I often frequent my local range and pro shop and spend hours tinkering with the latest clubs and technologies being released into the market. Over the past few years I have developed a great relationship with local shop owner and I have been fortunate to demo and play a wide variety of irons. Although most of these practice sessions are located on the range, it is indeed a pleasure to take a set of irons onto the course and find how an iron truly performs when under true conditions.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of playing the Wilson Ci7 Control Irons. At first glance, I was unsure of how these irons would fit into my game considering I have primarily played forged muscle-back blades over the last three seasons. The difference in feel generated between a forged and cast iron, the amount of offset throughout the set, and the visual aesthetics at address all raced through my head. The opportunity to test and review a set of game-improvement irons sparked a great deal of interest and fear in my game. I was interested to see how these irons would perform and feared the how their performance would make me question my decision to play a forged muscle-back blade.
Wilson Ci7 Control Iron Set (4-GW) evolved from the award-winning Ci6 iron design. Wilson’s Ci7 Irons have been re-imagined with a Tour-inspired, midsize shape designed to reach a broad range of players. 
The Ci7 delivers maximum head stability and forgiveness; a power generated by its thin face and undercut cavity is balanced by the unique perimeter providing increasing distance. Wilson stresses that the playability is maximized in these irons by the club head weighting and shaft technologies. The Ci7 irons come stock with the True Temper TX 105 lightweight shaft and feature a Progressive Tip Design which is a softer tip in the long irons for higher ball flight, transitioning to a stiffer tip in the scoring irons to maximize control and accuracy. The Ci7 features Wilson’s exclusive Elastomeric paint coating in the back cavity, which dampens vibration.
As I entered the parking lot I realized that it was a cold, brisk New England day. This was evident by the fact that there were only two cars in the entire lot. Given my solitary status on the course, I decided that I would play a majority of my round using only the Wilson Ci7 irons. Throughout the round, I found myself pleasantly surprised as I found myself facing a wide variety of shots. At address, the Wilson Ci7 irons have a moderate amount of topline width, which provides confidence at address and appeals to a wide variety of skill levels. The irons produced a relatively smooth feel at impact and provided slightly more distance than my muscle-back blades. As an iron focused on a wide range of skilled players, the clubs provide enough offset to provide that much needed forgiveness and confidence without overcompensating and limiting the clubs workability.
Throughout the round I found myself facing a number of typical shots and at points purposefully dropped a few balls in precarious spots around the course to see how well the irons performed. In terms of performance, the irons are quite versatile. The offset provided throughout the set allowed me to draw the ball quite easily. There were some minor issues when trying to cut the ball and with punch shots. The overall club head size and sole width allowed me to launch the ball quite easily. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of wind and I had issues controlling the ball flight in the scoring irons. I believe much of this experience stemmed from the stock True Temper TX 105 shaft, rather than the club head. I prefer a higher weight, low torque shaft such as the True Temper Dynamic Gold to control my ball flight and would be interested in playing a set of the Wilson Ci7 Control Irons with a higher weight shaft.
Overall, I enjoyed playing the Wilson Ci7 Control Irons. It had been some time since I seriously considered a game improvement iron and am glad that I had the opportunity to play and review this set of irons. The next time you find yourself at your local shop don’t hesitate giving these irons a shot. You can read more about these irons at Wilson Staff. THP definitely looks forward to trying out the new Wilson Staff products and being able to review them for all of the readers.
Your Equipment Specialist
Dan D.
