Tarheelvolvo

boy I sure do love his fantasy game...

Didn't have time for a full round this past week, so I hit the range instead and decided to do some comparisons between the D7's, R11's, and DCI's in my bag - also had a special guest appearance by a last gen D300 from W/S to compare to the newer D7's. For the data analyzers, check the link below. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VAmCTdUzoEuKVd5bcShOowHTM_MM7jq0mS7RhtsW6bw/edit?usp=sharing My notes from the sessions: - Still hitting the D7 better than the other two, so it's showing how newer tech can really improve your game - Straighter ball flight, albeit higher than the DCI's, but that's kind of a given - More consistent ball flight and placement with D7's and really think this has to do with the perimeter weighting of the clubs that improve forgiveness - Based on the numbers, I'm getting more distance, higher spin, and higher "smash" factor - aka: connecting with the ball better than my old gamers. Bit of an interesting observation. - Spin is looking great for the wedges, but maybe less so for the higher irons when you want a bit more distance. However, given that this club is targeted to players who might have trouble with ball flight, I understand the trade-off and since I have more distance than the other two clubs anyway, I can live with it. Hoping to play a round this week sometime to see how the stroke gains have been impacted and if they are staying consistent from last time. Also, the shop at the range was having a bag sale, and since the last time I bought a bag was ~1998, I figured why the heck not. New clubs need a new bag, right? I mean $160 for this beauty...comeon, it's a no brainer! Now to just get a Ping G400 or G410 driver.... anyone want to donate to the cause?

It was a bit of a pleasingly odd mix. The smoke from the scotch, the sweetness from bourbon, and it mellowed out with the Port Cask finish. Need to try it a few more times to get a better idea of the complexity. Never had stranahans, though, so I'll keep an eye out to try it.

Was just gifted this today, my birthday, and about to pour a few for the evening.

Hey @MattF, thanks! Heading out to the links shortly, so wish me straight shots and short putts

When I went to busch garden's this summer, I had a great time riding all the roller coasters. The climbs up the big hills, the near vertical drops, the stomach bending twists and loops, even saw a guy barf on one ride - thankfully I was on the ground as a spectator. This pales in comparison to being an AB owner...

Hey @russtopherb, great question! Compared to my current irons, i'm taking a little less divot with each stroke, so I would think the wider sole is helping to keep the iron "floating" up a bit more so I hit the ball in the sweet spot more often. I haven't noticed the turf grabbing my clubs as much as current irons, either. Even with the wedges around the green, i'm getting good swings, moderate to shallow divots, and solid spin to stop the balls on the greens better. I have not hit any wedge shots "thin," which has been a big plus too! Looking back at my rounds, i'm certainly hitting the ball straighter and longer and taking less strokes, so it's a win for me!

Great question and one that initially turned me off with the D7's given how clunky they "appear" to be. I mention appearance in quotes because I believe Wilson has done a great job in "hiding" the thicker sole and ReAkt technology quite well. Compared to my DCI Clones the topline is thicker, sure, but not so much that it is a distraction when addressing the ball. Additionally, it's only the higher lofted irons where I start to see a small peak of the sole/weighting poking out from the topline. Combine that with what @JohnSmallssaid about the power holes actually tricking the eye into seeing a thinner sole in the bag, and it's really a non-issue for me. Here's a comparison pic of DCI's to the D7's in a 4i and 7i . You can tell that the DCI 4i is much more like a blade compared to the D7, and at address you have a tiny bit of the sole poking out, but when you get to a 7i and on up, the differences are smaller Besides, as a wise man once told me, "Function IS Fashion" If I can hit it straighter and farther than you can, then my irons MUST be fashionable

Haha, my thoughts as well the the first time I put the clubs on the monitor. I was like "watch out Koepka!" Second my fellow tester's request, too. What do you guys have questions about? How can we better test these analytically as well as qualitatively?

Weekly update! Went out and played a few rounds of 9 Fri/Sat/Sun to get a comparison between current DCI clones vs. D7. Overall, I would say the D7's gained me at least 2-3 strokes per 9 compared to current irons. Rounds were as follows: DCI Clones - 44 D7's - 42 D7's - 40 It did help that my putter was hot the last round, though, so I can't completely give credit to the D7's for the 4 stroke drop...BUT, they did get me closer to the pin, which lead to the hot putter...so, take it for what it is. Also, the amount of mis-hits and pushes to the right were very few, so the forgiveness is real with these clubs! If you're like me and don't have the most consistent swing, then these clubs are a great set to try during a fitting.

Been one hell of a weekend... #ThanksAB

Have an old Ping Anser 2 I've been gaming and tried the TA#3 at a DSG the other day - felt great and rolled true in the store, however I like the look and feel of a blade. Anyone compared this to the Cleveland TFI 2135? About the same price point and results from MGS testing shows about the same make % for both. Welcome your thoughts!

Yeah, given the deep league, it's slim pickings on the WW/FA market. But there's some hope for me yet... https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27552977/gruden-plan-brown-play-monday-night

Appreciate it, Berg. Let me sit on it a day to see what happens with AB and the mess he's caused for himself.

Maybe...if he can find another team to play for. Looks like he might have burned the bridge with the Raiders...I'll check waiver wire/FA first, though...

Possibly...I do need a WR that can play this week as opposed to some "future" date, if at all...Open to trades, so send them over

Jefferson Lakeside? Hit me up if you want to play there, or other courses sometime The greens and course were fun and buddy and I completed a round in 3:30, so pretty quick playing too, which is nice.

Feel ya, Steve...Kinda interesting that with the ever increasing lofts of irons to show YoY distance improvements, they've created a new problem of not needing as many clubs with the groupings! Although, this isn't just a Wilson problem, but probably an industry problem with all new iron sets.

This. My local range has covered bays and a lot of the local HS teams practice there in the afternoon. Save you a ton of fund-raising headaches and equipment purchases.

I have one, and only one thing to say on this matter #Returnofthemack That is all

After viewing my auto draft team, I am assured of a victory!

Weekly update! Took them to the range and had a solid session with the launch monitor. We'll call this my "initial" assessment of the full set of irons with data galore, for those that are interested: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VAmCTdUzoEuKVd5bcShOowHTM_MM7jq0mS7RhtsW6bw/edit?usp=sharing Disregard the Cobra testing at the bottom...that was me just having some fun, since I need a new driver (see signature...) Initial impressions and takeaways: - MUCH more forgiving than my current irons (DCI/R11) with rarely a mishit or shank - Much straighter ball flight, so much so that I've already had to adjust my address to the ball for aiming purposes as I tend to push it right with my current irons - Power Holes seem to be adding distance over my current irons, however as I mentioned before, there's a grouping problem with my 4-5-6irons all going about the same distance. Think some more practice with them could create larger gaps in distances - The Re*Akt can be felt, slightly, in the hands when you make solid contact. However, if you have tried the Mizuno Hot Metals, it's not nearly as powerful a feedback as those. - Overall, solid improvements and i'm pleased with their design, construction, and play right now. Going to play a few rounds this week and next to see what kind of Stroke Gains I can make.

Funny you ask this, Wedgie, as I was just lamenting to my local range pro that the 4-5-6 irons all had very similar distances to each other when well struck (Smash factor of 1.35 or greater). To give you an idea, the D7 4i was carrying about 210, 5i was about 205, and 6i was 198. Really got me thinking about how I might restructure my bag and maybe eliminate one or two of these irons depending on how well I find I hit them. Even the 7i was close to the group, but not so close as to lump it with the irons above, and I hit it well enough I'd probably keep it regardless, haha!

Haha, yep, that's the one! Liked the course, though.

Stage 2 Review – October 7th, 2019 Wilson D7 Irons – Official MGS Forum Review Finally, we’ve come to the end of our review period and I spent a lot of time on the range, the course, and here, with you all! Hopefully we’ve done a decent job answering any questions you had along the way and continue to ask questions about these irons. I also testing these irons against my current DCI’s and some R11 clones – even had a special guest appearance by a D300 4i for a bit to look at old-gen vs. new-gen. Basically, a lot of time spent with these irons and they were fun to test! Current setup: Looks (9/10): The D7’s look great right out of the package. All shiny, chrome-y, and the cavity back has a nice, contemporary design that is pleasing to my eye compared with a lot of irons out there. The W/S Shield, slant D7 logo, and overall design in the cavity back is simplistic enough to not distract or seem gaudy while relaying the relevant information to any onlookers. Additionally, the power holes on the sole are not distracting when I look at my bag either. Most folks are curious about them and want to ask questions, which has given me a lot of different perspectives/opinions on their looks – all positive feedback from folks on the course and range. They are a little thicker than one would hope for (I mean, aren’t we all striving to play butter knife blades?), but the weighting on the sole doesn’t distract you at address. Compared with my old DCI’s, the overall thickness, grooves, and “look” are fine and what I would expect from any club in this category. Additionally, the grips have been really fantastic! I’ve enjoyed their feel in my hands, solid grip, and nary an issue with the club moving in my hands on any swing. Sound & Feel (8/10): I had the opportunity to try these at a demo day back in June and they have a good feel, solid sound, and really no complaints in this area. The ReAkt technology gives you a bit of feedback when you get a solid shot, but nothing distracting in the hands during the swing. Basically, they sound and feel like a gold club should sound and feel. However, when looking at the review template MGS supplied us, one note in this category was “Compare to your worst/best feel and sound experience” and in this regard I had to knock it a few points. When I tried the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Pro – yes, I realize it’s a bit of a different category- the sound was crisper and feel was amazing on solid shots. That’s my “gold standard” which all clubs are measured to, hence the 8. Basic Characteristics (18/20): So let’s break this down a bit Accuracy – The D7’s are as accurate as my swing allows them to be, haha. Dispersion is very tight – I’d say 12yds either side of my aiming line Distance – A lot. Seriously, these things fly. My best hit with them was a 4i hit off the tee that went 247yds, as measured by the Grint app/GPS. My wife tried them and she was flying past her current irons about 20+yds, had a buddy try them and he was equally about 20yds past his current irons. Now, this brings up some other issues that I’ll address further on. Trajectory – High. No two ways about it. If you have trouble getting the ball up, then these irons are design to help you get it in the air easily. If I’m honest, they flew too high for my liking, but I can’t knock the club for doing as it’s designed to do. Forgiveness – This is the reason the D7’s exist. I have always pushed my shots to the right, or I slice the ball significantly with my DCI’s. My slice has all but disappeared and I rarely push the ball to the right anymore. If anything, I’m having to compensate for a draw now, which isn’t a bad place to be. Additionally, any mishits with these irons are not punished significantly and my shots still went plenty far and into playable territory with heel or toe hits. I was very pleased with how forgiving these clubs are! Control – Since these are SGI irons, you give up some control in order to gain forgiveness. Since most folks are out there to have a good time and not spend all day in the woods looking for balls, it’s a fair trade off. With that said, I never once had any control issues with the clubs and it was fairly “point-and-shoot” for the majority of the shots I took with these. Workability – Same story here as Control. You gotta give a little workability to get more forgiveness, so you cannot shape your shots all that well. However, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t able to exert some influence to get around a dog leg a bit better. Just realize what these clubs are meant for and go with the flow…no club can be everything to everyone. Setup & Lofts – So here is my only real issue with the basic characteristics of these clubs, and ultimately what dings them a few points. The Lie and Length were no problem to get setup from the factory when we all ordered our clubs, BUT the lofts on these irons are pretty high. Mind you, I’m coming from a setup of clubs where the 4i was @ 25* and the SW @ 54*. The D7’s start at 19* for the 4i and end at 48* for the GW. This corresponds to the distance gains I’m seeing since the 4i is effectively a 5W for most players. It has really highlighted gaps in my bag that I didn’t have before so I’ve had to completely retool everything to accommodate the increased lofts. Another problem that I ran into was how the upper irons are gapped; 19-22-25 for the 4-5-6i meant that there was only about 10yds difference from the 4-6i, effectively ruling out their use in an average round. I understand that marketing dollars are at play and the desire for each new product to be “farther and straighter” than the last, but it comes at an expense that doesn’t make sense for the average golfer and most folks will only use about four or five clubs from a set of 8 on average…that means a lot of wasted space in your bag and money in the end. On-Course Performance (28/30): I noted in some posts during the review period that on average I gained about 3-4 strokes a side with these clubs. Yes, the Wilson Staff D7’s lowered my score, on average about 6-8 strokes! The distance provided, forgiveness in shots, overall accuracy, and even a bit of control/workability significantly helped lower my scores. Forget the gapping issues, the high trajectory, and the loss of some control and workability, at the end of the day these clubs can game. I’m very pleased with the turf interaction on each shot, the distance off the tee’s (I mostly hit irons off the tee, and at 247yds w a 4i, who needs a driver!), the wedge play, and just general confidence I had with these clubs was fantastic. I never walked up to a shot and thought “oh crap, now what am I going to do” and instead just figured out my distance, selected my club, and whacked away. Besides the amazing 247yd tee shot with my 4i, another great shot was ~128yds out and put it within 3ft with the GW. So even under my own pressure – and that of the people I was playing with – the performed admirably and was never in doubt on the course. The D7’s have changed my perspective on Wilson/Staff clubs in a major way. Miscellaneous (8/10): So here’s where we talk about the small things. The speed of shipping was a major issue – of course the timing didn’t help, though, as we placed our orders right before the US Open…that Gary Woodland won…with the Wilson Staff Model Irons…that made them super popular and everyone wanted a set…which pushed our orders to the bottom of the stack. However, it did take them about two months to get us our clubs, which is a ding overall. The packaging, personal inspection notes, fit & finish, were all top-notch, though. Also, everywhere I went with these clubs, people would ask me questions about them, how they played, how W/S was now, and inevitably, how they had an old set at one point in their lives and how they always liked them… It’s a storied brand with a bright future, assuming they can get products out the door! Play it or Trade it (19/20): Given that they have already lowered my score about 6-8 strokes a round, these are definite “play” irons and I would have no qualms heading to a tournament with these at any time. I think the price is very reasonable for any golfer and I would recommend them to anyone starting in the game or someone who has swing consistency issues, trouble getting the ball up, or maybe distance issues with age. I’ve certainly enjoyed them and will continue to enjoy them until I make the next step with my game to a players iron – many rounds from now. Conclusion Buy these clubs if you are a mid/high handicapper who wants to hit the ball longer, straighter, and have confidence that you can step up to any shot, take a swing, and it will go where you want it to*. *Don't blame the clubs for your bad swings Final Score: 90 out of 100