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The New Look of Speed: Wilson D300 drivers, woods, hybrids and irons

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Wilson’s new line of D300 products certainly don’t suffer from a lack of visible technology. The super game-improvement clubs use slots around the perimeter of the irons, as well as “Micro Vortex Generators” on the crowns of the metal woods to improve performance.

The D300 drivers ($349.99), fairway woods ($219.99), hybrids ($199.99) and irons ($799 steel, $899 graphite) will be in stores starting on January 23. Learn more about what they can mean for your game below.

D300 Driver

D300_DRIVER_ADJUSTABILITY_01

The goal for most golfers purchasing a new driver is to hit the golf ball farther, and to do that more speed needs to be created. That’s Wilson’s goal with its new D300 driver; to create more speed.

To accomplish its goal, Wilson added steps across the crown — the company calls them “Micro Vortex Generators” — to reduce the effect of drag on the club head. That means as the golf club travels through space, especially during the downswing as the club nears impact, airflow remains closer to the crown making the D300 drivers more aerodynamic. The result is more swing speed than their predecessors, Wilson’s D200 drivers, all other things being equal. Wilson says golfers can expect about 1-2 mph more club head speed from the new drivers.

D300_DRIVER_ADDRESS

The D300 also incorporates the company’s “Right Light technology,” which uses weight saving tactics to make it “one of the lightest and fastest adjustable drivers on the market,” according to Wilson. The driver also has an interchangeable sole weight to allow golfers to dial in swing weight. The drivers are built for retain with a 2-gram weight, but 10- and 12-gram weights are available through custom.

“Innovation is at the core of all we do and elevating distance is something we take seriously,” said Michael Vrska, Global innovation Director of Wilson Golf. “Micro Vortex Generators and Right Light are technologies that players can see and feel, but most importantly, the speed and distance benefits will be obvious from the first swing.”

The drivers also have Wilson’s “Fast Fit” technology, an adjustable hosel that will help golfers dial in loft and lie angle. The drivers can be adjusted between three loft settings — 1-degree strong, standard and 1-degree weak — and each setting can be paired with a neutral or draw setting lie angle setting.

Wilson’s D300 will come stock with Golf Pride Tour 25 grips, a 44-gram Matrix Speed Rulz A Type shaft (A, R and S flexes) in 9, 10.5 and 13-degree heads (10.5 only for lefties).

D300 Fairway Woods

D300_FAIRWAY_HERO

Like the D300 driver, the fairway woods also have Micro Vortex Generators on their crowns for less drag, and use Right Light technology — making the heads lighter, and thus, faster for most players — to produce more swing speed and ultimately more ball speed.

The faces of the fairway woods are made with Carpenter Custom 455 maraging steel inserts that the company says will maximize distance due to their thin design, producing a hot face with high CT (“characteristic time,” a measurement of energy transfer).

D300_FAIRWAY_TOE

Wilson’s D300 fairway woods come stock with Golf Pride Tour 25 grips, a 49-gram Matrix Speed Rulz A Type shaft (A, R, and S flexes), in 15-degree, 18-degree and 21-degree heads (15- and 18-degrees for lefties).

D300 Hybrid

D300_HYBRID_HERO

The D300 hybrids have a “progressive” head design, which gives lower-lofted heads a larger head profile that makes them more forgiving on the longer shots that they’re designed to hit. The hybrids become smaller and more iron-like throughout their wide range of lofts (17, 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31 for righties; 19, 22 and 25 for lefties).

D300_HYBRID_ADDRESS

They also use Wilson’s Micro Vortex Generators on their crown, as well as the same Carpenter Custom 455 maraging steel face inserts used in the D300 fairway woods to boost their ball speeds on shots contacted across the face. They come stock with Golf Pride Tour 25 grips and a 54-gram Matrix Speed Rulz A Type shaft, and are available individually for $199.99 each.

D300 Irons

D300_IRON_2CLUB

Last January Wilson released its C200, which debuted a radical new technology. It was called “FLX Face,” and used used multiple “power holes” that were situated around the perimeter of the iron face to increase face flexion and provide golfers more distance and forgiveness.

With the D300 irons FLX Face returns, and its power holes are now bigger. According to Wilson, the new design frees 76 percent of the face from the body, paving the way for more face flexibility and ultimately more ball speed for the golfer. The improvement will be beneficial on center strikes, but most noticeably on off-center hits, Wilson says.

D300_IRON_ADDRESS

As with their predecessors, the power holes are filled with TE031 Urethane to help the face recover faster at impact, creating more speed, better sound and better durability. The heads themselves are cast from 17-4 stainless steel.

The irons also have increased heel-toe weighting seen with weight pods on both sides of their soles to increase MOI (moment of inertia), a measure of forgiveness.

D300_IRON_BACK

Wilson’s D300 irons (4-PW and GW) will come stock with the company’s Tour Traction grips and the following two shafts options:

  • Steel ($799): KBS Tour 80 steel (R and S flexes)
  • Graphite ($899): Matrix Speed Rulz A Type (A, R, S flexes)
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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Don

    Sep 4, 2017 at 11:43 pm

    I clicked accidentally, didn’t mean to report comment! Sorry!

  2. Andrew S

    Jan 9, 2017 at 5:46 pm

    I love my Wilson D100 Driver, these are likely good. But, $349 for a Wilson driver, seriously (lol)?

  3. Mike Honcho

    Jan 9, 2017 at 3:57 pm

    How has Wilson survived? Like Nike, I’ve never played a single round golf where someone in my group had even one Wilson club in the bag.

    • tlmck1234

      Jan 10, 2017 at 7:14 am

      Wilson’s heyday was in the 80’s and 90’s when they were in just about everybody’s bag, including tour pros. Their 80’s Staff blades were some of the best ever made, and even their department store full sets were a cut above the rest. I learned with cheap Blue Ridge blades and laminated maple woods, went briefly to WS2000(similar to original Ping Eye), and then to Staff blades. In the mid nineties or so, I started building my own mostly.

      • Dave R

        Feb 4, 2017 at 11:56 am

        t; I am late-60s age and a 9-HCP on links layout. I played WS Ci7 irons until last week. Wilson Staff clubs and especially their irons are invariably excellent and built to very high standards. My second last full shot with my Ci7 irons produced a hole-in-one but I have decided to replace them with…. the new Wilson Staff Tour FG V6 irons.

        From long experience with Callaway, Taylormade and other manufacturers of fine products IMO Wilson Staff products ( especially irons ) are well worth a try for any serious golfer. No affiliation of any sort to any company of course.

      • Tommy

        Oct 4, 2018 at 10:38 am

        I also learned with a half set of Wilson Blue Ridges. Wow, did those things suck. I would love to hold one in my hands today just to remember how and why they were so hard to hit well. This was around 1966.

  4. robin

    Jan 9, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    Steve you are so right about it’s a right handed world.
    I’m am left and right player. I hit right handed and puts left.
    I wish I hit left handed because the prices on eBay are great for left handed players…

  5. SV

    Jan 9, 2017 at 8:37 am

    Based on the shafts and the description “making the heads lighter”, I wonder about the feel. Is it like swinging a shaft without a head? Also, as a lefty I really appreciate the lack of choice Wilson has given me (a lot of other manufacturers are the same).

    • Steve S

      Jan 9, 2017 at 12:24 pm

      As a lefty you should know that small guys(yes Wilson is a small guy in golf) can’t afford to tool for LH players since they are such a small part of the golfing community. My son is a left handed hitter in baseball but learned to play golf right handed because of the lack of club options. Unfortunately for all left handers it is a right handed world and you have to live in it….

      On the plus side if you go on ebay and look for left handed clubs they tend to be 20-50% cheaper than right handed versions.

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Equipment

Putter Roundup: 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)

MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype

MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.

Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype

We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS

Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.

Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2

This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.

Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype

This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.

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Equipment

Spotted: Project X Denali hybrid shaft

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Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.

Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.

The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.

Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.

Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!

 

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Whats in the Bag

Daniel Berger WITB 2024 (April)

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  • Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here.

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X

6-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC 2011 (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X Denali Blue 105 TX (3), Project X 6.5 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50-12F), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-14F), Callaway Jaws Raw (60-08C)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (56, 60)

Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Mini DB
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy PistolLock 1.0

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Wrap

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Check out more in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s clubs in the forums.

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