granters
Q-School Graduate
Won't be sleeping much tonight due to the wee man so thought i'd do an in depth review of my new irons from custom fit to present
Custom Fit-
I went to the Wilson factory in April, after 16 years of using my previous Wilson blades, and getting down to 5 with them. But there was something nagging at me, that i was missing out on the benefits of new technology.
I tried out the original FG Tour, and while it was a great club, i preferred the appearance of the V2 which is a little more refined, and a little less forgiving
Firstly i tried out a regular KBS shaft, standard length as my old irons were exactly that. Immediately the fitter noticed that they were too short, although i was hitting the ball well with them. I was reaching a little which led to higher dispersion, both draws and hooks with a ballooning flight.
I then went up to a KBS stiff shaft, standard length and immediately the dispersion improved, but the flight was a little low and i lost a good 10 yards distance. My swing speed was measured at 88mph (6 iron), but i have a fairly smooth tempo so was stuck between stiff and regular. The shaft just wasn't quite kicking properly unless i really went for it. The solution actually solved 2 problems. I tried out a plus 1/2", which improved things, and then plus 3/4" which improved things again. The extra length softened the shaft slightly and dispersion was down to around 6 yards by this time but there was still something not quite right in my mind.
I was hitting it very well by this stage, but i mentioned that the shaft still lacked a tiny bit of feel, and we had another look at the club through the ball. The shaft again wasn't quite kicking through the ball, so the fitter soft stepped the shaft for me (ie put a 5 iron shaft in the 6 iron head). BAM! That was it. It just felt spot on this time, dispersion down to 4 yards and 160 carry, consistent as anything. The flight was boring and strong
The last thing the fitter looked at was the grip. I had a tendency to flip my hands (which i didn't even realise!) leading to a small draw or pull offline. Easy answer-midsize grip, problem solved.
I really didn't feel the need to try out different shafts after this, the stats showed there was little to improve upon. I really felt it was time well spent, and the fitter gave me exactly what i was looking for. I left with a higher, more penetrating flight and shafts that really suit my game and physical stature.
The clubs-
The thing i like about the V2's is the classic look. I have been used to my tiny headed blades for so long, i found a lot of the other irons i tried very off putting at address. These are neat and unfussy. They definitely feel like a blade, but offer the extra forgiveness of a muscleback.
Initially i struggled with direction, but that wasn't unexpected. What i did notice straight away was my ball striking was sublime. I was cracking it right out of the middle every time, they were night and day compared to my old clubs. You can see from the picture how consistently i catch the middle from a recent practice session.
The obvious benefit was the added length i gained. I had gained 2 clubs overnight due to the proper fitting process, which in turn has made the game a tad more simple for me. I'm faced with 9 irons instead of 7 irons now, a totally different prospect.
Without a doubt the head design of the V2's made my bad shots infinitely better, a mistrike used to cost me a shot with the blades as i'd be 30 yards short, now i lose 5-10 yards and have a fighting chance. There have been a few times where i've struck the ball and looked up expecting it to be sailing right, only to find it clinging to it's line for dear life. That's another major plus point for me, i still get all the feedback of blades without the punishment. I know exactly where i've hit the ball, something i've always wanted in an iron.
The flight has taken me some time to get used to. My old shot was a low riser, but with the V2's the ball launches mid height and climbs powerfully in a straight line. I can really hold the ball in the wind with them. At the same time, the head is designed in such a way that i can play all the shots i need to, i can really choke down and pun ch them low, or i can knock one up into the air if required. They really are the most versatile irons i've ever used, and i tried out the AP2's fairly extensively. The heads lend themselves well to drawing and fading, as they are fairly small with little offset. A good strike is feels like a knife through butter.
I'd probably agree that they suit better golfers, as while they are forgiving, you can't go too far wrong with them. They are buttery soft and you get a real satisfaction from centering one.
Wilson don't enjoy the same profile as the other big brands but the one thing you do get is superb build quality. I couldn't recommend them highly enough
Custom Fit-
I went to the Wilson factory in April, after 16 years of using my previous Wilson blades, and getting down to 5 with them. But there was something nagging at me, that i was missing out on the benefits of new technology.
I tried out the original FG Tour, and while it was a great club, i preferred the appearance of the V2 which is a little more refined, and a little less forgiving
Firstly i tried out a regular KBS shaft, standard length as my old irons were exactly that. Immediately the fitter noticed that they were too short, although i was hitting the ball well with them. I was reaching a little which led to higher dispersion, both draws and hooks with a ballooning flight.
I then went up to a KBS stiff shaft, standard length and immediately the dispersion improved, but the flight was a little low and i lost a good 10 yards distance. My swing speed was measured at 88mph (6 iron), but i have a fairly smooth tempo so was stuck between stiff and regular. The shaft just wasn't quite kicking properly unless i really went for it. The solution actually solved 2 problems. I tried out a plus 1/2", which improved things, and then plus 3/4" which improved things again. The extra length softened the shaft slightly and dispersion was down to around 6 yards by this time but there was still something not quite right in my mind.
I was hitting it very well by this stage, but i mentioned that the shaft still lacked a tiny bit of feel, and we had another look at the club through the ball. The shaft again wasn't quite kicking through the ball, so the fitter soft stepped the shaft for me (ie put a 5 iron shaft in the 6 iron head). BAM! That was it. It just felt spot on this time, dispersion down to 4 yards and 160 carry, consistent as anything. The flight was boring and strong
The last thing the fitter looked at was the grip. I had a tendency to flip my hands (which i didn't even realise!) leading to a small draw or pull offline. Easy answer-midsize grip, problem solved.
I really didn't feel the need to try out different shafts after this, the stats showed there was little to improve upon. I really felt it was time well spent, and the fitter gave me exactly what i was looking for. I left with a higher, more penetrating flight and shafts that really suit my game and physical stature.
The clubs-
The thing i like about the V2's is the classic look. I have been used to my tiny headed blades for so long, i found a lot of the other irons i tried very off putting at address. These are neat and unfussy. They definitely feel like a blade, but offer the extra forgiveness of a muscleback.
Initially i struggled with direction, but that wasn't unexpected. What i did notice straight away was my ball striking was sublime. I was cracking it right out of the middle every time, they were night and day compared to my old clubs. You can see from the picture how consistently i catch the middle from a recent practice session.
The obvious benefit was the added length i gained. I had gained 2 clubs overnight due to the proper fitting process, which in turn has made the game a tad more simple for me. I'm faced with 9 irons instead of 7 irons now, a totally different prospect.
Without a doubt the head design of the V2's made my bad shots infinitely better, a mistrike used to cost me a shot with the blades as i'd be 30 yards short, now i lose 5-10 yards and have a fighting chance. There have been a few times where i've struck the ball and looked up expecting it to be sailing right, only to find it clinging to it's line for dear life. That's another major plus point for me, i still get all the feedback of blades without the punishment. I know exactly where i've hit the ball, something i've always wanted in an iron.
The flight has taken me some time to get used to. My old shot was a low riser, but with the V2's the ball launches mid height and climbs powerfully in a straight line. I can really hold the ball in the wind with them. At the same time, the head is designed in such a way that i can play all the shots i need to, i can really choke down and pun ch them low, or i can knock one up into the air if required. They really are the most versatile irons i've ever used, and i tried out the AP2's fairly extensively. The heads lend themselves well to drawing and fading, as they are fairly small with little offset. A good strike is feels like a knife through butter.
I'd probably agree that they suit better golfers, as while they are forgiving, you can't go too far wrong with them. They are buttery soft and you get a real satisfaction from centering one.
Wilson don't enjoy the same profile as the other big brands but the one thing you do get is superb build quality. I couldn't recommend them highly enough
Can' remember what it's like to sleep...
