It’s that time of year when golf manufacturers launch their shiny new equipment amid much fanfare and hype. Sure, we’ve seen it all before and there’s usually very little difference to what came the previous year, but as golf fans we still lap it all up anyway because it is all rather exciting. So far we’ve seen new gear from TaylorMade, Callaway, Ping, Srixon and Cobra to rival some of the best drivers and best iron sets. Now it’s the turn of Wilson Staff to join the party with its 2023 Dynapower clubs.
The new Dynapower range includes a fantastic new driver that could be the surprise package of 2023, as well as premium fairway woods and game improvement irons that Wilson claim are their most forgiving yet. It’s the name that will cause the most buzz though.
Back in the late 1950s Wilson Sporting Goods Co. led the way in golf equipment and their original Dynapower irons were the best in the business. Little known fact, they are also the only clubs to have been used on the moon, which was one small step for man but a giant feather in the cap of Wilson Golf.
Wilson are revitalising that legacy with the new range of Dynapower clubs, but as with any club launch it’s the driver that will attract the most attention, particularly as the Dynapower driver is a step back into the premium market for a brand that has not been a serious player in the driver game for some time.
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Wilson Staff Dynapower Driver
The new Dynapower Driver is one of the most adjustable drivers ever created by Wilson and is available in both Carbon and Titanium head options. It comes with a host of custom fitting combinations – from swing weight, flex, shaft, loft & lie – that enable golfers to find the perfect club off the tee, depending on preferred shot shape and ball flight.
It replaces the D9 driver was perhaps the best value for money driver we tested last year. Impressive as it was at the price point, the D9 was not adjustable though and nor was it a premium tour calibre product. The Dynapower driver is very much in that upper echelon and will be in the bags of Wilson's top pros such as Padraig Harrington, Kevin Streelman and Paul Waring.
“We first changed the game of golf seven decades ago and it’s time to do it again,” said Tim Clarke, President of Wilson Golf. “Just like the original concept, these new woods and irons are built with adding more power in mind, as we continue to innovate and deliver top-of-the-line products that raise the confidence of golfers at all skill levels. This time we’ve used advanced AI technology to redefine golf club power options and we’re extremely proud of this new line of Dynapower products and the impact they can have,” he added.
Wilson Staff are one of our favourite brands here at T3 because they make great gear at affordable prices for the average golfer. You might not see the Wilson Staff name featured as prominently on the PGA Tour as some of their competitors, but away from the professional game Wilson offer some of the best value for money clubs out there.
In targeting that casual golfer market the brand have perhaps suffered in some ways. They haven’t been players at the top end of the game because that hasn’t been their focus. In recent years there has been more a shift towards that high end of the market though. Wilson Staff still offer some of the best value equipment for mid-high handicap golfers but now they are also concentrating on the premium market.
This means you will also start to see more Tour players using Wilson as the brand plan to allocate a significant budget in that area. US Presidents Cup team player Kevin Kisner has just signed with Wilson and no doubt there will be more to follow over the coming years.
Wilson Staff Dynapower Irons
The Dynapower driver and fairway woods are suitable for golfers of all skill levels (from Kevin Kisner on Tour to the 25 handicapper at your home course) but the irons are very much aimed at the average golfer. While for the seriously good golfer the Staff Model irons remain a better option, for the aspirational 10+ handicap golfer the Dynapower irons are just the job.
Wilson are as good as anyone in that game improvement area. The D7 was a game changer when it comes to distance and forgiveness at a great price and its successor, the D9, continued the good work. The Dynapower now replaces the D9 and takes those concepts of extra distance and high forgiveness to the next level. They feature variable thickness for each section of the face to make more of the clubface hot, especially the centre-to-toe area where approximately 85% of shots are hit.
“The face on the new Dynapower irons is the thinnest we’ve ever designed relative to the overall average thickness,” said Jon Pergande, Manager of Wilson Golf Club Innovation based in Chicago. “The thinner topline, generous offset and a longer smooth hosel provides a pleasing look at address and the AI methods helped us to reposition weight to drive new solutions for both power and distance,” he added.
Using advanced Artificial Intelligence methods in designing irons for the first time - the same computer process used successfully with the Dynapower and D9 woods - thousands of clubhead data variations and aesthetics were analysed to produce the most effective and pleasing shape possible. The resulting design then incorporated the pioneering Wilson Power Hole 3.0 technology to deliver maximum ball speed across the face of each club.
Golf is the fastest growing department at Wilson and Dynapower is the start of a serious push by the brand to get back to the top of the sport. Wilson Staff proudly boast that they have more major wins than any other brand but the gap has been closing over recent years as Wilson focused more on producing clubs for the average weekend golfer rather than the top professionals. Now they want to reclaim their seat at the top table and over the next decade heavy investment is planned.
That climb back to the top began with the high end Wilson Staff Model range and is continuing with Dynapower, which will be available to buy from March 2023. We are currently in the process of testing these clubs and the early signs are pretty exciting. We will have full reviews of all of the Dynapower range coming soon, so stay tuned for that.
