2019 Official Forum Member Review-Wilson D7 Challenge

[artful_golfer]

How is the turf interaction with the soles on the D7s?


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For the first time I’m actually taking a few divots. I don’t know what the difference is to make that happen. I always tried to avoid that in the past because it seems to take much of the energy out of my shots but I’m surprised to look down now and see a divot after a good hit.


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[GeekingGolf]

So I got the D7s out on the course on Friday and turned in a pretty good round +6 so not a bad score my iron play wasn't great though. I'm finding the extra thick top line is causing me some difficulty getting used to it. I was seeing an increase of about 10 yards with each club on the range but on the course not so much. I hit 60% of the greens but my distances weren't there. I am hitting the ball really high and that could just be my swing combined with the clubs at this point. I was hoping to use the TopGolf range but the system was down so I will try to get out there this week and see if it is up so I can get some real data. My Arccos tracking distances doesn't look too good with one round in so I don't want to share those hear. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

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[Tarheelvolvo]

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?

Edited September 15, 2019 by Tarheelvolvo

[JohnSmalls]

On 9/10/2019 at 4:48 PM, russtopherb said:

How is the turf interaction with the soles on the D7s?


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Sorry for being MIA so far on this.  I normally am not a big divot taker, which probably explains why I was able to play the thin soles on my Nike Vapors, so take this post with a grain of salt. 

I was skeptical at first with just how wide the soles of these are.   I thought they would have a tendency to bounce off of the firm turf at my home course because of the dry weather.  These irons just cut right through the turf, skim the dirt and keep moving almost like a players club would.  Wilson has done an impressive job at the beveling/rounding of the metal on these irons to keep all of that excess surface area from catching grass or bouncing off of the dirt at the bottom of the golf swing.

These irons seem to have almost like a V-sole.  I will try to get pictures later to illustrate what I am trying to say but it's like the first bit of the iron (face, beveled leading edge, and first bit of power holes) is a more traditional cavity back, and then the extra metal  on the sole that makes these an super game improvement iron slopes away from the ground (vertically when addressing the ball).  It seems like this was designed so that it doesn't get in the way causing an adverse strike with the ground and then ball. 

Even on soft courses that have been drenched by the recent round of scattered T-storms, they don't seem to bog down because of their large footprint.  They feel like a much smaller club going through the turf and I couldn't be more surprised about it.

[ole gray]

On 8/21/2019 at 10:31 AM, artful_golfer said:

Hi fellow Spies!

A huge thank you again to both MyGolfSpy and Wilson Golf for giving our team of six testers this opportunity. I’m excited and nervous to share my review of the Ladies Wilson D7 irons. Throughout this process, if you have questions or comments, send them over and I’ll be happy to answer as best I can.

This is my newest art collage project:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started playing golf 5 years ago at 60 years old. I’m not particularly coordinated in sporting endeavors. I have worked hard to improve and my handicap has gradually come down to 24. Putting is the only aspect that ever felt easy and natural to me. I have a theory that putting is easier for visual learners like me.

I’m a happy, patient but determined golfer and enjoy playing with other good vibes golfers. I’m happiest when doing things with my husband (almost 45 years a golfer) and my son - @downlowkey, so I guess golf was eventually in my future. I love to practice, but refer to it as "research" time. I typically play/practice 2-3 times a week but rarely play 18 holes two days in a row.

My Swing. Thank you to Aaron Speaker, the head pro at The Club at Colony Creek, for making these for me today! The thermometer showed 101 degrees for us out there!

I have a neuromuscular disease that affects my muscle stamina, particularly with repeated use of the same muscles. I tire and lose strength quicker than other people. Early on, I decided that although my drives didn’t go as far, I could still reach par 4/5s in regulation. It just meant a longer approach shot – I can handle that. Dispersion on those shots has always been problematic. Wilson claims that these super game improvement irons are longer and more forgiving. Should be precisely perfect for me... right? Well, that’s what I intend to find out.

A couple of years ago, a local pro used a launch monitor to get some of my baseline swing stats. That day, while rested and fresh, my driver swing speed was 95. But I’m told I swing hard early in my rounds and easier as the round progresses. I’ve since learned to conserve energy by using body rotation to hit the ball further instead of only my arms. And also that a slower swing can be a more accurate - but it seems not accurate enough to consistently find the green in regulation.

I normally card something in the mid-to-high 90’s and 92 is my personal best. My mishits are usually a push fade, but being quite inconsistent I'm also able to miss them hard left. My good rounds happen when I am able to limit the blow up holes. As a round progresses and my muscles are taxed, I adjust my club choice for distance. For example - at 140 yards, I use my hybrid or regular 4 iron early but switch to my 5 wood or even 3 wood later in the round. My favorite scoring club, an 8 iron, is good for 90-95 yards. I’ve read that my hybrids are designed to help the ball out of the rough, but that expanded mass going through the grass doesn’t work for me. Instead, I use my favorite long iron, a TaylorMade R7 4 iron. I’m anxious to test the difference between D7 irons and hybrid irons in the tall stuff. But then with the D7s accuracy I shouldn’t be in the tall grass as often, correct?

My review blueprint: Utilize a launch monitor to compare the Wilson D7s to my current Pings at the beginning of the review and again at the end. I will also be tracking on-course stats with a ShotScopeV2 to compare the two sets. I plan to practice or play 2-3 times a week and provide progress updates on a weekly basis. So come back and join me each week!

It felt like eternity waiting for our irons to arrive but I am pleased how well they were protected.

Each iron is wrapped in an individual bag with some extra packing material wedged in between clubs and on the ends for a snug safe journey to South Texas.

After peeling off that layer, you'll find each club head cocooned in bubble wrap with another shrink wrapped plastic cover underneath.

I ordered the ladies set of 5-9, PW, GW with UST Mamiya Recoil 450 L Flex shafts. For ladies, fitting choices seem to be limited unless you switch to a men’s shaft. As ordered, these were not custom fit. Because it's my favorite current iron, I would love to have also included a 4-iron and was somewhat disappointed it was not offered in ladies clubs.

The heads have a high polish finish – not sure yet how they will look after earning some playing marks. See those slits in the soles? Wilson claims those are "Power Holes". They compress to result in more distance on longer irons and combine with optimal weighting and extreme feel in the shorter irons for the most precise distance control.

The purplish graphics on the graphite shaft are a little bright for my taste but at least the entire shaft is not that color. The Wilson website states this Mamiya UST 450 Recoil Shaft is a Lightweight Helium Shaft.

My grips are the standard Women's Performance Grip and they feel soft and comfortable.

For my initial launch monitor comparison, I made an appointment at the PGA SuperStore in Austin, TX. And I have to thank them, for a truly incredible experience! Jeff Webb - Fitting Van Specialist, spent 2.5 hours with me!!! We got some good stats on my current Pings followed by the Wilson D7s.

I will make a separate, more detailed post that specifically addresses my fitting experience but the short story is this – my standard D7s were not quite right, so Jeff “fixed” them. It was amazing to watch Jeff tweak the specs on my new clubs and I can now confidently say they are custom fit for me.

Something new worth mentioning I've noticed on the Wilson website is their D7 Demo Program. A limited number of standard sets are available for only $9.99 for a 2-week trial period. You can see if they are a good fit for you before you purchase them. Looks like the men's sets are out of stock already but they still have a few women's set.

Thanks for following along and please post any questions you may have in the official review thread! And come back to visit me!

 

 

WOW Great phase 1 !  You covered all the bases and then some 

[ole gray]

These are good looking irons. I enjoyed your Stage 1 writeups and looking forward to ya stage 2 reviews!

[JohnSmalls]

21 hours ago, ole gray said:

These are good looking irons. I enjoyed your Stage 1 writeups and looking forward to ya stage 2 reviews!

Welcome to the D7 review OG!

[JohnSmalls]

Great golf filled weekend lately--played 36 Saturday on two different courses in the area followed up with 9 Sunday afternoon with some old friends.  Sadly, my driver and 3 wood got me into a lot of trouble all day Saturday.  My first round was in the morning on a rain soaked course I had never seen. I would have easily broken 90 were it not for a nightmare day off of the tee.  Still managed to shoot a 96 (43/53) with a whopping 12 penalty strokes.  The gap wedge was the shining star of the day and counted for 7 holes where many strokes were gained.  2 birdies (3 if it weren't for two snap hooks off the tee) and a couple of pars were bright spots including a chip in.

The second round (101) consisted of a bag full of terrible.

Sunday afternoon's round started of slowly but finished with a bang.  With an unofficial lowest ever 9 hole score of 42* (one mulligan), the D7's had their best showing of the weekend here.

Things aren't all peaches and cream with the D7s, though.  Taking the second round out, my GIR was still an abysmal 15%.  6 pts below my season average and more than 10pts below my trend going into the test.  More testing to come. 

[ole gray]

2 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

Welcome to the D7 review OG!

Thank you and I'm looking forward to those phase 2 reviews! 

[JohnSmalls]

I normally don’t get along with SGI/GI set wedges and I don’t know what it is about this D7 gap wedge and why it continues to perform so well, but I am liking it more and more. It has given me more looks at birdie this past month than I have had in the past 2 years 

[artful_golfer]

29 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

I normally don’t get along with SGI/GI set wedges and I don’t know what it is about this D7 gap wedge and why it continues to perform so well, but I am liking it more and more. It has given me more looks at birdie this past month than I have had in the past 2 years 

I agree. The Gap wedge is my favorite in the set and the one I use the most often. It has dropped my handicap 2 strokes since these clubs arrived.

[Steve2100]

I’ll third the motion on the gap wedge! Inside 100 it’s been very accurate. It also has replaced my 56 degree wedge on some shots around green.


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[JohnSmalls]

Testers, what has been your favorite shot with your D7s so far?

[Tarheelvolvo]

18 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

Testers, what has been your favorite shot with your D7s so far?

Honestly, teeing off with the 4i and cranking it 235yds+ fairly consistently has been favorite shot  Outside of that, I had a great shot that put me 5ft to pin from 135yds out with the GW!

[artful_golfer]

22 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

Testers, what has been your favorite shot with your D7s so far?

I don't have a single favorite shot I've made, but I do have a favorite shot I make with these clubs. It's a short lob shot with the Gap wedge. I now feel confident when getting ready for it (over a bunker, hill or nothing significant) because it's become pretty consistent.

[artful_golfer]

4th week review update - I realize it's past week 4, but after my week 3 update I had almost a 3 week layoff. So to me this has been week 4.

Not much to report. I played one full round where I felt completely out of whack - rhythm, distance, direction, putting, you name it. I'll count that as time well spent to knock the jet lag rust off. I didn't even keep score. I also put in two practice sessions working on getting a feel back for my short game. @downlowkey was a huge guidance in helping me feel confident again with chipping, pitching and flop shots. I like my D7 gap and pitching wedge so much I just didn't anticipate that I could go backwards in using them.

I'm now optimistic about a round tomorrow. I plan to make it easy on myself, enjoy the course (lots of good rain today, yea!) and let the Wilson D7's do their thing.

Weather permitting, I'm committed to putting in a lot of time these last two testing weeks to bring the D7's back around.  Cheers.

[Tarheelvolvo]

Like @artful_golfer, I wanted to give a weekly update too. I played front 9 last Friday as well and had a special guest! 

 

Round went pretty well and shot a 40 after a great chip-in for birdie to end the round! I found myself using the 4i to tee off a lot since it was consistently 235yds+, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Best shot was a 247yd bomber with my 4i that I got all of and felt it in the club with the Reakt tech giving pretty good feedback in my hands.

Besides the 4i, I only used the 7i, PW and GW, which I thought was odd for me, but the extra length is providing some new challenges while I am still adjusting. Wedge play has been way up too, which is great considering how well the PW and GW have performed for me! Really liking these clubs overall, although I might leave the 6,8,9 at home, haha.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Tarheelvolvo

[Nunfa0]

Testers, now that you've had a good few weeks with these clubs, is there anything that you find disappointing about them?

[Tarheelvolvo]

4 hours ago, Nunfa0 said:

Testers, now that you've had a good few weeks with these clubs, is there anything that you find disappointing about them?

Honestly, the biggest issue I am having with the newer clubs, and I think this is a problem with all newer iron sets, is the gapping. As I mentioned in my last post, I really only use a 4, 5, 7, PW, GW from the set. Realize manufacturers need to make sure the newest model "goes farther" and "flies straighter," but that creates a new conundrum for the average golfer. In fact, I read this article last night and found myself nodding along quite frequently: https://golfweek.com/2019/09/24/new-irons-can-create-a-tricky-gapping-problem/

It created a void sub 135yds for me that I had to fill with additional wedges. Now, I don't mind hitting my 4i 235yds+ every time, but it does require an adjustment period where I have to test and learn each iron's capabilities, weaknesses, and distances on a course, not just the range. 

With that said, the clubs have performed well for me and I have greatly enjoyed testing them out. The only other issue I can think of is that I have started to put a little too much of a draw on my shots with the perimeter weighting correcting my swing. Again, this is more about my swing than the club, but it is an adjustment period that needs to be taken into consideration if someone were to purchase these irons. Certainly not something that can't be overcome, but good feedback for prospective buyers all the same. 

[JohnSmalls]

5 hours ago, Nunfa0 said:

Testers, now that you've had a good few weeks with these clubs, is there anything that you find disappointing about them?

I love questions like this!

I tried to go into this with very low expectations so that any disappointments would be legitimate concerns.  With that I am still struggling to hit the long irons with a bone stock swing.  I can hit nice low draws with them, I can fade them pretty well and have hit nice cut down punches a little too well (distance).  But my standard full swing has been worse than inconsistent.  I firmly believe I have the club speed for these to work but they just aren't working on full swings.  I think it is a mix of a swing problem (85%) and the DG AMT being the wrong shaft for the long irons (15%). 

The other disappointment is the loft gapping.  When selected for this test, I spent a lot of time looking at club specs trying to assess distance differences and comparisons to my weaker lofted Vapor Pro Combos.  The Vapors have a pretty steady 4* loft structure in my set with the exception of the 4-5 iron (3* difference), and depending on how I was swinging the club that day, I had a great idea of what club I needed to pull---no second thoughts.  The D7s...not so much.  The schizophrenic loft gap through the set is an issue that I will detail further in stage 2. 

[JohnSmalls]

On 9/23/2019 at 5:52 PM, JohnSmalls said:

Testers, what has been your favorite shot with your D7s so far?

I have spoken about the GW being a favorite club, but there are 2 shots that are in contention for favorite. 

#1- I drove into trouble before hitting a blind 7 iron with a fade to get around a tree into the green on the par 4 #11 at Spring Lake to save a very lucky GIR.

#2- Hit a nice fade off of the tee to set up for about 155 to a slightly uphill pin on the toughest hole on our course.  The 8 iron left me pin high and set me up for a legitimate birdie look for my first time ever on this hole.  I got the line right and left the downhill putt short, but walked away with an easy par.  I can count on one hand the number of pars I have had on this hole and none of them were easy.  This is one shining spot where easy distance with these clubs has been a game improvement. 

[artful_golfer]

16 hours ago, Nunfa0 said:

Testers, now that you've had a good few weeks with these clubs, is there anything that you find disappointing about them?

Though I mostly like these clubs I do have two disappointments.

#1 - I'm disappointed that the ladies set doesn't offer a 4 iron like the men's. Doesn't make sense, seems like women need it more than men. It leaves a big gap that I fill with my old TaylorMade 4 iron which I happen to love.

#2 - I still have trouble with distance consistency with the longer irons #6 and #5. If I hit the sweet spot they will fly surprising farther than expected. And then a hit that feels solid but obviously isn't can fall quite short. Getting the expected distance doesn't happen often enough.

@Tarheelvolvo thanks for the link to the article about gaps. I found myself nodding in agreement also.

[artful_golfer]

On 9/24/2019 at 3:15 PM, artful_golfer said:

I don't have a single favorite shot I've made, but I do have a favorite shot I make with these clubs. It's a short lob shot with the Gap wedge. I now feel confident when getting ready for it (over a bunker, hill or nothing significant) because it's become pretty consistent.

Well I didn't have a single favorite shot with the D7s until today. I used my pitching wedge about 70 yards out and needed to skim the edge of a bunker. I could see the flag but not the area of the green where the hole was behind the bunker. I saw my ball bounce on the edge of the bunker and thought it made it onto the green but would be going too fast to stay there. I searched in the tall grass on the other side of the green for a long time but never found my ball. Walking back across the green to search on the front side, I looked down in the cup and there was my ball! I had a birdie on a par 5! Wish I could have watched it.

[russtopherb]

How's the paintfill & wear in the cavity for everyone so far? Any issues? 

[artful_golfer]

2 hours ago, russtopherb said:

How's the paintfill & wear in the cavity for everyone so far? Any issues? 

I just looked at all of them. No wear at all. But after five years my Ping Serene club cavities also don't show wear. Even from an angle you can see how much wider the soles on my Pings are.

I also checked the holes on the soles, which to me are not holes at all because they are filled with a hard polymer. I expected to see at least a little wear here but all of those are fine and don't show any wear. There is a slight indention for each hole so the polymer probably doesn't receive the same ground contact abuse as the surrounding metal parts of the sole.

As expected the highly polished soles have accumulated lots of scuffs. This photo is of the 7 iron which has been one of the least used in the set. But still shows I have been using these!

 

[Tarheelvolvo]

5 minutes ago, artful_golfer said:

I just looked at all of them. No wear at all. But after five years my Ping Serene club cavities also don't show wear. Even from an angle you can see how much wider the soles on my Pings are.

I also checked the holes on the soles, which to me are not holes at all because they are filled with a hard polymer. I expected to see at least a little wear here but all of those are fine and don't show any wear. There is a slight indention for each hole so the polymer probably doesn't receive the same ground contact abuse as the surrounding metal parts of the sole.

As expected the highly polished soles have accumulated lots of scuffs. This photo is of the 7 iron which has been one of the least used in the set. But still shows I have been using these!

 

Same! Mine look great to far. Even the chrome finish on the sole looks great after all my rounds and a lot of range time with artificial hitting mats, which we all know can "green" a club pretty quick.

 

[ole gray]

On 9/2/2019 at 7:57 PM, artful_golfer said:

I have never been able to figure out a consistently successful bump & run. So I try soft lob shots that don't roll much or usually use my putter when close, even off the green. Honestly, because of the past, I haven't put in a good effort to try bump & runs with these irons. This is a nudge that I should and promise to try it. Maybe I'll surprise myself and have a new shot I can use!

Looking forward to your input on the bump and run with these irons

[ole gray]

9 minutes ago, ole gray said:

Looking forward to your input on the bump and run with these irons as these irons are very intriguing and pumped for your stage two's coming up!

 

[JohnSmalls]

8 hours ago, ole gray said:

 

Stay tuned  

[artful_golfer]

16 hours ago, ole gray said:

Looking forward to your input on the bump and run with these irons as these irons are very intriguing and pumped for your stage two's coming up!

 

7 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

Stay tuned  

I agree. We're almost to the end. And I'll try to get a video of my new bump and run shot!