Review Wilson Staff Launch Pad Irons and Metal Woods
erock9174
Well-known member
Thanks to Jaymo37, I have had the opportunity to try the new Wilson Launch Pad irons (4-PW with KBS Tour 80S). So far I have hit these at the range twice and on an indoor Trackman. Weather around here hasnāt been the greatest. We had snow as recently as Saturday evening.
I normally play Regular flex steel shafts in my irons, but given these are a lighter weight stiff shaft they seem to be working just fine for me.
Build Quality:
I always like to compare oem specs to the actual clubs to see how their build quality stands up.
Specs according to Wilson are:
My Specs (sorry I donāt have a lie or loft measuring device):
I measure at a 60* lie angle (USGA standard) and to the end of the grip. Other than a couple of the irons being 1/8ā longer than spec, everything was pretty dead on. So I give Wilson an A- for build quality. Very well done.
When these came in I noticed some previous wear that Jaymo must have inflicted on these
Here are some pics of the back cavity. As you can see these do tend to pick up some bag chatter as they rub against other clubs.
Performance:
Still early in the process but I like what I see from the LPās. The launch the ball very easily which is a consistent theme that I see with hollow body hybrid-like irons. I tend to play a baby draw and the ball flight is consistent with my norm. Below are some snippets of my recent Trackman session. The LPās really hold up against the Altitudes.
Dispersion charts:
Numbers:
6i Test
7i Test
PW Test
I also tested the 4 and 5 irons and while I had no issues making clean contact with the ball I simply cannot generate enough height and carry with these irons to make them viable for my bag. This is not a knock on the LPās as this is simply my swing. Carry was no longer than the 6i and both just rolled out more. This is why I start play hybrids in the 4 and 5 slots.
Aesthetics/Looks:
When I first saw these on the rack in the store they immediately reminded me of the Cleveland Altitude/HB/Turbo lines. Very large footprint, wide sole, thick topline. But that is to be expected in this type of iron. There is some offset but nothing offensive. The sole is a polished chrome with a dark gray painted back side (cavity) that wraps around to the toe end. Also present on the toe is the Wilson Staff (W/S symbol). I am not a huge fan of shiny chrome clubs as they tend to look very worn very quickly. Of the three 2020 Hybrid iron type offerings, the Cobra T-Rail is my favorite followed by the Cleveland HB Turbo. The LPās would be my least favorite of the three looks wise.
Sound/Feel:
The knock on hybrid type hollow body irons is usually their sound. They are a bit loud and clicky and these are no exception. I will say after gaming these types of irons I am accustomed to it and honestly do not even notice it any longer.
Let me know if there is anything I can answer as I continue to try these out.
I normally play Regular flex steel shafts in my irons, but given these are a lighter weight stiff shaft they seem to be working just fine for me.
Build Quality:
I always like to compare oem specs to the actual clubs to see how their build quality stands up.
Specs according to Wilson are:
My Specs (sorry I donāt have a lie or loft measuring device):
I measure at a 60* lie angle (USGA standard) and to the end of the grip. Other than a couple of the irons being 1/8ā longer than spec, everything was pretty dead on. So I give Wilson an A- for build quality. Very well done.
When these came in I noticed some previous wear that Jaymo must have inflicted on these
Here are some pics of the back cavity. As you can see these do tend to pick up some bag chatter as they rub against other clubs.
Performance:
Still early in the process but I like what I see from the LPās. The launch the ball very easily which is a consistent theme that I see with hollow body hybrid-like irons. I tend to play a baby draw and the ball flight is consistent with my norm. Below are some snippets of my recent Trackman session. The LPās really hold up against the Altitudes.
Dispersion charts:
Numbers:
6i Test
7i Test
PW Test
I also tested the 4 and 5 irons and while I had no issues making clean contact with the ball I simply cannot generate enough height and carry with these irons to make them viable for my bag. This is not a knock on the LPās as this is simply my swing. Carry was no longer than the 6i and both just rolled out more. This is why I start play hybrids in the 4 and 5 slots.
Aesthetics/Looks:
When I first saw these on the rack in the store they immediately reminded me of the Cleveland Altitude/HB/Turbo lines. Very large footprint, wide sole, thick topline. But that is to be expected in this type of iron. There is some offset but nothing offensive. The sole is a polished chrome with a dark gray painted back side (cavity) that wraps around to the toe end. Also present on the toe is the Wilson Staff (W/S symbol). I am not a huge fan of shiny chrome clubs as they tend to look very worn very quickly. Of the three 2020 Hybrid iron type offerings, the Cobra T-Rail is my favorite followed by the Cleveland HB Turbo. The LPās would be my least favorite of the three looks wise.
Sound/Feel:
The knock on hybrid type hollow body irons is usually their sound. They are a bit loud and clicky and these are no exception. I will say after gaming these types of irons I am accustomed to it and honestly do not even notice it any longer.
Let me know if there is anything I can answer as I continue to try these out.
Great Feedback so far @erock9174
You're right they definitely show signs of bag chatter rather quickly on the outside of the iron body where a cavity would normally be. Would love to see the T-Rail data thrown into the mix when you've had a chance to get some numbers, to see how those compare for you.
You're right they definitely show signs of bag chatter rather quickly on the outside of the iron body where a cavity would normally be. Would love to see the T-Rail data thrown into the mix when you've had a chance to get some numbers, to see how those compare for you.
erock9174
Well-known member
Actually had some data that I forgot to post.
From a dispersion standpoint both fared really well.
Here are the numbers between the T-Rail and Launch Pad irons.
I tend to struggle with getting my descent angle over 40* with a 6i...sometimes even a 7i.
So in comparing the two I like what I am seeing in terms of land angle with the T-Rails being at 41.5 to where the Launch Pad is at 37.5*
Having said that, the reason could be that the LP's have a stiff flex vs the T-Rails having my norm (R Flex).
This was my main issue with the G700's when I had them. From 7-PW no issues with shot height and descent angle. But with the 6i if I didn't quite catch it right it would land too shallow, hit and skip through the green.
(Note I did remove the first shot with the T-Rail as it was a very bad swing to help normalize the data set).
