2020 Official Member Review: Wilson D7 Forged Irons

[GolfSpy MPR]

See this?

This, friends, is the best equipment award in golf. They don't hand these out for buying full-page ads. Most Wanted is earned, not bought.

And these irons are Most Wanted.

Anyone interested in seeing how the numbers in the MyGolfSpy HQ translate to real golfers on the course? [It looks like over 1,800 of you were interested in doing just that!] So which forum members will get these in hand to let us know what their real-world performance is like?

• @MattF: Review
• @revkev: Review
• @HardcoreLooper: Review
• @Thin2win: Review
• @greggarner: Review

[MattF]

The Review 10/19/2020

Wilson D7 Forged – Official MGS Forum Review by MattF

 

Intro:

Good afternoon viewers. Another MGS test is done and dusted, or is it?

For those of you who are new here (and some of you that just ignore me ) my name is Matt (or Matthew if I'm in trouble with my old Mum) and I'm the resident ratbag and birthday wisher here.

Quick run down, I was born and raised in Sydney and moved to Ohio in 2005 to marry the bane of my existence...so far so good. I took up playing golf when I moved here to get in good with my FIL and haven't stopped getting frustrated since. I'm 49, have 3 kids (2 daughters 21 and 19 who live with their Mum in Sydney and a 13 year old son here who doesn't listen). I play to about a 15 handicap, which is about the absolute outer limit of who should think about playing players distance irons. I current swing a driver right around 100mph and irons have topped out between 89 and 92mph. I can hit some very nice shots and some that'll leave you scratching your head.

The Wilsons will be going up against my beloved Bridgestones that I've been gaming for the last 2 years.

 

First Impressions:

When a box arrives on your doorstep for testing, you turn into a 6 years old girl at Christmas, I don't care how old you are, it just happens.

The packaging was good, the clubs were secure. There was a packing list with the specs (maybe they should have double checked...more on that a bit later) and the grips were loose in the box as requested.

The Results:

Looks: 10 out of 10

These irons just look sharp. Nice chrome finish paired with the Project X Catalyst 80 shafts, absolutely stunning. They don't have a knife blade top line but they're certainly not fat either, I'd say they're just right.

I honestly don't have much to say about the power holes look, because I don't know about you, but I can't see them when I'm hitting them, so it makes no difference to me.

They don't have a too much junk in the trunk as you can see by the 6 and 9 irons in comparison to my Maltby DBM's and the Bridgestones, they have a slightly larger sole, but it's not huge.

Feel: 8 out of 10

8 out of 10 you say, why not 10...because. These feel very solid when struck, even off the toe. In fact, they don't have that hand stinging wrist killing feel like the Bridgestones do when you hit a bad one. However, they also don't have that "no feeling" when you hit a ball perfectly. I can feel that with the Bridgies, like you didn't hit the ball at all, I didn't have that with the Wilsons. I knew every time I hit the ball. Yes, I could feel if it was a good one or a bad one but not that "did it miss the ball or what" feeling.

Basic Characteristics: 18 out of 20

When the clubs arrived I checked them over (not carefully enough I came to find out) and looked at the specs vs the Bridgestones.

Here's the Tour B's.

 

Here's the D7's.



As you can see from the 4-8 iron they're either .5° weaker or stronger than the Bridgestones, 9 and PW are the same and the GW is 1° stronger. Lies are about .5° either way. The Wilsons also play a bit heavier than the Bridgestones. The Project X Catalyst shafts are a heavier shaft than the Recoils I usually play, but I'm in love with my EvenFlow shafts and they should fit in nicely.

On Course Performance: 27 out of 30

All things being equal, they should be longer, right? They're not. Here are my P averages from ShotScope. Black are Bridgestone and yellow are Wilson.




With the exception of the 8 iron, I'm either even distance or 5 to 15 yards shorter.

However, they have to be about the best irons I've ever used for when you stuff up a shot. Hit it on the toe, the ball is more or less going in the direction you want it with only a small loss of distance. My other clubs just can't compete with that, ever.

Miscellaneous: 5 out of 10 (Edited to 8 out of 10)

This is a big one and a lesson learned. When you get your new clubs, after the initial 6 year old girl reaction, do yourself a HUGE favour and check each and every club thoroughly. I didn't. You saw above that the 8 iron is longer than my gamers despite every other club either even or 15 yards shorter. Well yes it was longer, but it just pushed right almost each and every time. I didn't have that problem with the other clubs other than when I just hit a bad shot. I tried out the 7 and 8 iron yesterday on a par 3, the 7 when straight as a string, the 8...a push off to the right. I spec'd mine with 6.0 (stiff) shafts, as you can see with the spec sheet that I posted and that's what I got except for the 8 iron which came with a 5.5 (regular). Here's the 7 (top), 8 (middle) and 9 (bottom)...what's wrong with this picture?



The Mods have contacted Wilson and we'll see what happens.

Edit: Wilson sent me a new 8 iron, with the right shaft, so I've increased the score.

Play or Trade?: 17 out of 20

Time will tell. I do like them, a lot, but the distance loss is a hang up. I'm going to continue working with them over the winter and see if they truly earn to oust the Bridgestones.

Final Score and Conclusion: 85 out of 100 (Edited to 88 out of 100)

85? Yeah, the distance loss and the wrong shaft were issues for sure.

Being the highest handicapper for this test may be good or bad. My inconsistency right now won't do any clubs any favours, however, I feel like someone like me can game these clubs without fear. They're easy to hit, go relatively straight and besides, they just look so good.

[revkev]

Wilson D7 forged irons – Official MGS Forum Review by Rev Kevin Loughran 10/16/2020

Intro

As I start out I wanted to thank Wilson and MyGolfSpy for this great test opportunity!

I am as the screen name suggests, the Senior Pastor of a fairly large church and school community who is 64 years old.  I primarily play at two private clubs, mine, The Bayou Club in Largo, FL, and St. Pete Country Club in St. Petersburg, FL.  You will see in the following video that I’m between a 6 and 7 iron at 150.  I have a moderate swing tempo with a driver swing speed from 90-95 and currently have a 4.4 handicap index.  I have played Ping G30’s for the past three years, prior to that I was gaming Wilson C200’s and before that the C100’s.  I was fit for the C100’s and G30’s. 

My issues with each of those iron sets has been the transition from middle irons to short irons and PW to my SCOR wedges.  My typical miss with iron is left or thin and right.  When you look at my ARCCOS data I am more accurate with 7 iron than 9 iron or wedge and that is a problem.  I’m only at 50/50 hitting greens with my short irons when I should be thinking about getting it inside of 25 feet.

Here I am hitting a 7 iron:

 

 

I did not get fit for this test because I had just met with my fitter met to adjust an iron set.  I used the specs from that adjustment session to have my order placed with Wilson:  D7 forged 4-GW, 2 flat, Mamiya Recoil 460 R flex, plus .5 inches, Tour Velvet 1 extra wrap.

 

First Impressions

COVID has made everyone’s life interesting.  We were selected for this test in early August, put in our orders shortly thereafter and then waited. My irons arrived on September 14 and were exactly as promised, the lies were all 2 flat and no loft was off by more than .5 degree of what was listed on the Custom Fit sheet.  A special shout out to Wilson for overnighting these to us once they were ready.

 

 

Wilson has touted its “power hole” technology since it released the C200 irons.  While I was a bit longer with the C200’s I found the C100’s, without the holes, more consistent and more forgiving. 

If I’m not mistaken this is the third iteration of that technology and the promise on the website is that “the power hole placement has been optimized for the forged heads, increasing face deflection and contact time between ball and the face of the iron.”  It also states a bit about Wilson’s Power Chamber technology that fills the Power Holes and the Forged 8620 Carbon Steel Cavity construction that give the “look and feel of a traditional forged iron with game-improving distance.”

 

From the beginning, when I applied for this test, I was wondering about several things.  Could my more moderate swing speed and shallow AoA approach handle a gamier sole?  Also, how would I do with far less offset than what I have become accustomed to?  Could I actually hit a 4 iron?  At the same time I really wanted to shore up the issues that I was having hitting my short irons. 

 

The practice areas at Bayou were ideal for this test.  I was able to try my irons from a variety of lies (on the range) and my trusty little Rapsodo gave me a lot of good data.  The one thing that it doesn’t record though is ball spin.  I did also have them on the course on four occasions.   I would say that it took me close to the full month to get used to the irons as they were a radical departure from what I was used to. 

 

I had originally intended to have a trackman session as a part of this test but contact tracing shut my fitter down for two weeks.  I will be able to post that data in a follow up.  I doubt that I will have anything earth shattering for you there though.  Players Distance irons launch higher and spin less than Players irons with the idea being that you will stop the ball through trajectory rather than spin.

 

Let’s see how all of this has played out.

 

 

Looks

I normally don’t care much about this but in this case I do.  I’ve been searching for an iron that will fit my swing profile with a thinner top line and a less exaggerated difference between the PW or GW and my bottom of the bag wedges.  These truly fit the bill.  I’m going 10/10 here.

 

 

 

Sound & Feel

I do actually care about sound although I will get used to a sound if the club produces results.  There’s really no need to get used to anything with the D7 forged irons though.  These clubs have a very nice report, like a pistol shot on the range.  I love the way the sole interacts with the turf.  It took a couple of weeks for me to get used to that feel but this is what I want out of a club – there’s forgiveness, I can tell when I miss hit the ball but I still get something out of balls hit a bit off the toe or down a few grooves. 

 10/10

 

Basic Characteristics

 This is where it gets interesting.  The stock shot is a nice high shot with a hint of draw.  What I’ve found is that I handle less offset really well.  I have a much larger draw with my G30’s and have to allow for it.  That’s fine when it’s working but I will miss shots left when I get tired or right when I swing too hard and don’t release.  Not with these D7’s.  Distance is very similar but there is no comparison in regards to dispersion, as you’ll see below. 

 

Please note that these are carry distances, not total.  On course results show that I hit the 9 iron between 120 and 125. 5 iron however does not work for me.  In fact, I carry my 6 iron as long as my 5 with a much nicer ball flight and there is no comparison between the 5 iron and 9 wood. (The 9 wood is pictured in purple above)

In regards to workability I’m not a player who works the ball right to left or left to right.  I can hit a cut with these if I need to, on the range at least.  Still, I find them difficult to curve much.  What I can do is hit them up or down.  The 5^th hole at a course that I frequently play has a line of trees that obscure the entire right half of the fairway.  It’s a medium length par 4 so for me driver 8 or 9 iron.  I dropped a few balls behind the trees and had no trouble launching over them and onto the green.  At the same time, I am able to flight the ball down.  I have not had that shot in quite a while.  Welcome back!

I’m going 16/20 here because I know that some guys like to work their shots.  I think that they would not be happy with these.  Also I love the way that they look but I’m coming from GI irons.  I’m looking forward to reading what someone going the other way, from a players club, to these, thinks.

Performance

I know that this category is often the guts of the review.  Weather and COVID though changed a lot of things for me in regards to what I had originally planned.  I took a staycation the first week of October and planned to play three times during it.  Two of those three rounds were washed out and the one that I started stopped after 5 holes.  I have managed to get them on the course 4 times and played numerous simulated holes on my practice range. 

 

For one of my practice rounds I was able to move up to the front tees and go iron only.  They really do fit my eye and the optic between GW and SCOR 52 is far more appealing than whatever else has been filling that spot. 

I was able to play a for real round last Sunday and hit them great.  Especially heartening were my short iron shots.  Everyone flew hole high, many were straight at the pin and all had enough stopping power even out of heavy rough.

 

My stock shot is a medium high draw which should be apparent in each of the earlier shot videos.  These babies produce that one for me only it is far less pronounced than with my gamers.  That’s good IMO.  I had no issues using them to punch out under tree limbs or from a fairway trap.  They have plenty of forgiveness for my game.  Shots that are down a few grooves tend to fly a bit left for me while toed hits start right and come back on target.  Any time I practice with the launch monitor the dispersion pattern is tight.  Data with my former irons would show fairly tight patterns but always left of target.

I’m thinking the forgiveness and tight dispersion is due to the Power Holes so Wilson gets prop for its technology.  I suspect that less offset has moved my shot pattern from left to nearly dead on center. There was some chatter early on in this thread about those holes picking up dirt.  I’ve not experienced that at any time during the test.

 

I maxed out at 6 iron in terms of the proper ball flight, carry and consistency.  I hit some very nice shots with 4 and 5 iron but am not consistent enough to game them.  However, this is not the fault of the D7 forged but rather an idiosyncrasy of my swing type.  My legitimate concerns would be that the hot face makes it tricky to use these for bump and runs around the green or to use the GW for shots that require a bit of spin as well as the difficulty in really getting them to curve for a player who likes to work the ball both ways.

In some ways this category remains in process for me as I’ve become familiar with the irons and will play much more golf with them.  Let’s just say that I believe this may be the start of a beautiful friendship. 

 27/30

 

Miscellaneous

I’ve been waiting for this category since I was selected.  I do have a question for Wilson.  Why this name?  For some time they’ve had the C and D categories.  I knew that I was a C (Control) player.  I did try a friend’s D7’s and liked them but with their offset, I hit them even farther left than the G30’s.  I don’t know that Wilson will be able to get the word out to the general public that these are Player’s irons while having the D designation in the name. 

The clubs themselves look great in the bag.  They have a wow factor to them.  One of our assistant pros hit mine on the range a couple of weeks ago and loved them.  I played with an assistant at another course last weekend and his comment at the end of the round was, “You really hit your irons great today, Rev.”

8/10 Deducting two points for the name.
 

Play it or Trade it?

Playing the 6 – GW 

Score here is simple enough, 20/20

Conclusion

These really are a must try for anyone interested in this category.  There’s a reason why they won the coveted MGS Most Wanted Player’s Distance Iron award.  They are ideal for an aging lower handicap or someone who is honest enough to admit that he needs a little distance boost, realizes he’s not spinning the ball back 10 feet with his short irons and wants a nice looking club with some forgiveness, good feel, high launch and great ball flight.

The downsides are the hot face when hitting shots around the green and some difficulties in working shots. The Wilson D7 forged irons are an ideal fit for a player like myself, older still with some game looking to shave off those last few strokes towards scratch at an extremely competitive price point with lots of options for customization.  I’d also say they are also a good fit for a lot of mid cappers who could use an iron that is a no brainer when it comes out of the bag – high and straight approach shots are what these babies were built to produce and they don’t disappoint.

Final score 91/100

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HardcoreLooper]

Wilson Staff D7 Forged – Official MGS Forum Review by Mike Eovino (a.k.a. HardcoreLooper)
 

Intro

As I stand here on the doorstep of 50, unwilling to ring the bell just yet, I think constantly of the Robert Browning quote my wife keeps in the kitchen. "The best is yet to be."  I keep hoping my best golf is still in the windshield and not the rearview mirror, but it's hard not to look back on what was.  I have to imagine it's the same for Wilson Golf.  All those wins.  All those majors.  All those sales.  Sarazen.  Snead.  Palmer.  Casper.  Miller.  Irwin.  Crenshaw.  Langer.  Daly.  Stewart.  Singh.  Harrington.  But golf is a "what have you done for me lately" game, and Wilson is a challenger brand now. To challenge successfully, you need good equipment, a good story, and a good business plan.  @GolfSpy Barbajo does a much better job than I ever could to break down the approach that Wilson Golf is taking now.  It’s well worth a read.

As for me and my game, I play out of the Brooklyn of the Mid-Atlantic - Richmond, Virginia.  My seriously competitive (such that it was) golf was played during the waning days of persimmon.  In case you’re new here, my forum handle is an homage to my nine years of caddying through high school and college.  Oh, the things that I’ve seen.  After burning myself out my senior year in high school and still not getting good enough to play in college, time and finances turned me into a once-in-a-while golfer that used-to-be-pretty-good.  But the passion never really left, and new friends and new jobs granted me opportunities to play again and the wherewithal to do it.  

These days, I’m a pretty solid mid-single-digit handicapper.  I’ll occasionally dip down into the 5’s (don’t pick me as a partner), but I’m just as likely to creep up into the 7’s (where I can actually make you a little money).  I’m a 6.4 right now, and I play a great deal of my golf at a 4600 yard par 66 course owned by the First Tee of Greater Richmond, where I’m a volunteer coach.  It’s all the golf course that my 13 year old daughter needs, and they treat the junior participants and coaches very well, so it’s hard to argue with.  It’s also a great course to test irons.

I’m a fairly smooth swinger with a driver swing speed that tops out just over 100 MPH.  The 9 iron clocks in around 83 MPH.  

A 150 yard pin with no trouble in front is a stock 9 iron, but a 150 yard carry is going to be an 8.  I’m trying hard to hit enough club this year and not overestimate my abilities.  My usual swing flaw is dragging the club too far inside, which leads to gentle draws when my timing is good but big hooks and the occasional mega-block to the right when I’m off.  This is something I’ve fought for years, with varying degrees of success.  In the video above, I'm doing everything I can to feel like I'm taking the club back outside.  So when you hear me say that "feel isn't real" - it's because I live it.   

Arccos likes to remind me that I underachieve in every facet of my game except for putting.

Before the D7 Forged testing, I played the Cobra F8s I tested in the Cobra Connect Challenge (Part Deux) and enjoyed them greatly.  

I was “fit” for those clubs at Golf Galaxy, and you can read my review of my fitting experience in the thread linked above.

I’m a big believer in fitting, so I scheduled a fitting at the newly opened Club Champion here in Richmond.  They did not disappoint, and I truly enjoyed the experience.  Mason Wolf is well-known in the Richmond golf scene, and he did a great job of fitting me and working within the parameters I gave him (only testing the D7 Forged, and only picking from the no-upcharge shafts).  I wouldn’t hesitate to work with him again, but I don’t know that I’d want to pay CC’s prices for clubs (he told me that my build would be $1,600 through Club Champion).  The difference between a professional fitting and what I received from Golf Galaxy two years ago was night and day, but I chalk much of that up to the person doing the fitting.
 

First Impressions

There’s just nothing like seeing a box on your doorstep from the Custom Fit Center.  You know you’re getting something special.  Kudos to you, Wilson Golf, for sending these out next-day air (and kudos to you, Craiggers).

 

And I love it when the manufacturer sends the specs back to you.  I actually ordered these 1.5* flat; I was not able to sync up with Club Champion to take them in to test the lofts and lies (every time I reached out, they were too busy).  

Wilson would like us to believe the following:

Quote

D7 Forged Irons deliver tour-level distance and feel with Power Hole and Power Chamber technologies combined with a compact head shape and thinner topline for true tour level appeal.

“Tour-level distance” is a function of the archer, not the arrow.  I hit these clubs about the same distance as my Cobra F8s, so I’m pleased not to lose any distance.  And I really could care less for “tour level appeal,” but I’ll get into the looks later.

 

Quote

Patented Power Hole Technology    
Power Hole placement has been optimized for the forged heads, increasing face deflection and contact time between the ball and the face of the iron for more efficient energy return, enhanced ball speed and greater distance.

The Power Holes are a bit polarizing, and I was not able to accurately measure any increase in ball/face contact time, but I can say that these goo-filled, flexy-faced irons are just about as long as my other hollow-core, flexy-faced irons.  And while the F8s are only hollow up to the 8 iron, the D7s provide soft urethane goodness all the way through the PW.  Why not in the gap wedge?  Go ask Tim Clarke.

The idea behind the Power Holes is to allow the face to flex more on thin shots to provide a little extra performance when you catch it “one groove low” (thanks Johnny Miller).  I didn’t notice any appreciable loss of distance on thin shots.  I made sure to catch several shots thin in order to test this claim; that's how committed I am to bringing you the data you need.  Not only did I not lose any distance, but thin shots don't give you the stinger up the arms that you'd expect.

 

Quote

Power Chamber Technology    
This proprietary innovation fills the Power Holes as well as the entire chamber behind the face, resulting in reduced vibration for incredible sound and feel.

Interesting that the Power Chamber doesn’t really provide any power; it’s there for sound and feel.  We’ll go into more detail on sound and feel, but the Power Chamber delivers on this.

 

Quote

Forged 8620 Carbon Steel Cavity Construction 
The forged carbon steel and cavity construction beautifully combines the look and feel of a traditional forged iron with game-improving distance.

Look and feel of a traditional forged iron?  I have Titleist box blades, Macgregor Muirfields and Hogan Apex Grinds in my garage.  This doesn’t look like any of those.  But it doesn’t need to, either.  Where my Cobras were Eastern European utilitarian, these clubs are stylish like an Italian sports car.  More on looks later.

But at the end of the day, these are tools, not jewels.  To earn a spot in my bag, they must outperform the current residents.  Arccos gives me what I need to make a data-driven decision.  As a fairly dedicated member of #TeamNoPractice, the clubs will be tested where they’re used, on the golf course.  I was able to play about 10 rounds with them, but phone mishaps led to only eight giving me usable Arccos data.  This is still plenty of data to make an informed decision.  
 

Grading

Looks
We can cut to the chase on this one.  These clubs are lookers.  Compared to my Cobra F8s, these are just gorgeous.

The game-improvement badging (for vibration damping) of the Cobra F8s is obvious, but there's also a noticeable notch near the heel.  I've looked past it for the last two years, but I haven't loved it.

 

Purists can quibble about the Power Holes on the soles; these clubs stopped people dead in their tracks.  Comments ranged from “those are some sexy irons” to “those can’t be Wilsons” to “how do I become a tester for the MyGolfSpy forum?”  Cavity back irons tend to emphasize “visible tech” in the cavity, but the D7 Forged play it down in favor of a much more understated look.  The sharp angles make them look modern and aggressive, but more along the lines of a late-model Mizuno JPX.  Definitely not obnoxious.  And the multiple finishes complement each other; they don't compete.

The soles on the D7 Forged are wider than you might think, but they don't feel bloated by any stretch.

From the right:  MacGregor Muirfield, Hogan Apex Grind, Maltby TS2, Mizuno MX200, Titleist AP1, Wilson D7 Forged, Cobra F8, Adams A7OS.

The Wilson Staff shield is right up there with the Hogan sunburst as one of the two best logos still in golf (RIP MacGregor crown).  It’s iconic in a way that the Callaway chevron and the TaylorMade whatever-it-is are not.  If I’d made a hole-in-one with these, I’d be rocking a shield tattoo.  

Score:  10 out of 10 (Power Holes look like distance to me)
 

Sound & Feel
So much is made of the sound and feel of golf clubs, and I try not to take these things into account when evaluating a club.  If it performs, then it performs.  If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t.  That’s easy to do with the Cobra F8s, as they sound and feel fairly muted.  But when you hit the D7 Forged, you’re reminded of the joy of a wonderful sounding club.  Even when paired with a graphite shaft (the Recoil 110, in my case), good shots provide a solid CRACK reminiscent of my Hogans.  I don’t want to like the sound and have it play a part in my decision, but I can’t help it.  It’s so… golfy.  I can’t think of another way to describe it.  When you think of the sound of a good golf shot, it’s this sound.  You want to hit them more to hear that sound.  My playing partners have commented on it as well and many have hit a few shots with them to hear it for themselves.  The sound captured in the video does not do it justice; it's far higher-pitched than in reality.  

Sound is much of what we think of as feel, so it’s no surprise that well-struck shots feel wonderful.  The clubs feel firm, but not harsh.  They’re very lively, but not hot.  I frequently visit the toe-side with my shots, and I sometimes hit the ball a touch fat, and the combination yields the dreaded high-toe shot.  These feel and sound awful, as they should.  It’s like catching a baseball off the very end of an aluminum bat on a cold March morning.  Bad contact doesn’t deserve good feel or sound, and the D7 Forged punishes you as you should be punished.  Now go work on your game.

Score:  10 out of 10 (the sound and feel make me want to play them)
 

Basic Characteristics
Getting fitted, I was able to spend plenty of time on a launch monitor to get a feel for them.  And paired with the Recoil 110 shafts, I was able to increase my peak height by about ten feet, add a little bit of spin and drastically improve my dispersion.  That will work.

As for forgiveness, mid-face shots out near the toe are treated fairly well for a poor strike, losing about five yards and ending a bit right of target, but nothing drastic.  
 

 

Both of the shots pictured (8 iron and 4 iron) went about the distance I’d expect.

Shots off the high toe are flatly awful.  So much so that when hitting a long iron off a tee, I push the tee nearly all the way into the ground instead of leaving it about ¼ inch or so above the top of the grass as I used to do.  With a propensity to hit the ball all over the toe, I’ll subtract two points for this.  They’re more Players than Distance off the high toe.

Wet and dewy conditions occasionally create situations where the ball will squirt on you, much as they will with just about any club.  I did catch a couple fliers because of this, but I don’t feel that any other club would have eliminated them.  At no time did I hit anything unexpectedly long when conditions were good.  It’s nice to know that the distance you’re going to get is what you expect, as long is death most places I play.

As for workability, I work the ball right-to-left nearly exclusively.  I’m a big believer in having a stock shot and using it all the time, unless something is in the way.  I am able to move the ball left-to-right with these clubs if it’s absolutely necessary, but I hate to see the ball fly that way, and I won’t do it unless I’m forced.  At no time did I feel like I needed to put any extra effort into hitting the ball well, but I also don’t feel like I’m the type of golfer that can concentrate extra hard and improve the outcome of a shot.  I try to figure out what my pattern is for the day (sometimes less curve, sometimes more curve) and pick my targets appropriately.  If the ball doesn’t go where I wanted it to, it’s due to operator error.  At no time did I hit what felt like a good shot and wonder “how did it manage to go there?”

The distance of these clubs is fairly close to the distances of my F8s, with better gapping.  I have a large gap between my 6 and 7 irons with the F8s (I’ve been meaning to get my lofts checked), but there are no gapping issues with the D7 Forged.
 

Smart Distance
	Wilson	Cobra	Delta
4i	217	213	4
5i*	213	207	6
6i	190	198	-8
7i	178	175	3
8i	162	158	4
9i	151	148	3
PW	138	135	3
GW	121	123	-2

 

*Most of the 5 iron shots I hit were tee shots on tight holes, so I’m not as worried about the large gap there.  My count-on distance for a 5 iron from the fairway is about 205.

Score:  18 out of 20 points (these clubs are going the distance)
 

On-Course Performance
Having played several rounds with the D7 Forged, I feel like I know what to expect from them.  And I’ve generated plenty of Arccos data with them.  I can safely say that I have the utmost confidence in these clubs.  At no point in any round did I worry about a shot, feel like I could not pull off a shot, or wish that I had my F8s.  The extra height I’m getting from the D7s (and the Recoil shafts) is definitely improving my accuracy.  

(Obligatory close-to-the-hole pic)

They hold the greens just fine.

When things aren’t going my way (especially when my back bothers me), I love to take a couple extra clubs and just hit a little chippy iron shot.  These clubs respond beautifully to these kinds of shots.  They do not mind being flighted low.

Some testers felt as though the faces of the clubs are a little hot around the greens.  I had some issues in my first few rounds, but I was able to make the adjustment to using a bit more loft pretty quickly, and I was back to getting the results I expected.  And I hit lots of bump and run shots around the greens.  One thing I do miss is having a Gap Wedge that’s a real wedge and not an 11 iron.  Cobra had a brilliant idea (which they abandoned for reasons unknown to me) with making the Gap Wedge in the F8 set (as well as the Sand Wedge and Lob Wedge) real wedges.  If you like using your Gap Wedge around the green (and I do), this club isn’t all that useful for anything more than bump and runs, so I’ll deduct a point here.  I’ll most likely put the F8 Gap Wedge back in the bag along with the F8 Sand Wedge and Lob Wedge.  I’m on the hunt for new wedges.
 

 

Accuracy/Proximity
	Wilson	Cobra	Delta
4i	65%	71%	-6%
5i	66%	43%	23%
6i*	62	31	31
7i	57	40	17
8i	40	72	-32
9i	31	34	-3
PW	40	50	-10
GW	38	42	-4
Average			-0.17
Average (omitting 6i)			-6.40

*6i is a frequent club for par 5 layups, and Arccos counts these as approach shots, so this is skewing my numbers.  Knocking this out, my proximity is better with the D7s, and so is my accuracy off the tee.

As I said in the early posts, my main metric would be my Arccos approach handicap.  Remember, here’s my approach handicap with the F8s:

And here it is with the D7s:

 

Interestingly enough, my handicap is basically unchanged, as my short game and putting have gotten a little worse over the last six weeks (they’re feeling unloved, as every chance I’ve had to touch a club has led me to run out to the course to play as many holes as I can).

Wilson has done a phenomenal job with the D7 Forged, and it’s no surprise that they are My Golf Spy’s Most Wanted Players Distance iron.  A perfect club would perhaps give you a little more help on the high toe, so I’ll take away two more points here.  But honestly, I’m quibbling.  If you’re looking at the Callaway Mavrik Pro or the Taylormade P790, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t consider these clubs.  Get over your brand loyalty, your preconceived notions, and any issues with the Power Holes and just hit these clubs.

Score:  27 out of 30 (just win, baby)
 

Miscellaneous
Wilson Golf has a winner on their hands with the D7 Forged.  My fitter commented that they’ve turned quite a few heads at his Club Champion location.  Everyone I’ve played with has commented on them, and several have heard very good things about them.  There’s some buzz out there around these clubs.  Overnighting these clubs was a seriously classy move.  Wilson didn’t need to do this, but the extra few days I got to spend with these clubs definitely helped my review.  I will deduct one point for getting the lie angles wrong, but no more, since I don’t feel as though I’m hooking the ball too much without that extra .5* of flatness.

Score:  9 out of 10 (it’s the intangibles)
 

Play it or Trade it?
I was thrilled to be picked to test these clubs, but I was in no way unhappy with my F8s.  I’ve played several very good rounds with them in the last couple of years.  

But my modern clubs for the foreseeable future will be the Wilson D7 Forged.  They’ve proven themselves beyond a shadow of a doubt to be just a little bit better than the F8s, and they’re more fun to play.

At $1,468.56 MSRP for my set makeup (4-GW, Recoil 110 shafts), they’re not cheap.  But similarly spec’ed TM P790s are $1,799.99.  So, maybe not such a bad deal after all.  I’d recommend these to any low to mid handicapper (probably up to a 12) that’s looking for a little bit of help.  I could also see a higher handicapper building a D7/D7 Forged combo set, or a lower handicapper combining D7 Forged longer irons with V6 Forged.

Score:  20 out of 20 (put me in, coach!)

This will be my bag for the near future.  The Cobra wedges are beloved, but they're a couple years old, so they're not safe.  And the 2 iron could lose it's place in the bag.  I'm toying with the idea of putting my new favorite shaft 

into the F8 4 iron and having it bent a couple degrees stronger to make it a driving iron.

Conclusion
Wilson continues to make products that may not command the vast majority of PGA Tour bags or social media impressions, but they flat out perform.  The D7 Forged irons are winning awards and spots in the bags of real golfers because they are excellent golf clubs.  I haven’t hit a club that combined performance and feel in this manner in years.  They provide you with controllable, consistent distance and a solid feel and sound that reminds you why you play golf.  You don’t need to be a tour player to hit these clubs, just stay away from the upper part of the toe.  

Final Score:  94 out of 100 points (outstanding performance!)
 

[Thin2win]

The Review 10/17/2020

Wilson D7 Forged – Official MGS Forum Review by Thin2win

 

Intro:

Time for the sun to set on this Wilson D7 Forged review period. It has been a fun adventure and I’ve made some new friends along the way. For those who didn’t read my Stage 1, or just those who want to know more about me. My name is Christopher and I live up in the PNW with my wife and 20 month old son.

 

 

I’m 39, and currently playing to a 5.5 Handicap. Assuming the 7i is about 33° I carry it about 165y. Up until a few months ago, I would say the strongest part of my game was my driver. I definitely played the bomb and gouge version of golf(even if my bombs weren’t that long).

The Wilson D7 Forged first showed up on my radar as a club to look at following the 2020 MGS Players Distance Most Wanted. Winning tends to do that. I hadn’t hit a Wilson iron since their Fatshafts back in the late 90’s. And that club was known for well, the shaft and not even the club. It seems Wilson has made strives since then to make the clubhead the focus. And the D7 Forged irons pack all kinds of tech and key words into them: Power Holes, Power Chamber, and forged 8620 Carbon Steel Cavity Construction.

The quick dive on those, Power Holes

Their goal is to improve ball speed on low strike, call them thin shots. As a foremost purveyor of thin shots, I can get behind this and testing these didn’t prove that hard.

Power Chamber:

The Wilson speak for hollow with cream filling.

 

8620 Carbon Forged

This one is, I’ll call an accepted industry misleading statement. From what I can find, if the metal isn’t a 10xx, it isn’t billet forged. 8620 is used in cast forging. IE, it is melted to a liquid, poured into a cast to get to shape and then whacked with a couple hammer blows afterwards to give it a claim to being forged.  The benefit of casting is that you can make the club head much more intricate than by forging alone. This is probably what lets Wilson create all the Power structures and cavity shape.

I couldn’t get fit for the D7 forged before ordering them. I found that none of the WA State Golf stores carried these with any shaft options for fitting. Just what they had on the rack. So I had to best guess it. That lead me to order these with the Recoil 110’s, the Wilson Midsize grip and all standard lofts/lies.

The testing of these was going to be 3 pronged for me. The set I got was GW-5i. To stay in my bag after the test they would need to work better for me than my current clubs in those spots. The GW would have to outperform a Cleveland CBX2 50°.

The PW-6i would be up against my Sub70 639CBs.

The 5i would be trying to knock a Ping i500 out of my bag. 

 felt the winners would be pretty easy to determine, I use ShotScope, so I would have data behind all my feelings. Ideally, % of greens hit and proximity to the hole would be the biggest factors with these clubs. Distance really isn’t a factor for me assuming that it wasn’t abysmal or outlandish. I didn’t want to hit my PW 190y or my 7i 130.

The Results:

Looks: 9 out of 10

These were my first Chrome finish set of irons, and I think I’m converted for life. They are really beautiful to setup to. The topline, offset and finish are basically exactly what I would do if I was building my own clubs. I am docking ½ a point for the Power Holes, they are just busy. They aren’t bad, but the club would just look better without them, i.e the GW which doesn’t have them is just stunning. I get that they are for performance, but this rating is just based on looks!

I’m also docking ½ a point for the location and font of the numbering they use. Too big, too loopy, a little too old school for me. Also, since the power holes take up most of the sole, the number has been moved out to the toe, which doesn’t do it for me.

Feel: 10 out of 10

Every club I’ve hit in the last few years feels good on a good shot. Not every club feels good on a thin or mishit. For me these do. Period. The combination of Power Holes, Power Chambers, magic filling sauce and the Recoil shafts is spectacular. The club isn’t dead, I know exactly on the face where I have hit each shot so the feedback is great, but the feel and sound on contact regardless of location is the best I’ve ever experienced. These don’t feel and sound like a Mizuno to me, they feel and sound much better.

Basic Characteristics: 19 out of 20

I checked all the lofts and lies against the sheet they provided me in the shipping box.

Everything was spot on, except for the 5i, which was ½° weak. I had it bent to speck.

The biggest difference I noticed on the LM with the D7 Forged irons vs my gamers, was a much tighter dispersion. Launch angles, backspin and ball speed were all comparable. But the shot areas were all much tighter, about half the SQFT of what they were being compared to.

The deduction is one that I would give to pretty much any set on the market. The loft gaps between clubs get smaller and smaller as you get to the higher clubs and the gaps in distance for me get smaller and smaller. There is a yardage that I would use the 6i, but it is only like a 5y window. I’d almost always use the 7i or the 5i instead.

On Course Performance: 29 out of 30

Ummm. My average GIR per round has gone from 7.6 to 12.4….

Shot scope says that my average distance to pin with every iron has improved by at least 30%. 60% with my 7 and 8 irons.

Over the last 5 rounds, I have dropped my handicap 3 points down to a 5.5 and hit every green I have looked at.

Approach shots from my last round:

These have been the best club I have ever used at keeping poor strikes online and on distance. I’m trying to watch my word count, so I’ll elaborate in a bend the rules way. These hit them CLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE.

-1 point, they did not provide any Hole-In-Ones. I would like Wilson to directly address this for the next version.

Miscellaneous: 8 out of 10

I have a few random issues, but not with the clubs themselves.

 -1 for Wilsons Website, it is easy the worst layout of any of the major brands. Their website clearly says that Golf is something they do. Not that Golf IS WHAT THEY DO.

-1 for the name D7.  Was there a C7? No. A D6? No. The club these seemingly replace is the C300. Wilson should really try to build some name loyalty and keep with a naming standard.

Play or Trade?: 20 out of 20

They are in the bag in a clean sweep. The CBX2 was the hardest to take out, and without Shot scope keeping metrics, I would have kept the CBX2 over the GW.  But Shotscope shows some real reasons to keep the D7, also, it did give me a chip in on my first greenside chip with it.

For the short to mid irons, it was a bloodbath. The D7s are so much better for me that it is silly. Queen has a lyric that describes these clubs in great detail, dynamite with a laser beam guaranteed to blow your mind. I can’t add to that.

At 5i, the D7 and the i500 are both really good. Again, without Shotscope, I would probably keep the i500 in the bag. But Shot Scope again show that on average I’m .75 shots to finish better with the D7s. That is big.

 

Final Score and Conclusion: 95 out of 100

Wilson has a true winning club here. The performance I saw matches the overall ranking that the Most Wanted Testing showed. I unequivocally recommend anyone trying new irons this year try these. You would be wrong not to. Don't be wrong. 

[GregGarner]

Wilson D7 Forged Irons – Official MGS Forum Review by Greg Garner

 

I’m a ~3 handicap former Division III college golfer. I grew up and learned to play starting around age 8 with my dad. The most appealing aspect of the game for me is that it’s unmasterable. And even if your swing is working, you also have to bring your best mentally, especially in competition. I’m from the Houston area where there are tall pine trees and not much wind, so I’ve always been a high-ball hitter and not particularly long, especially compared to the guys I played with in high school and college. I live in Durham, North Carolina now, so I’m still rockin tall pines and not much wind. My stock yardages today are a bit shorter, but I’m far less flexible these days. My 8-iron used to be my 160 club and now it’s more like 145. Here are my i210 yardages:

 

 

In general I prefer the high draw and my miss is a block, typically from lateral shift. My tempo is pretty quick with a fair amount of load at the top and my #1 bad tendency is getting short and quick(er), typically causing an off-center strike with less power than usual. My irons have always been the weakest part of my game, but I’m also a shot-maker and I really like to approach every shot with some type of creativity. I’ve always liked to work the ball left, right, up, down, whatever. Back left pin? Punch draw. Front right? Floaty fade. Tiny gap between the trees needing a snap-slice? Watch this.

 

 

My gamers coming into this are Ping i210 Blue Dot 3-PW, Power Spec, with Dynamic Gold S300 steel shafts, hard-stepped. These were fit for me by some old-school guys who hate launch monitors and turf mats and just want to see a pretty ball flight. My previous set were fit-at-the-factory Ping i5s (2i-PW) and goal #1 for my i210s was to get the ballflight down. These still fly plenty high with tons of spin. I decided not to get fit for the D7 Forged and instead built them based off of my i210 specs. 

 

First Impressions

I went with 3-PW, standard lie and loft with KBS Tour-V 110S steel shafts.These are just a touch flatter than my i210s, but I’ve been digging my i210s heelside lately and I’ve struggled to work the ball to the right. Wilson as a brand has always represented a solid, American sporting goods brand, but in terms of golf, I really only associate them with old blades and my high school ball of choice: Smartcore. 

 

 

These irons caught my eye when they won Most Wanted and in-person, they do not disappoint. The chrome makes it seem like they have a wide sole but next to my i210s, they’re pretty similar. I really like the backside of the head. It’s compact and powerful and the shape into the hosel is classic. I’m not in love with the black ‘Power Holes’ that line the sole, but my understanding is they help with face deflection on shots low on the face.

 

LOOKS: 9/10 -- These lose one point for the Power Holes and four-tenths of a point for the excessively large numbering (at least it’s not Comic Sans?). The guys I play with regularly commented on them positively and then immediately asked about the Power Holes. And given that I typically walk with a pushcart, it means they were right in my face all the time and I just really struggled getting used to them (aesthetically). Other than that, these are beautiful with clean lines and a professional-looking color palette. Round it up to 9.

 

I’m looking for a lower flight, 5-10 yards more distance, and the ability to work the ball both ways. I want a soft-but-solid feel. I’ve never gamed forged irons and my i210s are the softest set I’ve ever gamed, so they will be my benchmark for feel. The D7s have a cast body but a forged face with a Power Chamber (filled with… urethane?), so I’m interested to see how that translates to feel.

 

I’m not one to hit a bunch of range balls, but I did pick up a net and a mat during quarantine so I did get a few garage sessions here and there. I’m typically sneaking in 9 first thing in the morning 3-4 days/week plus 1-2 rounds on the weekends. My ‘dew sweeper’ status will certainly play a factor in how these perform for me! I don’t have access to a launch monitor, but I did swap over my Arccos sensors so I could get more accurate distances. 

 

Sound & Feel - 9 out of 10 - No one item is worth a full point deduction, but there are lots of little deductions here. Coming off the face, center strikes feel like hitting an aluminum baseball bat on the sweet spot. The sound is a solid crack, slightly muted. If you’ve ever been to a PGA Tour event in-person, you know the ball just sounds different coming off the face of their irons and the D7s pretty closely mirror that sound. Egregious misses, however, sound and feel like hitting a wooden bat off the handle. It’s not painful, but it certainly doesn’t feel good. Toe hits are punished much more severely than heel hits. For the most part, you can ‘find’ the ball on the face pretty well, though there are some strikes that feel and sound pretty good, but based on the performance of the shot, had to have been a mis-hit (more on that later). Compared to my (cast) i210s, these don’t feel noticeably softer, perhaps even a little firmer. Compared to my (also cast) Ping i5s I used to game, these feel more solid or that they have more pop,’ though still not noticeably softer. 

 

Basic Characteristics - 18/20

Early in the test, I noticed the ball flight was much, much lower than my i210s and had just the softest fade-bias. Through the test, I started working to manipulate the shape (high/low, left/right) and overall, the D7s are harder to work than the i210s, especially left/right. Changes to left/right flight felt exaggerated and excessive. Interestingly, though, it was easier for me to hit them high than to punch them. They were already low trajectory with low spin, so a number of punch attempts nose-dived off the face as though they had extreme top-spin. That being said, these irons LOVE LOVE LOVE to go straight. If you’re a decent player who just needs to straighten out your shots a bit, you should absolutely look at these irons.

 

D7 6-iron on the left, in yellow. i210 6-iron on the right in red.

 

 

Visually, the i210s look like they have a lot more weight towards the sole (see above), so I’m not surprised by the lower trajectory and it was certainly welcome compared to my towering i210s. Around the green, I’m not one to use anything longer than a 50-degree wedge, but I experimented with 8i-PW and the first several chips were hot. The ball exploded off the face and it took some getting used to. Eventually, I started using the PW and 9i pretty regularly from the rough as I didn’t need as much clubhead speed to get a decent chip.

I do have one significant issue here: I really struggled to get enough spin for my game. In the air, my i210s seem to ‘float’ before coming down for a soft landing. I play Tour-level balls (Z-Star/Z-Star XV, ProV1/x, TP5/5x) and typically back up my short irons (8i-PW), stop the mid-irons within a foot (5-7i), and long irons (3-4i) within a couple yards, tops, even in the dewy mornings on Bermuda greens. On dry days or when I run out to the local track with Bent greens, I can tear the cover off the ball and have to be careful I don’t pull shots back too hard. With the D7s, the roll-out was consistent, but I never hit a single green with any club that stopped in less than 3 feet. This was an 8-iron that I thought was going to be/should have been a tap-in and a 7-iron that left me a tougher putt than I was expecting:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 points deducted for inability to control the spin. (1 for stopping power, 1 for shot shape)

 

On-Course Performance - 20/30

Before digging into this section, I want to share the final performance numbers:

 

I was hoping for 5-10 more yards and unfortunately, I didn’t get it. I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater here. Colder, wetter mornings as the weather has turned almost certainly put a damper on my distances here, but I do have a lingering suspicion that my carry yardages are the same and any distance gains I thought I was getting early on were roll-out yards. Thin shots didn’t lose much distance, no more than 5%, but high on the face lost significant distance, as much as 20% on some strikes.

 

I had a number of shots throughout the test that felt pretty good and just fell out of the sky. As an example, in my final testing round, I had 148 to the flag, 132 to the front of the green, slightly downhill, cross-wind. I was between 8 and 9 and hit 8. Good swing, (what felt like a) good strike, and when the ball landed 10 yards short of the green, I just looked at my playing partner who looked back at me and said, “did you grab the wrong club? The flight looked good!” I checked the face and there was a grass spot from impact, and because of the downhill lie, I had caught it just high-center. Thwocky/clanky feel on mis-hits can be forgiven (make a better swing, dummy!) but feeling solid and not knowing why you didn’t get the expected performance? That’s frustrating. This happened most frequently off a tee, though a solid iron off the tee can warrant 15-20 extra yards. #7 on my home course can look like this:

 

 

or like this:

 

 

As the test went on, I found myself feeling like I needed to manipulate my stock swing to ensure I hit a good shot. The inconsistency of my swing (ergo inconsistency of strike) was a lingering doubt in my mind and one bad hole in a round would cause my mental game to collapse. That being said, good shots with these clubs were really good. Without a doubt, I hit some of my best shots of the season with these irons as long as I just needed to hit it straight. One round, my playing partner commented that even though I was struggling to shape shots back to the pin, my distance control was excellent. I even nearly made an albatross with this 6-iron from 180:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While a single shot from a round is enough to bring you back the next day, the overall performance and impact on my game is what matters most and in that regard, I’m not ready to say that the D7s helped my game. I’ve never believed myself a strong iron player and these irons seemed to highlight my need to improve my ballstriking. If you’re already a pretty decent ballstriker who wants a little more ‘pop’ or wants to straighten out your good shots with an attractive-looking iron, these could be your gamers.

 

6 of the points deducted due to the sheer inconsistency I experienced, particularly on the shots that felt solid and left me with no explanation as to why the ball wasn’t nestled up against the hole. 2 points deducted for the resultant lack of confidence while standing over the ball, particularly when I’m about to lose $20 in the men’s game. 1 point deducted for long iron distances, which were more susceptible to massive distance loss, thus why my gapping gets so narrow at the top of the bag. 1 point deducted for the time I shot 93 with an Arccos approach handicap of 30+ and my playing partner, who knows I’m a 3 handicap, asked, “so do you only post your great rounds or…?” That’s embarrassing. We all have bad days, but c’mon...

 

 

Miscellaneous - 9/10

• I really appreciate the spec sheet, hand-signed by a Wilson employee, that was included in the shipping box along with the irons that looked like they had been given the white glove treatment. No fingerprints, no smudges, nothing.

• Several playing partners commented on how clean these irons look

• After one Instagram post, one of my friends commented that he doesn’t normally like chrome on irons, but he thought it worked well for these (and I agree)

• I really would have preferred at least one more no-upcharge grip option. I know this is trivial, but if I were buying these, I would shell out for a better grip. Additionally, my experience has been ‘logo-down’ is a special request and not the default, so I was a little surprised to see them default to logo-down. I didn’t specify ‘logo-up’ so I suppose that’s on me.

 

Play it/Trade it? 17/20
I really did hit some incredible shots and I want to keep working with them. When I hit them well, I prefer the lower flight and I want to keep experimenting with the spin to see if I can get a good mixture of low flight/mid-high spin. If I can start stringing together multiple rounds with decent ballstriking, I could see these easily taking a permanent spot in my bag, but I just can’t tolerate the random/unexplained shots that fall out of the sky. The inconsistency is an absolute deal-breaker on playing these with anything on the line. For the stock price ($900), they’re a good set of clubs. If you’re opting for custom and will cross the $1100 threshold, you should make sure they’re absolutely your best bet. I would recommend anyone demoing them to intentionally hit different spots on the face with impact tape and check your numbers. All three of my deducted points here are, again, due to inconsistency. I don’t have the confidence to game them in a pressure situation (not yet, at least) and that gives me pretty considerable pause.

 

 

Conclusion & Final Score - 82/100

I didn’t target a particular score, I just took each section and totaled them up and when I saw it was 82, my gut take was, “yeah, that’s about right.” Arguably I could have tweaked a section up or down here or there, but overall I think a ‘low B’ is representative of my overall take. These have a hot face, though weren’t as long as I was expecting. They fly really straight (whether you want them to or not) and don’t have a lot of stopping power, but on comparable strikes, provide strong distance control. The key, of course, is “comparable strikes.”

 

Edited October 18, 2020 by greggarner
Posting my review!

[revkev]

And we’re off!

 

Thanks so much to MGS and Wilson for selecting me to be a part of this test.

 

I do check the boxes for this one, older guy, lower handicap but handicap up some from peak seasons primarily due to distance loss.

 

 

I’ve been gaming an older GI iron, the G30, which has served its purpose but the Players distance category didn’t exist when they were made.

 

 

Much like the Wilson C100 which I gamed for a while, the GI short irons have never fit my eye with the transition to my blade wedges being down right ugly.

 

 

Ironically, I had been to my fitter just prior to this testing opportunity to check on my specs, so I know what I need. We’ve ordered the D7 forged, standard lofts, 2 flat, with Mamiya 460 R shafts and cross line grips 1 extra wrap.

 

I’m anxious to see how I handle less offset in the mid irons, how I hit 5 iron and how an improved look impacts my short iron game. According to ARCCOS I’ve been hitting 75 percent of my greens with my 8-6 irons and only 55 percent with 9 iron, PW.

 

 

I’ve already got some good current 7 iron data recorded in my Rapsodo app and will do the same with 9 iron soon.

 

 

Besides that I will be taking these for an LM session and also out to the local par 3 course for several head to head comparisons with selected irons from my set. (It’s offseason here so it’s easy for me to hit multiple shots there without bothering anyone)

 

Let me know what you might be interested in reading about and I will try to accommodate that in my testing. As you can see from the picture below I’m good with handling the really hard ball questions. :)

 

This is a diverse group of testers in regards to playing region, age, skill level and swing speed so between us we should be able to provide lots of great info.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

 

 

 

 

[GregGarner]

Let's get this party started! HUGE thanks to MGS and Wilson for this opportunity. This is my first-ever MGS review and I'm pretty anxious because I get so much value out of this site that I don't want to let any of you down. If there is anything you're wondering about or things you'd like me to cover, I'm allllll ears. I want my contributions to really be meaningful for you!

Some background on me, while I'm waiting on the sticks to arrive:
I played in high school and college (a D3 school, so don't get too excited). Through high school all my clubs were home-built, involving sweaty nights in the garage fighting with epoxy and vice grips and frequent Saturday trips to Golfsmith for more supplies. (Hello, Snake Eyes and Tour Cavity Pro!) In college I switched over to Ping clubs and custom-fitting by people who really knew what they were doing. I've never been the longest hitter nor the straightest, but I've always been among the fastest, typically walking 18 in 3 hours or less assuming I'm not waiting to play through. (If you aren't going to play well, at least play fast.) I have an affinity for super-thin top lines, short blade lengths, and lots of workability, but have always been unsure about playing anything more aggressive than a "player's cavity."

       

I'm currently gaming Ping i210s, Power Spec'd with hard-stepped DG S300's. These were custom fit for me by some old school pros who did their fittings by eye on grass, not with tech or turf and they had to work pretty hard to get my ball flight down from my old i5's. Here's the thing: I've basically never had forward shaft lean at impact, instead employing a last-second flip. So my yardages are probably 10-15 less than they should be and I hit these beautiful, high draws with a ton of spin. I used to carry a 2-iron that I could stop a 2-piece ball within only about a foot of rollout.

Last 50 rounds:

I'm so excited to try out these D7 Forged irons. Confession: I've never hit a forged iron, of any kind, ever. The loft and lie of the D7s are pretty similar to my i210s but I'm going to switch it up and go with KBS V-Tour shafts (stiff) instead of my DGs. I've been working on getting rid of the flip and my DGs are starting to feel pretty board-y.

I'll work on getting y'all some good 'before' content and will have plenty of access to my course, which will pretty much clear out after the club championship this weekend (wish me luck!)

And of course, the obligatory not-so-humble brag about playing at The Old Course:

Edited August 18, 2020 by greggarner
added some images

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I was always a Wilson Staff fan. I had the original fat shafts, then the Di7's, then the D200's. I'm very curious what everyone testing will think of these irons. 

[revkev]

I was always a Wilson Staff fan. I had the original fat shafts, then the Di7's, then the D200's. I'm very curious what everyone testing will think of these irons. 

Fat shafts! I remember playing with a guy in a regular Weds game back in Indiana who gamed those. Hadn’t thought of him in years. That game was so much fun. Thanks for the flashback.

The D7 forged is not like yesterday’s D which of course was an SGI iron. These are similar to the irons that you are currently testing in another thread only forged rather than cast. So it will be the stronger lofts in more of a player’s type platform. I’m anxious to see what it looks like and perform on the course with something on the line. :)


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[Thin2win]

First and as always, big appreciation to MGS for hosting the best golf forums on the internet. And a big shout out to Wilson Golf for getting involved. 

I am really excited to put these clubs into play and see what they can do for me. It has been a couple years since I've done an official review, and I think this is the first club that I have even put my name in the hat for in that time. When I did my previous official review, I came out of it wanting to make sure that if I ever applied for one again, it was for something that I really was interested in, and something that I thought I could provide something to during the review process. These clubs are the first ones that did that. They look saucy. 

I think Wilson has done a good job in the last 5 years getting itself back onto the golf radar. I know prior to Driver vs Driver I had little thought of any new Wilson equipment, and probably would have put them in the same category as Top Flight, Maxfli and Tommy Armour. But 5 years later, just like a couple of those brands, they are really doing a much better job on image. 

I've been golfing my whole life, but in earnest since the late 90's. My first ever new club purchase was the Taylormade Burner Bubble Driver. And my first memory of Wilson clubs were the Fatshafts. I remember really wanting a set of those, and even got the pro shop to let me take them out for 9 holes. Sadly, my paper route didn't quite allot for new irons. 

Since those golden times, I've played mostly GI category irons, with a lean towards the players category sometimes. My last few sets have been, Adams CB2s(my personal favorite), Taylormade M2 Pros, Ping i200/i500 split, and currently Sub 70 639CB/699 pro split set. I don't strongly prefer a cast or a forged head, I don't think I can tell the difference. So these D7 Forged are on paper a perfect fit for what I'm looking for. Forged face married to a cast body, with 5 Power Hole's and a Power Chamber to boot. 

Currently, my 8i is my 150y club and a driver SS in the 100-105 range depending on the day. I tend to work my ball flight more and more these days. I've been working with a swing coach all summer in effort to get my hdcp into the low singles. As a result of that my life long push/draw(i.e. hook) has now become a much more consistent straight draw, and I work in a baby fade on many approach shots which has been a real nice add to my game. So making sure these continue to let me shape shots both ways will be important to me.  I'll be pairing these D7 Forged with some Recoil F4 110s for this test and the wait for them to arrive is going to turn this into a very long August. 

I'm not planning to compare these to any of my previous clubs, just go through what I like(or dislike) about them and how they work for me.That said, if someone has a question about how they do compare to something I have hit before in terms of forgiveness/feel/look I'll be happy to answer that. To answer a question from @fixyurdivot before he even asks... I did not get these extended 6" so that I could stay on my Onewheel and hit them that way. =P

[MattF]

Firstly and secondly, thank you MGS for allowing me to take part in this test and Wilson for providing the weapons.

And now, a little about me and my game. Obviously I'm originally from Australia



but have been living in the cold NE Ohio area for the last 15 years. I'm fast approaching 50 and through a lot of trial and error feel that I'm in the best shape (c'mon, round is a shape!) of my life and not so coincidently have started playing a lot better the last two years. I currently play to a 15 handicap, so I'm pretty much at the top end of the spectrum for these clubs. In 2018 I was fortunate enough to be chosen to test the Bridgestone Tour B JGR irons, which are players forged irons, and currently have them in the bag. I play Pure DTX grips on all the clubs and they're shafted with Recoil 680 F4 graphite.

Here's the specs for the Bridgestones:



And here's the specs for the Wilson D7 forged:



As you can see, the loft on both sets are almost identical, so for me, it'll be a real head to head comparison. I chose to go with the Project X Catalyst Black 80 6.0 shafts for a specific reason. I play Project X Even Flow Blue 6.0 in my driver, 3 wood and hybrid and absolutely love them. From what I can find, the Catalysts are the iron version of the Even Flow, so I had to have them. I'll also be re-gripping the clubs with Pure DTX grips to take another variable out of the testing.

I'm hoping that these clubs will work for me, but the proof is in the pudding, so for now, hooroo.

[russtopherb]

I'm excited for everyone to try these out and for us to get to read your reviews. I am a confessed W/S homer, having played the Di11s, D100, D200, D300, and C300 irons. The C line is the only release that I didn't really get along with, which is what made me shy away from this opportunity. Aside from all that, W/S makes some excellent clubs and I think you all are going to really enjoy testing these.

[HardcoreLooper]

First of all, thank you to Wilson Staff for providing us with this opportunity, and thank you to MGS for including me in such an illustrious group of testers!

So a little about me:
My brother-in-law likes to say that I'm not from Virginia, but I got here just as soon as I could.  I've been playing since the tail end of the Carter Administration, but I didn't have the opportunity to play much until I started caddying in 8th grade (hence my forum handle).  I got down to about a 4 in high school but never did anything of note in junior tournaments, so I only played a few times a year during college and my first years out of school.  Being forced to pay to play golf was not something I was used to.  But once I started finding my way as an adult, I had the means to start playing again, and plenty of work buddies to play with.

When my first daughter was old enough to hold a club, my club had no junior program to speak of, so I enrolled her in classes at The First Tee of Richmond.  And before I knew it, I dropped the club membership and started coaching, which I've been doing for over a decade.  It's easily one of the most fulfilling things I get to do.  The oldest was an intern/camp counselor there this summer, and my younger daughter is now coming up through the programs.  Recent events have gotten all of us playing together quite a bit as everyone wants to get the heck out of the house as much as we can.  Fingers crossed, my oldest will be back on campus for her sophomore year.

I hated to see what happened to Wilson over the years; how a storied brand could fall so far should definitely be a business school case study (would have been more interesting than most of the ones I had to read).  Wilson Golf's roots run deep in my family.  My grandfather handed down an old set of Staff irons to my dad, and he passed them on to me for my first set.

My next set of hand-me-downs were my grandfather's old Wilson 1200's (yes, the ones with the twisted shafts).  

Those stayed in the bag until my sophomore year in high school, when I finally beat him straight up (78 to 79) and he bought me a set of Hogan Apex redlines.  Between then and now, there's been a set of the Hogan Apex Plus, Mizuno MX-200s and my current gamers, the Cobra F8s I tested in the Cobra Connect Challenge II.  I've been incredibly happy with them, but every golfer has a bit of a wandering eye, and my eyes have been wandering over to the D7 Forged ever since they were announced.

90 minutes with a great fitter at our local Club Champion (I'll write it up in more detail) put me into:

4-GW
UST Mamiya Recoil 110 Stiff shafts
+0.25" long
-1.5* Flat lie 
Standard loft
Golf Pride Tour Velvet Standard + 1 wrap
Swingweight D6

As a comparison, my F8s are standard length/loft/lie.  And here are the Arccos stats for them:

 

Honestly, I do not really care about gaining any distance with the irons.  I'm looking for better dispersion and a higher ball flight out of the 4/5/6 irons.  If I can make this

 

go down, then that should make this

 

go down.  And that's what it's all about.

The executive course at our First Tee doesn't require much length, but it really challenges your iron game, so it will be a perfect playground for the D7s.  I'm not a range rat anymore; I'd rather go out and play, so I'll be doing everything I can to get in lots of holes and generate plenty of Arccos data.

I've been fortunate to do several forum reviews now, and interaction is the key.  So please hit us up with thoughtful questions, wild conspiracies, and lots of memes.
 

[revkev]

As an FYI I added a bunch of pictures to me intro - I apologize for not having them there in the first place. I was so excited to get started that I had a brain fart.


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[Shankster]

I expect you all to get your Gary on.  Looking forward to reading about your success with these irons.  If they are anything like the V6’s... they are amazing.

[JohnSmalls]

I can't stop looking at these irons since Wilson posted them on instagram.  Really interested in your comparison between the cast D7's @revkev.   Wilson irons go back a long way for me, so I'll be here with you guys.  Enjoy the test!

On 8/15/2020 at 7:13 PM, HardcoreLooper said:

So please hit us up with thoughtful questions, wild conspiracies, and lots of memes.

[Thin2win]

These irons are going to really be different in what I'm currently playing in two major ways. Namely, a 6i and a 9i. I don't carry either right now. I only play a ten club set.

I haven't always done this, but I was on vacation in Dallas over the winter and was playing golf with my cousin while there. On our 3rd round we ended up walking. Which is good, I walked almost exclusively at that time, but always with my push cart. Since I didn't have a cart, and wanted to give my back some relief I took out all the odd numbered clubs and just played with a half set. It was vacation, I wasn't too worried about my score. But then I went out and shot a 77 or 78(don't remember which). Which was my best round of the trip and that got those silly gears in my head spinning.  

I thought, maybe I don't need all that many clubs. Pros carry 14, but their club head speed is much higher than mine. The 20y gap using only every other iron was a bit much, but I thought that if maybe I had 6 degrees between clubs instead of the standard 4 degrees, I might like that. So after some tinkering with the idea I worked with the Sub70 guys to build up my frankenset. They bent a stock 5i and 8i 1 degree weak for me. Then took the 7i bent it 2 degrees strong and added 1/4 to the shaft to put it right between a normal 6i and 7i. They did the same treatment for a PW to make it right between a PW and a 9i.  This is what I got:

699 Pro Black 5i  bent 1 degree weak (loft 25 degrees). Shaft length 38", lie angle of 60.5

639 CB Forged Black 7i bent 2 degrees strong (loft 30 degrees). Shaft length 37.25", lie angle 61.25 degrees

639 CB Forged Black 8i  bent 1 degree weak (loft 36 degrees), length 36.5", lie 62 degrees  

639 CB Forged Black PW bent 2 degrees strong to 42 degrees, 35.75" length, lie 62.75 degrees

So, instead of six irons from PW-5, I have four 4.   And instead of my old 10y gaps, I play 15y gaps. Which over the last few months, hasn't been an issue at all. In fact, I like it better in many ways. I still walk or ride my wheel on every round and the lighter back is noticeable, and nice. 

But all that said, I'll be back to a full iron set for this test. I'll be putting my CBX2 50 degree, and my Sub70s on the shelf to give these Wilson's the attention they deserve. Very excited for them to get here. 

[revkev]

These irons are going to really be different in what I'm currently playing in two major ways. Namely, a 6i and a 9i. I don't carry either right now. I only play a ten club set.

I haven't always done this, but I was on vacation in Dallas over the winter and was playing golf with my cousin while there. On our 3rd round we ended up walking. Which is good, I walked almost exclusively at that time, but always with my push cart. Since I didn't have a cart, and wanted to give my back some relief I took out all the odd numbered clubs and just played with a half set. It was vacation, I wasn't too worried about my score. But then I went out and shot a 77 or 78(don't remember which). Which was my best round of the trip and that got those silly gears in my head spinning.  

I thought, maybe I don't need all that many clubs. Pros carry 14, but their club head speed is much higher than mine. The 20y gap using only every other iron was a bit much, but I thought that if maybe I had 6 degrees between clubs instead of the standard 4 degrees, I might like that. So after some tinkering with the idea I worked with the Sub70 guys to build up my frankenset. They bent a stock 5i and 8i 1 degree weak for me. Then took the 7i bent it 2 degrees strong and added 1/4 to the shaft to put it right between a normal 6i and 7i. They did the same treatment for a PW to make it right between a PW and a 9i.  This is what I got:

699 Pro Black 5i  bent 1 degree weak (loft 25 degrees). Shaft length 38", lie angle of 60.5 639 CB Forged Black 7i bent 2 degrees strong (loft 30 degrees). Shaft length 37.25", lie angle 61.25 degrees 639 CB Forged Black 8i  bent 1 degree weak (loft 36 degrees), length 36.5", lie 62 degrees   639 CB Forged Black PW bent 2 degrees strong to 42 degrees, 35.75" length, lie 62.75 degrees So, instead of six irons from PW-5, I have four 4.   And instead of my old 10y gaps, I play 15y gaps. Which over the last few months, hasn't been an issue at all. In fact, I like it better in many ways. I still walk or ride my wheel on every round and the lighter back is noticeable, and nice. 

But all that said, I'll be back to a full iron set for this test. I'll be putting my CBX2 50 degree, and my Sub70s on the shelf to give these Wilson's the attention they deserve. Very excited for them to get here. 

 

I think that’s really cool!!!

 

I’m in the same boat. I have 14 clubs in the bag but don’t really need them - I could easily live with 12 and in fact my 56 is only there in case I leave myself 75-85 yards accidentally.

 

I have 5 wood and use it but I could do without - I’m deadly with 7 wood and can take some off or add some with it at will

 

 

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[HardcoreLooper]

5 hours ago, Thin2win said:

I only play a ten club set.

I wish I could find it - I just read a really good article about a guy playing with only five irons:  long, mid, short, pitch, sand.  And each one is a different model.  One thing I'm really interested about this is to see if a split set might be the right thing for me.  Are the GIs better in the long clubs, but the Players Distance irons better in the short?  Should be interesting