:25

The latest in the C family of Wilson golf balls is a low-compression, three-piece ball designed to deliver minimal spin off the driver and to work with the Wilson Staff Ci9 irons.

The C:25 is designed to promote progressively higher spin as the player approaches the pin for shots inside 150 yards. It has a 302-dimple pattern to provide high lift conditions for more height on tee shots and long shots to the green.

Wilson Staff D:25

The D:25 is designed to work with the Wilson Staff Di9 and D-FY irons.

It’s a low-compression, two-piece ball to deliver low spin off the driver face with a 302-dimple design to provide high lift conditions off the tee and longer shots into the green.

Wilson D-FY Combo Features Half and Half Shaft

The new Wilson D-FY iron combo set offers a technology-driven iron and hybrid combination option for low to mid swing speed player who are looking for more distance while maintaining precision.

The new design features a co-cured half steel, half graphite shaft to combine the benefits of each into one iron.

The eight-piece set is comprised of a 19.5-degree FYbrid utility club, a four hybrid, five and six wide sole mid-irons with hollow core designs and seven through pitching wedge in perimeter-weighted cavity back short irons.

“The fastest growing style of golfer is a player who benefits from a combo/hybrid set in the super-game improvement category,” said Bob Thurman, global director of research and development.

“To meet the needs of this player style, the D-FY combo set marries our distance iron technology to our FYbrid technology. This was accomplished by combining it with an extremely durable Half-and-Half shaft that allows players to get the best of both worlds, while maximizing performance.”

As a division of Wilson Sporting Goods Co., Wilson Golf uses resources outside of the golf world, resulting in the Half-and-Half technology, which is inspired by the Demarini baseball bat, a two-piece composite bat made of two fused materials to make the bat both lightweight and responsive.

The proprietary, co-cured Half-and-Half shaft design fuses the low torque and response of steel with the lightweight and vibration-dampening effects of graphite weighing in at only 76 grams.

The steel tip section provides bending stability and low torque at the hosel to deliver straighter shots on off-center hits. More than 30 grams are removed from the steel shaft and replaced by a high modulus graphite shaft. A strong and durable joint section also provides vibration dampening at the junction of the two materials.

Wilson FG Tour Irons For Skilled Players

Precision-forged from soft carbon steel, the new Wilson Staff FG Tour irons are for skilled players who seek a compact head with a moderate amount of forgiveness.

The FG Tours feature a forged cavity back design that redistributes weight from the heel into the toe, repositioning the centre of gravity towards the centre of the club face to increase moment of inertia for more stability and better ground interaction for solid feel, higher spin rates and better workability.

The new design features minimally progressive offsets, a squarer toe blade shape and a thin top line.

“This is the most powerful and most playable forged iron that we’ve ever produced,” said Bob Thurman, global director of research and development. “We’ve been testing this iron with our global tour staff for the last 18 months and the players continue to rave about its exceptional performance in look, sound and feel.”

Wilson Fills Out the Golf Bag in 2009

Wilson Golf has added a variety of clubs to fill out the bags of golfers in 2009, with the introductions of the Smooth driver, Di9 distance irons, Fg59 forged irons and Tw9 wedges.

Smooth Driver

Proprietary variable face thickness is used in the new Smooth driver from Wilson to deliver a larger sweet spot, while weight is moved farther back in the head as loft increased to maximize head stability and improve launch conditions.

Meanwhile, Fujikura E-Fit is designed to offer ideal properties for each flex.

The E100 series shaft in the R2-Flex and R-Flex are geared towards a more relaxed swing with increased flexibility designed to offer higher ball launch with slightly more spin.

The E300 series in the S-Flex and X-Flex are geared for a stronger swing and offer a mid-launch trajectory with lower spin.

Di9 Distance Irons

The new Di9 distance irons feature an integrated design with the objective of generating maximum power, stabilizing the power for straighter flight and to reduce impact vibration for better feel.

A low profile and wide sole lowers the centre of gravity to promote a higher and straighter ball flight for more distance.

Wilson’s wide-tip technology is applied to lightweight shafts from UST and True Temper. The tip is designed to control twisting, while the lightweight shafts are in place to generate more clubhead speed for more distance.

Because many shots are hit from the centre to the toe, the Di9s uses a toe-friendly cavity that extends the sweet spot to the area where the shots are usually hit.

Additionally, a low durometer, vibration-dampening urethane medallion covers the entire length of the cavity to expand the sweet spot over a greater area. The urethane insert is thicker on the heel to serve as a shock trap that reduces vibrations that travel to the hands.

The design of the grips uses blister-free zones under the thumbs and the lower part of the fore finger, while the vertical and horizontal grooves are designed to promote torsional traction for rotation.

Fg59 Forged Irons

Wilson has named these forged offering after the number of major championships won with Staff irons.

The Fg59s feature a wider sole and lower muscle to lower centre of gravity and improve ground interaction. They come with minimal offset for trajectory control and workability, with a mild camber on the sole and a sole relief flange to minimize digging on softer fairways.

The clubhead on the Fg59s is forged from mild carbon steel for a softer feel. The stock shaft is a Dynamic Gold steel with high flex and tour weighting for a penetrating ball flight and better control.

Tw9 Wedges

New lower-lofted cavity back options are designed to bridge the gap between pitching wedge and sand wedge as the Tw9s come in 60, 58, 56, 54 and 52-degree lofts.

With their smaller heads, the Tw9s feature tour-milled grooves that are cut as sharp, deep and wide as United States Golf Association standards allow. A 32.5-degree angle and square edges (compared to 42.5 with rounded edges in many wedges) are used for maximum spin and control.

The elastomeric coating in the milled recessed areas is designed to provide softer impact across the entire face.

The new 48 and 50-degree loft options feature a slightly larger cavity back in a player’s blade shape, but the same tour-milled grooves are in place.

For additional info visit the Wilson website.