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Wilson Staff FG Tour V2 Review Thread

SuperStroke
Great info Hawk. I think you learn a lot more practicing on a 9 hole like that vs. the range. I am lucky enough to have a 9 hole less than 5 minutes from me that is usually empty. Nice to see the number of bad shots seems to decrease with every review.
 
Great oservations thus far gents. One thing bugs me and that's the toe hits. Did you guys get your lie angles adjusted? Maybe I missed that somewhere.

Alex
 
I have not had them adjusted.

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Hawk.... that could be a huge part of the equation. I think you need to get on a lie board... it might change things.

Alex
 
Yea, I need to get it done, but my time is always so limited that I end up going golfing or to the range every time I get a free hour! I'm going to get it done one of these days. It's mostly the long irons it seems?
 
I hear you about not having enough hours in the day. It could very well be the long irons that are out. In my current set of irons my 7 iron was out 3*... LOL.. I know what it's like though to want to go get in 9 or range time or be stuck getting an adjustment in. Hitting the little white spheres is more fun.

Alex
 
Nicklausfan said:
Great oservations thus far gents. One thing bugs me and that's the toe hits. Did you guys get your lie angles adjusted? Maybe I missed that somewhere.

Alex
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I have not had them adjusted and I am sure that is a big part of the toe hits and issues I have been having with the long irons. Will be making the adjustments in the off season and likely replacing the shafts.
 
Test Date: October 29, 2011
Location: Blackduck Golf Course – 3029 Yard 9 Hole
Conditions: 48* and 5 MPH winds
Test Irons: Wilson Staff FG Tour V2 (KBS tour shafts)
Previous Irons: Mizuno MP 53’s (DG S300)

Turned out to be perfect conditions for this time of year. No specific focus today and with only a few rounds left for me this year I decided to just go out and play.

Distance: I hit my irons as well today as I have all year. So much so that I flew the first 3 greens I took aim at. I was getting sweet spot and ended up getting about ½ a club more distance than I was used to.

Accuracy: Misses today tended to be directional. I tried to shape my shots a bit today and had no trouble working the ball. Because I was swinging better today than I have been as was a bit more inside/out the misses with the short irons were left and the long irons which I had been hitting right were going straight. I was missing directionally for the most part because I was expecting the ball to go in the direction they had been going.

Feel: The V2’s do a great job of rewarding a well-struck shot. I would actually prefer a bit harsher feedback on a miss. The only big miss I had today was with the 7 iron 155 out into the wind. There is a creek running about 40 yards in front of the green. I pulled my head and knew I hit it out near the toe. The ball flight was lower than normal and the ball landed right in the creek. I look at the clubface and found only about ¼ of the ball even hit grooves.

Overall: I hit the longer irons much better than I have been which put a smile on my face. The KBS irons are well balanced but I have slowed my tempo quite a bit in order to make better contact with the long irons and I am not sure it is the right shaft for me. With the end of my outdoor season fast approaching I will play out the season with the specs as is but there will be some changes in the off season. Time to do some shaft research but I think I will go with a lighter shaft, which should help my club head speed with the slower tempo.
 
Testing Date: 10/30/11
18 holes - 6,300-ish yards
Conditions - High 40's - Winds 20-25 with 30+ gusts

The video I got today is pretty harsh on the ears, so sorry in advance. Lots of it is unusable for the most part. I ended up putting the camera away after 9 since it was spitting rain on me.As for the weather, this sort of says it all:

Spoiler


Sounds like I wasn't the only one dealing with rotten winds over the weekend. Definitely challenged me, as did my tee game. Still, came away with breaking 90 again and that's my end goal each time out right now. This course is up on a plateau, so the wind has the greens so dried out. Badly enough that I only had to repair one real ball mark today. I saw a beauty of a 7 iron bounce 10 feet in the air off the green and it wasn't the only one. Fall golf is certainly different, but it could be worse :)

Felt like I hit the V2's pretty well today. Had the power draw going for a bit, which was not really appreciated, but I was able to dial it back. My other miss today was the topper/thin shot and I had two of those - both times when going for a green. Both times resulted in bogey's even though I had pretty good spots to chip from.

Ball flight was very high with everything from the 5 iron up. Didn't really do much for me when it came to hitting greens though. I had balls hit the center of the green and bounce off the back on 3 or the first 4 holes on the back nine. I did have one 8 iron stick about 10 feet from its pitchmark, but most of the time I putting from the outskirts of the green.

Here's a good example of that. I was aimed basically at the bunkers. Ball was real high and the wind pushed it all the way to the left side of the green. Actually parred this hole by making a horrible lag and a miracle par putt.



Also, had to hit over the trees after a crappy tee shot on a par 5. Here's a video of it.



Long irons were a bit lower, but not overly so. More like a mid to mid/high flight. Hit the 3 iron once and it was a fantastic power draw that I hit in a hook wind off a hook lie. I think I was 40 yards left of the green! The 4 iron I had was on uphill par 3 into the wind that was playing 143! I had to do some math to figure out the right iron, but basically I had to go up 3 clubs. I was pin high, just off the green to the left.

Had a nice punch shot from 130 yards that I had to keep under the trees. Used the 5 iron and tried to keep it low and slice it a bit and it worked out well. Was on the fringe and able to give myself the ability to make a par. Other than that, I just hit full shots with the irons today and clubbed up or down as needed.

Enjoyed the round and testing aside from the weather.
 
Nice info, Hawk. I got a few videos today on some Par 3s, but it was terribly windy so I bagged it after a while.

Going to post up my thoughts later this evening, but the wind kept it interesting today, and I actually played against it very well.
 
war.eagle said:
Nice info, Hawk. I got a few videos today on some Par 3s, but it was terribly windy so I bagged it after a while.

Going to post up my thoughts later this evening, but the wind kept it interesting today, and I actually played against it very well.
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Good to hear. It's kind of fun to see how far you have to aim away from the pin to get the ball on the green haha. Actually, it's sort of not fun, but it's kind of cool when you guess right haha. I would kill for a receptive green right now. I should be glad we have greens to hit to I guess.
 
Love the sound off those irons Hawkster. You seem to be in the same weather zone as myself and it SUCKS. Testing in these conditions is challenging. Killer score as well. Nice swing!

How much of your misses can be attributed to the extra clothes and a compact swing? I find I can really go left in cold crappy weather as, well, I'm cold and my swing stays short, quick, and close to my body. These irons seem to almost force a better move on the ball, is that true?
 
griff said:
Love the sound off those irons Hawkster. You seem to be in the same weather zone as myself and it SUCKS. Testing in these conditions is challenging. Killer score as well. Nice swing!

How much of your misses can be attributed to the extra clothes and a compact swing? I find I can really go left in cold crappy weather as, well, I'm cold and my swing stays short, quick, and close to my body. These irons seem to almost force a better move on the ball, is that true?
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Thanks, griff! I appreciate the comments.

It's tough to say. I felt tight almost all day yesterday and fought my swing for awhile. I actually think my driver swing got worse as time went on, but the irons were pretty consistent aside from the couple toppers (which I seem to have at least a couple each round) and the monster hook with the 3 iron. I seem to hook when I want to hit the ball hard and I think you have a good point about just getting too quick.

I think you have a good point about having to put a good swing on the ball with the V2's, but maybe not in the traditional sense. When I first started hitting them I wasn't loving the ball flight, so I really had to work on hitting down through the ball. After getting that a little better I all of a sudden love the ball flight. Same went with the fatties. I had to work hard on that miss as it really killed distance for me.

I've found that a slow takeaway has really helped me feel the position I'm trying to get in. My hope is that I can speed up the whole process somewhere down the line to generate some more speed, but I'm finding that I'm hitting the ball farther and higher right now with the deliberate move.
 
Testing Date: 10/30/11
Conditions: High 60s, 25mph winds.
18 Holes - 6,061 yards.


I played at an old favorite of mine here in Sarasota yesterday. Havent played this course in a long time, it's an old course here, and supposedly Paul Azinger grew up playing on this course. Regardless, it's a very short course, playing from the back tees at 6,061 yards, but still a fun course. Oddly enough, they had the greens cut in today, and they were absolutely tiny. I had never seen this before, a bit frustrating when I am missing the green by a foot, where you can clearly see that the green a few weeks ago extended to where the ball was. Oh well, on with my thoughts.

Conditions were terribly windy, and I feel like I didnt have a single shot the entire day with the wind at my back, very odd. Somehow I was hitting great off the tee, hitting 10/14 fairways, and my missed FWs were still in a decent spot for a second shot. I shot a 41/41, 82, with my only birdie of the day coming on the 18th. I didnt have any long irons off the tee today, but did have some good success with the long irons from the fairway during my round, one in particular comes to mind;

- Hole #7, par 5. Second shot, I am about 213 to the flag, sitting just off the right of the fairway, in the first cut. I have winds blowing hard from right to left, so I pulled the 5 iron in hopes to keep it low and still get good distance. I aimed significantly left of my target, and hit a great shot. I was able to keep it low, and cut through the wind. I ended up being about 10 yards short of the green, but was able to keep it from getting caught in the wind and on line with where I wanted it to go.

I have been saying that my ball striking seems to keep getting better with the V2s. With better ball striking comes consistent distances, and better accuracy. During my round I often had to club up to get through the wind, but at the same time, knowing I was taking an extra club, I didnt feel the need to try to kill the ball to get the distance I wanted. I was able to put a nice smooth swing on the ball and get the results I wanted.

One aspect of my round that I am really pleased with is that I played the Par 3s at Even par today. I have always struggled with a Par 3, whether it be my aiming or choosing the right club for the distance, it's just something I struggle with. The fact that I was able to shoot even on the par 3s today tells me a lot about the strides I have made over the past few weeks, especially with the winds I was playing in. Granted my short game did bail me out a bit, but I'll take that any day of the week.

Wanted to highlight my par 3 shots;
- Hole #4, Par 3, 134 yards. Wind was blowing left to right. Still early in the round and I was trying to figure out the wind a bit. I hit the PW and didnt adjust enough for the wind. I left it pin high, just off the left edge of the green. Chip and a putt for par.
-Hole #8, Par 3, 153 yards. Wind was blowing strong, directly at us. I decided to club up and hit the 7iron. Hit a nice shot, directly at the pin into the wind. It hung in the air for a while, but landed about 20 feet short of the pin. Left with a 20 footer, uphill. 2 putter for par.
- Hole #11, Par 3, 154 yards. Wind was blowing left to right, I went with the 8iron. I thought I hit a great shot, but the ball got up in the air and wind quick and pushed right. Missed a greenside bunker by a foot, chipped over and up on the green. Made the par putt.
- Hole #15, Par 3, 142 yards. Wind was left to right again, probably the strongest winds of the day. I hit my 9iron, and aimed significantly left of the flag. Flag was on the left side of the green, and little room for a miss if going for the flag. I got it up in the air, started it way left and the wind brought it back landing about 10 feet from the flag. My birdie putt lipped out, tap in for par.


With it being a shorter course, I was able to get some long irons shots on the Par 5s when trying to go for the green. I was hitting the 5 and 6 iron quite well from the ground today, felt that I was making solid contact with the ball first, then the ground. I also noticed that my divots are now starting much closer to my front foot than in the past, believe that has just come with my focusing on hitting the ball first. The 5 iron was a lifesaver for me yesterday, I felt that I could keep the ball quite low with a punch type shot, but still get good distance with it.

The short irons continue to impress me, I just have a lot of confidence in those clubs, even when playing in conditions where there was some crazy wind. With the winds being like they were, a lot of guessing was done on my part for aiming, but was glad that I was guessing it right and able to pull off some nice shots.

My shot of the day has to come with the PW though. Hole #18, hit my driver to the right edge of the fairway, left with about 120 to the pin, with the wind straight at my face. I hit a nice smooth PW shot, and left it a few feet from the pin for my only birdie of the round.

Overall Thoughts on the Round: I was glad to see that I had some better success with the longer irons from the V2s, as I have been struggling with these over the past few weeks. I still plan on getting more and more range time with them, especially working with hitting them from off the tee. That seems to be my biggest struggle with the V2s right now. I love the short irons in this set, I have had some of my best shots that I can ever remember with these irons. The shorter irons have given me some serious confidence in my game, as I feel that if I am within 150 yards of the green, that I can put the ball on the green right where I want it to be. Obviously, I am not hitting the green every time, but that is the confidence I have in the irons. I get frustrated with my misses with the V2s, as I know I have ironed out a ton of kinks in my game with them, and I want to keep improving. It's been an interesting couple of months with the V2s, and I am pleased with the progress I have made with the V2s and my overall game.
 
Sounds like a fun, but challenging round, war.eagle! I like that you saw some improvement with the longer irons. Goes to show what some hard work will do for you. I had two layup shots on par 5's yesterday with the 5 and 6 iron that really set me up well for my approach. I always used to use a hybrid for that shot, but I feel like I'm more accurate with the iron.

What's your favorite iron in the set right now?
 
Great reviews from the weekend Hawk and war.eagle! Sounds like the wind is really taking it's toll on all of us now. Definitely adds a new dimension to the iron testing process.

Hawk - that punch from 130 sounds like something I also had to do recently and just happy to get it anywhere around on the green.

Nice job on the birdie war.eagle in those conditions - sounds like one heck of a PW shot and worthy of your shot of the day!
 
mcook77 said:
Great reviews from the weekend Hawk and war.eagle! Sounds like the wind is really taking it's toll on all of us now. Definitely adds a new dimension to the iron testing process.

Hawk - that punch from 130 sounds like something I also had to do recently and just happy to get it anywhere around on the green.

Nice job on the birdie war.eagle in those conditions - sounds like one heck of a PW shot and worthy of your shot of the day!
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It's really my only 'work' the ball shot. It's sort of counterintuitive for a former slicer to try to do it on purpose haha.
 
Hawk said:
Sounds like a fun, but challenging round, war.eagle! I like that you saw some improvement with the longer irons. Goes to show what some hard work will do for you. I had two layup shots on par 5's yesterday with the 5 and 6 iron that really set me up well for my approach. I always used to use a hybrid for that shot, but I feel like I'm more accurate with the iron.

What's your favorite iron in the set right now?
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Typically, that shot is a long iron for me, that is up until a few weeks ago when I started pulling the hybrid a bit more. I was feeling good with the long irons yesterday, so I was hitting them more and getting in to a comfort zone with them

Favorite iron out of the set for me is the 8iron. A typical distance for me on the course is between 140-160 (around the 150 marker), I probably use the 8 more than any other iron in the bag, but I know when I have the 8 I can pull off the shot I want.
 
That's funny because I think it's mine right now as well.
 
Welcome to THP! No, they aren't quite the same. Different shaft and a different cavity design in addition to some other changes. What did you prefer about the originals over these?
 
Keeping a close eye on the weather today since it's a testing day for me. It's going to be chilly no matter what, but I'm hoping it's not pouring rain too. There's an 80% chance of pure nastiness, so I will head to the launch monitor/sim facility if that's the case.

I'm taking the V2's to TPC Deere Run this weekend and that will be tough test for me and them. Looking forward to seeing how they play on a well conditioned course.
 
Hawk said:
Keeping a close eye on the weather today since it's a testing day for me. It's going to be chilly no matter what, but I'm hoping it's not pouring rain too. There's an 80% chance of pure nastiness, so I will head to the launch monitor/sim facility if that's the case.

I'm taking the V2's to TPC Deere Run this weekend and that will be tough test for me and them. Looking forward to seeing how they play on a well conditioned course.
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Good luck at Deere Run, looking forward to hear how you do there.

I am getting to the practice area this afternoon, plan on spending some quality time with the long irons on the range to see if the results I was seeing from them on Sunday is still there for me.
 
As always, my tee game will set the tone of my round. I think I'm going to play a bit more conservatively off the tee and play to a number more often since I'm hitting the irons pretty well right now. Big numbers can come into play quickly for me at that course if I'm not careful.
 
Hawk said:
As always, my tee game will set the tone of my round. I think I'm going to play a bit more conservatively off the tee and play to a number more often since I'm hitting the irons pretty well right now. Big numbers can come into play quickly for me at that course if I'm not careful.
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Is this a short course where you can play to a number off of the tee that is reasonable without hitting driver?
 
yorkem said:
Is this a short course where you can play to a number off of the tee that is reasonable without hitting driver?
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It's around 6,200 from the whites I think? It's going to be pretty cool too, so I'm sure I'll lose a few yards that way. There are a few holes that will be too long if I don't hit driver. I'm not saying I won't hit it at all, but I'm going to be a little more selective than normal.
 
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