Equipment
New 2020 Wilson Staff D7 Forged irons: Forged for all
In 2019, Wilson Staff irons were in the bag of a major winner again, thanks to Gary Woodland winning the U.S. Open with the Wilson Staff Model Forged Blades. From a brand perspective, this was a huge win for Wilson, but one quick look into the bag from a consumer relatability side of things would show that few golfers can gain a benefit from hitting a forged blade ala Mr. Woodland. Wilson is proving forged can be for everyone with the introduction of the Wilson D7 Forged Irons for 2020. They’re forged and fast!
Just because an iron is forged doesn’t mean golfers of a particular handicap should shy away from it—forging is merely a process used to create end products, not a measure of a club’s forgiveness or ball speed potential. With the new Wilson D7 Forged irons, every golfer can appreciate the feeling of a well-struck shot with a forged club without the fear of a tiny miss coming up 10 yards short, since they are also packed with key Wilson golf innovations.
Wilson Staff D (for distance) Series is better known for larger cast clubs built for longer, higher-flying shots, but the engineers at Wilson wanted to change that perception by bringing D Series technology into a club that would appeal to more traditional golfers still looking for a ball speed boost. By working with their tour staff from the PGA Tour down to PGA staff professionals, they have created a club with tour-preferred styling; one packed with distance and launch improving technology.
2020 Wilson Staff D7 Forged irons: The technology
Urethane Power Chamber and Power Holes: Like with the previous (non-forged) D7 irons, the new forged model has a unique set of holes on the sole positioned to allow for greater flexing of the face for more ball speed, especially on shots hit lower on the face, a popular spot for recreational players.
By combining these slots with a urethane-filled cavity behind a soft 8630 forged carbon steel face (the Power Chamber) you get greater rebound potential paired with a very pleasing soft feel. Placing a vibration dampening insert or softer material behind a thin face to tune acoustics is not a new idea, and each OEM has a different take on what the best way to achieve the final result is, but Wilson is the only player using both a filled cavity and sole slots to do it, making the D7 forged a stand out in the crowd.
The looks
The D7 Forged irons are designed to appeal to what Wilson calls the “traditional golfer” with minimal offset similar to the C and Tour series irons and a thinned out topline and thinner sole for improved ground interaction. It’s one thing to have a technology-filled club, but if a golfer doesn’t feel comfortable standing over a shot, it’s never going to end up in the bag.
Wilson designers looked at every detail to bring the D7 Forged iron in line with the wants and needs of aspiring players.
“Combining the distance technologies from the original D7 line with the aesthetics of Wilson Staff’s players irons, the D7 Forged Irons provide an ideal blend of maximum distance and ultimate feel for golfers looking for effortless distance and ultimate control,” said Jon Pergande, Manager of Golf Club Innovation. “
“Through the optimized sole and face thickness, urethane-filled Power Chamber and centered power holes, the new D7 Forged Irons give golfers remarkable ball speeds, shot-making ability, and a soft forged feel across the entire club face.”
When talking further about the new D7 Forged with Jon, one of the reoccurring themes of our conversation was choices. A golfer needs confidence standing over a longer iron, knowing that a miss—over a hazard for example—still has the opportunity to make it, even if contact isn’t perfect. That same golfer also needs to know when hitting a short iron, precision will be rewarded with consistent downrange dispersion—something that more traditional game improvement clubs can struggle with based on spin rates.
The D7 Forged balances the best of both worlds very well!
Shafts, pricing, and availability
The D7 Forged irons stock shafts are
- Steel: KBS $-Taper Lite’s
- Graphite: Project X Catalyst Black 80g
The D7 Forged irons start at $899.99 in steel and are $999.99 with graphite, in a seven-piece configuration.
The D7 Forged will be available for pre-order at retail and on Wilson.com, starting January 14, 2020. You will see them arrive on golf retailers shelves January 21, 2020.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.
We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.
From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.
“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.
TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°
TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
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- Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-SB09, 56-LB08), TaylorMade MG4 TW (60-TW11)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
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Pelling
Jan 8, 2020 at 2:38 pm
Junk, for hackers.
Kurt
Jan 7, 2020 at 11:52 pm
Got fitted for 5-PW yesterday. Great distance and feel. Ultimately preferred them over the T200, particularly for the prices here locally (NZ). Should be here early next week.
James
Jan 7, 2020 at 3:15 pm
Priced $1000 for 7 irons. BAD MOVE! The Wilson brand is not THAT good. Yet. Hit 2 home runs first.
Greg
Jan 9, 2020 at 12:55 am
I see your point, but just wondering–would the V6’s and the Staff Model Blades be considered home runs?
Patrick J McLeod
Jan 10, 2020 at 10:45 am
$1000 for a 7 piece forged set with graphite is priced below just about every other club in the category.
Jim
Jan 7, 2020 at 12:25 pm
The iron could potentially be a big step for Wilson as it’s a pretty good looking iron that allows for most players to play forged irons. It’s a little big/ thick for my taste for a nice overall appearance. But the multiple sole slots is where they lose me. I couldn’t look at these in my bag every round, it’s just goofy looking and not in keeping with what you would expect from a better iron. Wilson needs to lose the slots and then they would have a solid iron in my opinion.
Martin Brown
Jan 7, 2020 at 11:14 am
The article says this is the only iron to have sole slots and urethane filling. However the TaylorMade P790 has had exactly that since its introduction in 2017.
Thomas A
Jan 7, 2020 at 12:08 pm
I think they meant that they are one piece. In the P790’s the urethane insert is not connected to the urethane slot filling.
Milo
Jan 7, 2020 at 11:11 am
So thick and shiny
Peter
Jan 7, 2020 at 9:39 am
Is just the face insert forged? If so, the term forged iron is very misleading compared to a true forged head from a single billet.
Thomas A
Jan 7, 2020 at 12:09 pm
Yes, only the face is forged. Which is fine with me because I only hit the ball with the face of the iron. 😉
Charlie Waffles
Jan 7, 2020 at 12:54 pm
I’m getting a different take on these, thinking that they are forged and not just the face. I could be wrong tough.