Wilson Staff C200 Irons Review Thread

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THPers were the first golfers out there to get their hands on these irons back in October at the THP Event called Staff Proto and today the day is here where they can finally talk about them. In all of my years of working with the great people at Wilson Staff, this is by far the most excited they are about iron technology and we think THPers should be too. Before we get to the reviews, here is a little bit of information about the new C200 irons.

From the Company
At the core of the C200 clubs is cutting-edge, proprietary, patent-pending FLX FaceTM Technology. This technology minimizes the contact points between the body and thin face. In fact, 76% of the thin face is actually free from the body of the iron, allowing for maximized face flex upon impact. These voids, known as Power Holes, are literal holes that go completely through the head and provide the space for the face to flex. They are then filled with a TE031 Urethane to provide outstanding feel for the game improvement player.

“We are extremely excited and proud to introduce the C200 irons and FLX Face Technology” said Michael Vrska, Global Director of Golf Innovation for Wilson Labs. “This iron is designed to provide incredible distance and the testing feedback from amateur players and our Wilson Advisory Staff pros have validated that.”

“We knew we wanted to create a completely new club – one with easy-to-understand, visible technology. The distance, forgiveness, and feel of the C200 irons exceeded even our high expectations. In our Wilson Labs play-testing, we are seeing results that far surpass what traditional irons currently offer,” added Vrska.

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Specs
Grip - Wilson Staff Lamkin Crossline Black
Steel Shaft - KBS Tour 90
Graphite Shaft - Aldila Rogue
Flex Options - R, S (steel) / A, R, S (graphite)

Over the next few days, you are going to hear a ton about these irons from long term testing. Each THPer that was at the 2015 THP Event with Wilson Staff (called Staff Proto) in October received a set of these irons, fit to them and put them in play with the R&D team there and then took them home and have been playing them for the last 3 months ready for this action.

You will see their reviews here on the THP Forum as well as on social media where the hashtag #GenFLX is being used to discuss as well as @THPGolf and @WilsonGolf

Pay close attention to these reviews, because coming on the 5th is a THP Contest where you could win one of these brand new sets of C200s and join in with the THPers who are reviewing them already.
 
Wow, this is going to be good. Crazy new tech, great shaft offerings, THPers already love them...can't wait to hear the reviews.
 
The message coming out of Wilson Staff headquarters in 2015 was that they were committed to creating quality equipment – from the golf ball to the clubs – and re-establish the brand as the go-to company for player’s intent on utilizing the best equipment that could be designed. Not content to target one specific type of golfer, Wilson Staff has designed clubs that range the entire gamut. Their F-C-D system helps fit golfers to clubs they prefer, whether it be for Feel, Distance, or a Crossover of the two. This review will delve into discussing the latest addition to the Wilson Staff crossover line of clubs, the soon to be released C200.

Reviewer Note
The set I gamed prior to being fit into the C200’s (by no one other than Duffy himself) were the Cleveland 588 MT’s (steel shafts, regular flex, 85 grams, standard L/L/L heads). So all comparisons will be to that set of irons. Likewise, I am a high handicap (25 HDCP) who tends to hit a low ball with a driver swing speed of around 90-95 mph.

Setup
I was fitted into the C200’s with the lie set to 2° weak. Shaft is regular flex graphite, in the previously unreleased Aldila Rogue iron shafts, which are 75 grams. Grips are Golf Pride MCC New Decade Multicompound’s with an extra wrap at the bottom to mimic the MCC Plus4’s.

Looks
Naturally, the first thing that stands out with the C200’s is the FLX Face technology. These “Power Holes” encompass the entire 17-4 stainless steel face and are filled with a black TE031 urethane which provides a stark contrast to the remainder of the club head. The back of the cavity-designed irons have a silver badge which carries the C200 logo with a splash of red coloring. The badge is framed with a black polymer, possibly plastic, that sports the W/S shield, while advertising the FLX Face technology. A combination of polished metal on the toe and heel, and brushed metal/satin finish on the sole and the top back of the iron, maintain the C200’s sleek look while breaking up the monotony of a single finish - if the power holes don’t achieve that all on their own. Since the power holes wrap around the entire head they are visible at address, but the black color didn’t grab my eye like potentially another color (e.g., red) might have. Compared to my previous irons, the topline of the C200’s is considerably thinner (see picture comparing the two). Likewise the sole is slightly thinner than the 588 MT’s but lack the beveled edge towards the back that are found in the Cleveland irons, while the hosel in the C200’s is slightly longer.

I won’t spend too much time talking about the Aldila Rogue iron shafts in this review, other than to say a couple of things. First, Wilson Staff is the first company to come out with these new shafts in their irons (major coup!), and second they feel great! For more thoughts of mine on these shafts, check my comments in the Aldila Rogue iron shaft review thread.
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​Introducing, the C200's

Specifications
C200Loft
319°
422°
525°
628°
732°
836°
940°
PW44°
GW48°

The lofts on the C200’s are identical to their previous iteration in the C100’s. For this set, the longer irons are separated by 3° of loft while the scoring irons are separated by 4°. In comparison, lofts on the F5’s are weaker by 2 or 3° depending on the iron, and the D200’s are stronger by a degree at all lofts.

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Comparison of C200 and 588 MT faces

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Comparison of C200 and MT 588 toplines

Performance

When Wilson Staff first came out with their F-C-D classification system, the C stood for Control. While they’ve maintained the Feel and Distance categories, as previously mentioned they’ve rebranded the C as “Crossover”. One of the main reasons – I assume – for this is that these irons don’t lack in the “Distance” category. In other words, the FLX Face technology flat out works. Wilson Staff states that the technology allows the face to flex, maintaining contact with the ball longer, and allowing for the ball to launch off the face with more energy. In turn, one should see increased distances. I’m not a long hitter by any stretch of the imagination, with my 7i – on average – netting me around 132 to 135 yards. With the C200s that’s increased to 145 yards on average, so I’ve gained roughly around 10 yards. That distance gain has been maintained throughout the set, so even my GW now goes a consistent 10 or so yards longer. However, I do not consistently hit the sweet spot on my irons, so when I do put a pure stroke on the ball, the C200’s carry considerably further than my 588 MTs ever would. On obvious mishits, I do lose distance, but even those shots are not as bad as they used to be. In fact, it could probably be argued that most of my shots are mishits, so if my average has increased overall, then these irons can definitely be considered forgiving. I have flown more greens in the two months I have played with the C200’s than I did the entire time I played my other iron sets … on shots that were not bladed. So yeah, the C200’s are long. As I mentioned previously, I do not hit a high ball. I wish I did, but I typically don’t. With the C200’s I was fit into the Aldila Rogue graphite shafts, and according to Duffy these would give me a higher ball flight. This turns out to be the case, and while I still don’t hit my iron shots into the clouds, they are noticeably higher. This, in turn, has allowed me to stick more greens on approach shots than before, even with the two piece surlyn ball I typically employ.

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Aldila Rogue iron shafts, W/S first to come to market with them

In hand, the C200s definitely feel lighter than my previous set of irons. This can, at least partially be attributed to the 10 gram difference in shafts, and not knowing the weight of the iron heads themselves, I can’t say anything other than there does appear to be a difference. Despite being lighter though, I don’t lose the club head at any point in my swing.

I don’t work the ball much so I can’t confirm/deny whether or not these irons really do perform well when it comes to workability. However I can confirm that I’ve hit many a high and straight ball with these irons. I tend to have a slight cut with my iron swing and this continues to be the case with these irons. One would think that with the urethane “insert” the sound of these irons would be somewhat muted, though I did not feel that this was the case. Perhaps I don’t have an ear for those sorts of things, but it had a typical sound off the face … at the very least, it wasn’t something that gave me pause or sounded out of the ordinary. And lastly, feel. The feedback on well struck shots was definitely present for me. I can’t exactly describe the sensation, a mix of sound and feel up the shaft into the hands, but it’s obvious the second you make contact. It’s a sensation I have experienced with the 588 MTs so I was very happy that this feedback was present in this set as well, and could have very well been the one major deal-breaker had it been absent.

One last point I want to mention in this review is the importance of fitting. In working with Duffy, we noticed my miss was often to the left. Wear patterns on the sole indicated that I tend to strike towards the heel. By weakening the lie two degrees, he was able to straighten out my ball flight immediately. I would never have imagined that such a simple tweak would have such a profound effect, but it did. Go get fit folks!

Durability
I’ve been able to play these irons pretty regularly for the past couple of months and they’ve held up really well. The major concern for me was the durability of the urethane, but if you’re thinking golf ball cover, the insert doesn’t have that soft urethane feel to it. It’s definitely a more solid/strong/tough material, but isn’t rock hard like plastic. For instance, if you push a thumbnail into the urethane, it doesn’t leave an impression. The holes are also filled entirely so they won’t fill with dirt, grass, or any other detritus you might encounter on the golf course. There also isn’t a pocket in the cavity area so you don’t have to worry about cleaning out any debris after a particularly chunky shot, or a wet, muddy day of golf. The satin finish on the sole does seem to mask smaller nicks and scratches that accumulate from the sandy soils of the Carolina’s so my irons look pretty close to newish save on the face. I must admit however that I use head covers on my irons so I can’t comment on bag chatter.

Conclusion
Before being accepted into the W/S #StaffProto event, I was perfectly happy with the 588 MT’s. They were the first set that I felt provided me with sufficient feedback, but were forgiving enough for my high handicap game. Going into the event I knew that the C200’s would really have to shine in several categories to make me swap out the Cleveland’s for them. In the end however, it wasn’t much of a contest. In every category the C200’s provided me with a better option which is why they are now the foundation of my bag, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. From the confidence-building look at address, to the FLX Face technology that places me deeper into parts of the course I have never hit into before, the C200’s are going to find high praise in many corners of the golfing world in 2016. This is a line that will find its way into many a bag, from the hackers to the players. So if you’re looking for more distance, but want to retain the ability to work the ball and receive feedback from your swings, the C200 deserves a look.
 
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I would first like to thank THP and Wilson for the amazing opportunity that I was given in October. It was a pleasure and a blast. W/S has a new fan for life. I really like the direction the company is taking and these irons prove to me the committment the company is making to guys like us. Guys who love golf and need a little help.
A brief bio from myself. I’m 44. Started playing seriously at 40. Tried to teach myself how to swing via DVD’s, training aids and the internet. When that really wasn’t working, I found a good instructor that I’ve been working with over the last couple of years. We’ve been working mainly on clubpath, clubface and weight shift. It’s a work in progress but I’m finally starting to notice some progress. My misses are weak pushes or if I overdo the wrist action a pull hook. I’m just starting to learn to make ball first contact so I generally don’t hit down on the ball very well. Again a work in progress. I’m currently a 17 HCP.


Now to the C200’s. This is my first club review so I’ll do my best to give these things the justice they deserve. These clubs obviously fall into the C category of Wilson’s F-C-D categorization. F is for Feel (better player irons), C is for Crossover and D is for Distance. We talked about the “C” category at #staffproto. W/S changed this from a “Control” to a “Crossover” this year. Michael Vrska mentioned that “Crossover” is more descriptive of the C category. This category is a crossover for distance and feel and the C200’s definitely crossover on both from my experiences with them and other THPers that have had the pleasure of using them for the last couple of months.


FLX Face Technology:
We were introduced to FLX face technology during our sit down in Chicago at the Wilson Headquarters. Basically, “power holes” wrap around the entire face to increase the time the ball gathers energy prior to launch. Only a quarter (roughly) of the face is welded to the club allowing the face to flex at impact providing a longer distance. The execs from W/S showed us a nice powerpoint slide that really showed the flex on the face. It was amazing. They also passed around the face and head separately to give us a good look at the power holes and just how much space there was between the two. These power holes also allow the weight to be distributed low, back and to the heel and toe areas to improve launch and forgiveness. Basically this technology allows for greater distance, higher launch and more forgiveness. Just what myself and everyone else is looking for. Urethane fills these power holes. This gives the C200 amazing sound and feel which are the 2 things I love best about these clubs. More on that later.


Specs:
Shaft Options: KBS Tour 90 (steel) or Aldila Rogue Pro (graphite)
Swing Weight D2

Loft
Lie
Length
3-Iron​
19.0​
59.5​
39.50​
4-Iron​
22.0​
60.0​
39.00​
5-Iron​
25.0​
61.0​
38.50​
6-Iron​
28.0​
61.5​
38.00​
7-Iron​
32.0​
62.0​
37.50​
8-Iron​
36.0​
63.0​
37.00​
9-Iron​
40.0​
63.5​
36.50​
PW​
44.0​
64.0​
36.00​
GW​
48.0​
64.5​
35.75​




The low down:
The first thing I noticed when I held these clubs was the feel. They just felt right. Perfect weighting. Impact feels nice, almost a soft feel to go along with the sound to confirm a flush strike. My mishits don’t give quite the same feel at impact, allowing me instant feedback based strictly on feel. To me, the feel of these clubs is their number one asset. I’ve never hit clubs that feel this good. Even my pro, who is a diehard TM guy, commented on the feel of these clubs at impact. His words were somewhere along the lines of “Wow, these feel really good”.


The sound is another favourite feature of the C200’s. To go with the feel aspect, the sound is “soft”. On good hits, the sound at impact let me know immediately that it was a good hit. Even on mishits, the sound was still pleasing but slightly different. Again, instant feedback. The sound of these clubs at impact is almost therapeutic and will keep you coming back for more. Trust me, if you hit these, you will know what I’m talking about.


The pictures I’ve provided are from the night we received the clubs at #staffproto. Fresh from the hands of Duffy Callahan. I’m not a photographer, in fact my wife says I'm terrible at taking pictures but I did my best to capture the looks of the C200.
These irons have a little less offset than I’m used to however at address that was no problem for me. They definitely look better than my current GI irons and reminded me of some the better player irons I’ve looked at in the last year. They offer up a confident look at address. Overall, a great looking set of clubs.














Guys at #staffproto were raving about the extra distance. In fact, one guy launched his ball with his GW over the green a almost took out Michael Vrska on the next tee box. The C200 is long. Lots of guys noticed a big increase in distance, some more than a full club. I was gaming fairly new GI’s prior to #staffproto but I did notice about a half a club length increase with the C200’s. Chalk it up the the FLX face technology.


One of my biggest challenges is getting height on my shots. I tend to sweep and hit behind the ball. I’m working hard to fix this over the winter but while I gamed the C200’s this fall, I really noticed a high launching ball flight even with my current swing flaws. The ball effortlessly launched higher than I was ever seeing before. The weighting with the FLX face technology allows this to happen. If you struggle to get proper height on your shots or could use a higher launch, these clubs will help you. They certainly did for me. I’m excited for the spring to see the even higher launch these clubs will bring me after working all winter on a ball first, descending strike contact.


As I mentioned earlier power holes allow the weight to be distributed low, back and to the heel and toe areas of the club allowing for greater forgiveness and a greater MOI. My off centre hits lost very little distance. This is where the Crossover category really shines. The forgiveness of the "D" category while maintaining the "Feel". While I could feel the mishit, it definitely didn't feel bad on the hands. Will the forgiveness of the C200's cure your glaring swing faults? No but they will make them a little less noticeable. My bad shots have become not so bad shots and allow me to keep my ball in play.


Final Thoughts
I truly love these clubs and I have no plans on pulling them from my bag. They feel and sound great, offer up plenty of forgiveness, plenty of distance and are aesthetically pleasing. W/S has gone above and beyond with the C200. The FLX FACE technology takes these clubs to a new level. Do yourself a favour and go find these clubs and try them out. You won't be disappointed. Go #GenFLX.
 
Nice review Deuce.
 
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Enjoyed both of those gentlemen. I look forward to seeing all of the reviews as I have only taken a few swings with each iron and while I know pretty much all of the technology in them through multiple presentations, the subtle nuances of these are what I look forward to finding out from each of the 9 THPers that got a chance to test them out.

You can share this thread or the home page article via social media for part of the contest for the 9 people from #StaffProto and as long as you use @THPGolf @WilsonGolf & #GenFLX you are all set.
 
Great reviews and there's a lot that's intriguing about these irons. They look great and that top line is sure unique. Great shaft options too.
 
Two things stood out to me when I had the chance to hit them. The long irons are fantastic. Probably the longest irons I've ever hit and still very easy to hit. But I was most surprised at how the FLX on the top line didn't bother me at address. It's noticeable for sure, but not an eye sore to me
 
Two things stood out to me when I had the chance to hit them. The long irons are fantastic. Probably the longest irons I've ever hit and still very easy to hit. But I was most surprised at how the FLX on the top line didn't bother me at address. It's noticeable for sure, but not an eye sore to me

I agree with this completely. You notice it if you are looking for it really, because after a few swings, its as if its not even there.
 
Nice reviews, Deuce and Rusty! I'm loving the reviews of these. If any of y'all have hit D100s, how do these compare? I would expect much greater feel with no loss in distance (based upon specs).

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for another opportunity to get these irons into play, JB!

Pay close attention to these reviews, because coming on the 5th is a THP Contest where you could win one of these brand new sets of C200s and join in with the THPers who are reviewing them already.



Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
 
Really great reviews Deuce and Rusty! These look very interesting. I'll have to give them a swing sometime.


Sent from the magic know everything box in my pocket
 
I'm going to piece together and finalize my thoughts/reviews over the long weekend.

Deuce and Rusty... Incredible reviews and thoughts.

FLX Face and Power Holes are completely legit. Just know that.
 
2 very good early early reviews. I have been waiting on more info about these since the event. Such an interesting and unique design that has me seriously intrigued. Cant wait to hear more about these!
 
Great job on the reviews Deuce and Rusty. I love the look of these. I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on these. I'm intrigued by the technology of the head and the Aldila shaft.
 
Really great reviews deuce and Rusty. I really like the looks of these. I was a fan of the C100, and these look like an improvement. Looking forward to seeing these in stores to get an in hand look.

I can see a set of Wilson irons in my bag. The question would be these or the F5.
 
Fantastic writeups so far guys, I'm really impressed with the tech and the performance gains you've both seen.

What really interests me most, besides the forgiveness, is the higher ballflight. Low shots with my scoring irons have really hurt me over my rounds, so to hear that the ballflight's allowing you to hold more greens has me excited.

Rusty, you mentioned a more penetrating ballflight with the C200s - since you were a sweeper before, were your old GI irons giving you more of a lazy ballflight with your swing? I also tend to hit a bit fat, and can't say I've ever hit an iron with a penetrating ballflight, some of which is my slower swing speed (92-93mph with driver) that I'm working on improving. Definitely interested to hear your thoughts on that.

Deuce, you and I share the same 'cap. You said you have already seen major distance gains, have you seen a scoring drop as well now that you're getting better ballflight into those greens? Also, you mentioned how well the clubs feel, which is something I love about the D100s - can you feel the weight of the clubhead on your backswing and transition to your downswing, or do you lose it at any point?
 
Those first two reviews were knockouts! Thanks guys for such comprehensive thoughts. The tech in these is pretty interesting and I'm looking forward to getting a few passs with one of these.

JM
 
C200 review

This review post will not be much about the trip itself, but it'll be about the C200's.


Previous Set and Background:
I float around a 8.5 HDCP or so, and iron play tends to be one of my stronger parts of my game. My most recent set I games was the Adams CB3's with KBS Tour 90's. I play 5-GW and I adore them. They are my favorite set of irons ever. You will see a topline comparison pic below.


Initial thoughts and quick fitting recap:
First off, we learn all about the C200, prior to ANYONE knowing about this. We get a quick run down on FLX Face, Power Holes and everything in between. The tech behind these things is incredible... Seeing inside the iron head in video is just insane. It all makes sense. I was fit by Duffy, he knows his ish. He watched me take a few swing and asked me my common miss. He pops the head off and stick it in a shaft that is 1/2" short. Boooooom, dead straight and a baby draw. Being that I already game and love the KBS Tour 90's, that was a natural fit. Went to the grip table and grabbed my grip of choice, DriTac's.


Specs:
Wilson Staff C200 4-GW
1-2" short
Standard lie
Winn DriTac standard


Range time with them:
As I touched on above, this was new to me because I love my CB3s, so I wasn't sure what type of results I may get. I will admit the first couple of range sessions were a mixed back. It took me a little bit of time to get used to the 1/2" difference in length, but I caught quite a few balls thin. With that said, I wasn't noticing much distance loss at all. I didn't know what to think. I went through about 5 really good range sessions and compared them side by side. They were about 5 yards longer on each iron. Distance never hurt anyone!


On the course:
I have gotten to take these on the course close to 8-10 times. The turf interaction is really freaking good, the flight is really freaking high and they are long. I am drawing the ball now because my clubs are actually fit for me instead of trying to make standard stuff work. The only thing I tend to struggle with is flighting the ball. They want to go high. They do not want to balloon, but they want to reach great heights.


The long irons are silly... Honestly, probably the easiest long irons I've ever hit. They go high and are extremely forgiving. That is what I want in long irons. I've never been more confident hitting a 5 iron.


The mid irons are fabulous... I love hitting an 8 iron and seeing it stop in its track. I vividly remember the first time playing my signature par 3 at my home course and hitting a beautiful 7 iron over water and it landed 4 feet from the hole. That was lovely.


Short irons -- YUM YUM YUM! The gap wedge is my favorite in the bag. I rattled the flag from 145 at #StaffProto in front of JB and 441 with the pitching wedge. I find myself in the PW and GW yardage range a ton, so they have had a huge workout!


Finish:
It's a chrome and satin type. They look gorgeous. I am a sucker for black and red anything, so they are sexy. The power holes take a while to get used to, and I don't love them, but I've gotten used to them. First thought that you'll hear a lot is, what the heck is that black stuff. Finish has been fine, some scrapings on the chrome, but nothing out of the ordinary. I prefer an all satin look, but these are gorgeous.




Final thoughts:
The one thing that stuck out to me the most, you can honestly feel the ball grab onto the face and shoot it off. It feels like a sudden millisecond that the ball pauses on the face and then goes flying.


My scoring results have not been as good with the C200's as my CB3, but it'll come with time. I am still trying to nail down distances as we speak.


My parting shot.. If you are looking for long, forgiving and good looking, then you need to look here. Wilson Staff is onto something with FLX Face, Power Slots and Urethane.



















 
Two things stood out to me when I had the chance to hit them. The long irons are fantastic. Probably the longest irons I've ever hit and still very easy to hit. But I was most surprised at how the FLX on the top line didn't bother me at address. It's noticeable for sure, but not an eye sore to me
Not gonna lie. When they showed the computer generated images of the urons i thought that top line was going to be all kinds of blah.

Then they passed the irons around and i still thought the same thing.

Then i took seings with them and didnt even notice.
 
Great work guys!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The flex slots really give the profiles more of a player's iron look to me, they fool my eye into thinking they're a bit thinner. But when you see the side by side pics they still look like a GI/SGI head, which isn't a problem for me at all.
 
Sanzabar,
We had to edit your review as the golf balls are not up to embargo yet. Tune in to the 5th for more details on those.
 
These look awesome! I can't wait to hit these.
It looks like they have a winner here


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