Wilson Staff FG Tour V2 Review Thread

[JB]

THP has sent out iron sets to the forum testers that were selected after signup and here is a list of those that will be providing feedback in this thread.

Hawk
war.eagle
Howzat

This thread will be for them to offer their long term thoughts as they use the irons and offer feedback as to how they work for them.

 

[Hawk]

[video=youtube;hc19Ndfw-rc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc19Ndfw-rc[/video]

 

[Hawk]

I sort of requested an overnight delivery :act-up:

Here's a little video from excited Hawk:

[video=youtube;-ksyBBweeIM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ksyBBweeIM[/video]

 

[Hawk]

Wilson Staff FG Tour V2 Irons

The Setup I will likely game - 5-PW

Pictures of the sole and cavity - 3-PW

Spoiler

Comparison Pictures to a GI/Distance Iron - Top and Bottom

Spoiler

Various topline pics:

Spoiler

Face Pics:

Spoiler

From Top - PW, 8 iron, 6 iron, 4 iron

Cavity Pics:

Spoiler

Pitching Wedge Pics:

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Short Videos Featuring 4 iron, 6 iron, 8 iron, and PW

Spoiler

[video=youtube;6tLktMjl-6M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tLktMjl-6M[/video]

 

[Hawk]

So, let’s get this started!

First of all, I would like to extend my appreciation to THP and Wilson Staff for making this possible. I believe that this type of review process is extremely beneficial to consumers seeking real-world information on golf equipment. Many of you reading are people I know, but I also am aware that many of you are not members at THP. I’d like encourage you to join in! Also, please ask questions and make comments as you see fit.


Initial Thoughts at Unboxing

Looks:

Wow.

I could just stop there, but I like to talk too much to do that. Many of you know I’ve had my eyes on these since Wilson Staff released some teaser pics a couple months ago. They are, quite possibly, the most attractive iron I have ever seen.

Cavity:
The FG Tour V2’s cavity seems to be a good mix of modern design and simplicity. On one hand, you have the bold lines that make up the contours of the cavity. They are very modern and fresh looking. Wilson Staff has mixed that somewhat edgy look with a color scheme that really draws me in. I think the black and silver combo just fits the design of these irons perfectly. It’s allows the design of the cavity to appear contemporary without being garish. The V2’s have one of the most attractive cavities I’ve seen, bar none.

View From Above:
From the top, you see that there is just a tiny bit of offset with a thin, clean topline. It’s not blade thin, but it’s thin. Far sleeker than any iron I’ve played. As you progress into the longer irons, you may see a hint of the cavity from the top, but it’s mostly non-existent from this angle. The head of the V2 is small. In fact, it looks downright tiny compared to the irons I was playing before. You can look above for some comparison pictures to see what I’m talking about. I don’t know why, but a smaller head makes me feel like I am going to hit the center of the face easier. It seems like it would be the opposite, but that’s just how I feel.

The Face, Leading Edge, Hosel and Sole:
The grooved portion of the face is a matte finish, while the heel and toe area are chrome. The chrome is polished almost to a mirror finish and it reflects the grass in a very neat way; almost to the point that the toe of the club disappears against the green back drop.
The leading edge doesn’t seem to be overly sharp, but it looks like it’s going to really cut through the turf. It’s actually rounded ever so slightly, which was interesting to me. I don’t know that I’ve noticed that on an iron in the past. I will have much more information on that feature as time goes on due to my turf-destroying swing.

The soles range from about finger thin to slightly larger as you move from the long irons to the pitching wedge. The first iron I looked at was the 4 iron and I was a bit amazed at the thin profile of the sole, but it appears that the scoring irons are just a bit wider. These are not the thinnest soles, but they are thin.

The hosel is lengthy with “Wilson Staff” engraved into it. There is also some light etching where it meets the shaft.
One last thing to note is the squared off toe of the V2’s. It definitely removes any possible perception of these irons having soft lines. It is very noticeable and attractive to my eye. I love the looks of these irons. It’s hard to put into words just how great they really look in person.

Miscellaneous:
The V2’s are gripped with black Lamkin Crosslines, which are fairly soft and tacky. They are a top-end grip and I’m very comfortable with them. I personally loved the white/black Lamkins that were on the previous FG Tours, but it may have been a good idea to differentiate the V2’s by not using such a noticeable grip color.

The V2’s come stock with KBS Tour shafts. I am testing the R flex. The bright red KBS sticker definitely adds a bit of confidence when you see it. Not sure why, but it does. I notice that these shafts are more flexible than what I was playing before – True Temper Performance 85 in stiff flex. In case you are wondering, I typically play stiff flex in my irons since that is what companies tend to send to THP for review. This will be the first time I’ve played an iron shaft in R flex in a while and I’m really looking forward to it. It should fit my swing a bit better.

When picking up the irons, I noticed that they didn’t seem quite as head-heavy as the irons I normally play. They seem to be very well balanced. I actually expected them feel a bit heavier in-hand as the shafts are almost 30 grams heavier than what I’m used to. However, they actually felt a bit lighter. Swing weight is a mysterious thing at times.

Lastly, I want to note that the V2’s –as they are today – are lofted much weaker than the irons I’ve been playing. They are a players iron as opposed to a ‘distance’ iron, so they are much more traditional when it comes to lofts and length. I expect to see some distance loss as a result, but I can’t be sure of that until I really test them out.

 

[War Eagle]

Hawk, you are fast my friend. Wow. Working on getting all of mine uploaded right now!

 

[10YardDraw]

GORGEOUS is all I can say, wow! Thanks for the pics and videos Hawk

 

[JB]

Guys,
I hope you dont mind, but we deleted a few posts so that the first few posts could be the pics, video and initial writeup together. Thanks for understanding.

 

[Howzat]

Way to get it started Hawk. I am hoping to have mine in hand Monday or Tuesday. I have an appointment at Golftec on Tuesday to get some hard data.

 

[War Eagle]

Here's a quick video I did, working on getting my unboxing pictures up...

 

[Hawk]

About the Tester - Hawk

Before I get started reviewing the performance of the FG Tour V2’s, I’d like to give you some background information on me as a golfer: my abilities, preferences, faults, etc. I’m doing this so you can see how my experiences with these irons could relate to you.

I am currently the quintessential bogey golfer. My average score for quite a while now has hovered right around 90-92. I have shot rounds in the 80’s as well. I have golfed seriously for two years now and seen improvement each year. At the moment, I would classify my abilities with irons as average. I can have good days and bad days, but for the most part it’s a mix of good shots and not great shots. My misses with irons are usually fat or thin as opposed to right/left. I’ve been working hard to rid myself of the fat shots and have been pretty successful at it with the help of a teaching pro.

I have a pretty steep iron swing and can take some monster divots. With the irons I was playing prior the this review process (Adams Redlines), I found myself bouncing more than digging on firmer ground, but soft ground produces long, deep divots for me. My typical ball flight is high and straight or a very slight draw. If I get a little too steep I may have a slight fade, but it is no longer my stock shot. My distance goes down if I fade my irons.

I do not hit the ball long. With the Redlines, my typical carry distances were around:

6 iron: 160
7 iron: 150
8 iron: 140
9 iron: 130
PW: 110-120

As a staff writer for THP, I have played and tested many irons in the last year. In fact, this will be the 6[SUP]th[/SUP] set I’ve played in 15 months. I’ve played everything from player’s cavities to SGI irons. Visually, I will be honest and say that I prefer an iron with a smaller profile and minimal offset. Performance wise, I tend to gravitate towards irons that hit the ball as far as possible and are as forgiving as possible. In other words, my eye disagrees with my swing at times.

Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions throughout all of this. I strive to be as honest as possible and I’m here to broaden your knowledge and provide as much information as I possibly can.

 

[Foreplay]

Very sexy! Can't wait to hear how these go down.

 

[Smallville]

Very good looking clubs Hawk! Hit them well!​

 

[INgolfer]

Wow these photos make the clubs looks even more beautiful than before! Hawk...I like the first hit, but it was more like the second hit...I saw that club touch the ball at address, that is a penalty my friend! lol

 

[Chunkylover77]

I'm excited for this testing and the pics and video's have made me even more excited. Great start!!

 

[War Eagle]

UPS dropped the beauties off for me this evening, couldnt wait to get the box open. Some quick pics of the Wilson Staff FG Tour V2's.

 

[10YardDraw]

thanks for the pics WE, cant wait to hear how they play

 

[INgolfer]

I really like the size of the head on these irons. As nice as they looked in the photos I thought the head looked a little big and I figured the topline would be average. After seeing the photos I love that the head looks small and that the topline is pretty thin. I just love looking down at thinner toplines, for some reason it just gives me more confidence. Great pics Hawk and WE!

 

[Staples]

Great initial write up and pics Hawk! I'm very excited to see how these irons pan out for the testers.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

 

[Hawk]

I did have a chance to take these to the range today.

Here is a quick video of me on my way there:

[video=youtube;xlfLT-wprv8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlfLT-wprv8[/video]

I'll work on some thoughts from my session and post it soon.

 

[White Rhino]

These are very nice looking irons and I look forward to hearing some great information from the three testers.

 

[c0ncept]

my bad JB. Great write up and vids hawk. These things look great...do you happen to know the lofts?

 

[War Eagle]

A little bit about my game: For the past 2 months, I have been playing the TaylorMade Burner 2.0s, prior to that I was hitting a set of Nike Slingshots. As my game has improved, my clubs have changed. Personally, I feel the strength of my game is my iron play, if I can get a ball in play, I feel confident with my irons to do the rest of the work.

With my current set, my distances are:
7i - 170
8i - 160
9i - 150
PW - 135

I have always been one to choose a long iron over a fairway wood or hybrid, as that is where my comfort is.

Wilson Staff FG Tour V2's

Initial Thoughts; Beautiful. This Iron set is absolutely stunning. I have seen some good look irons come out this year, but these irons blow the rest out of the water. Wilson Staff has gone above and beyond the rest, the clean Silver and Black color scheme is beautiful, and the lines and design is crisp and clean. The pictures speak for themselves, but to see these in hand...just Wow. Quite possibly the best Iron I have ever held. Towards the beginning of the shaft from the club face, it has Wilson Staff stamped into it, will get an upclose picture of it. the best way to describe the looks of these irons is, Sharp. Every line, every edge, just has a sharp look to it.

Feel in Hand: Picking the box up off the porch, I was suprised at the weight. Very light to pick up, actually had me curious to what the set had in it. When I saw 8 irons in the box, unpacked them in held in hand, I was blown away at the feel. It wasnt nearly as head heavy as irons I have recently games, and has a nice balanced weighting to it.

Observations: The V2s I have came with KBS Tour shafts, Stiff. I am a fan of Lamkin grips, I like the simplicity of the black grip with white Lamkin logo on it. I have always liked the in hand feel of Lamkins, and these are just as nice as they have been in the past.

The top line of the V2s are nice and thin. They look great at address, and from the top looking down, can not see the cavity on the back. When picking up the 3i, I noticed how thin the sole of the club was, being right around a 1/2 inch. The sole gets progressively wider towards the PW, but even then it's still very thing, coming in at under an inch wide. These are by far the thinnest irons I have ever played.

Overall Impressions: Putting these in to play will definitely be a new experience for me. Having gamed extremely forgiving Slingshots, and moving to a distance type iron in the 2.0s, I am really looking forward to seeing how these work out for me. I am looking forward to getting these on the range tomorrow to see how they work for me, as well as to check distances. Did I mention that these irons are without a doubt the best looking irons I have ever seen in person? The pictures dont even come close to showing the sharp lines and edges of these irons.

Looking forward to this testing, please feel free to ask any question you may have!

 

[Hawk]

I don't know all of the lofts as there is very limited information out there right now.

Here are the specs for the previous version of these irons:

3 - 21°
4 - 24°
5 - 27°
6 - 31°
7 - 35°
8 - 39°
9 - 43°
PW - 47°

 

[War Eagle]

I don't know all of the lofts as there is very limited information out there right now.

Here are the specs for the previous version of these irons:

3 - 21°
4 - 24°
5 - 27°
6 - 31°
7 - 35°
8 - 39°
9 - 43°
PW - 47°

Thanks Hawk, have been trying to find some info on the lofts.