CHICAGO -- Saying his goal is to take Wilson Golf "to a new level," Angus Moir on Aug. 16 unveiled the largest product introduction in the company's 90-year history at Olympia Fields Country Club. Moir, Wilson Golf's Global Business Director, said the launch marks the end of yearlong planning and "the start of a whole new focus under the brand that made the company so successful in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.
"Our plan is to recapture the energy and spirit of the Wilson Staff name and produce technologically advanced golf equipment," he added.
For the past few years, Wilson Golf has focused much of its marketing and equipment technology on average golfers, with such products as Deep Red Fat Shaft irons and metal woods.
"Wilson Golf was pigeonholed a little bit as just marketing clubs for casual players," Moir said.
Now Moir, in charge of Wilson Golf less than one year, wants to up the company's ante in the equipment wars and begin fighting at the premium level. The weapons in that fight include a return to the familiar Wilson Staff shield logo, two new drivers featuring what the company calls "Nano-Ti" construction, two new Staff irons and a pair of new Staff golf balls.
The new products, Moir said, will begin shipping on a limited basis this fall with full shipments scheduled for early next year.
Wilson Golf's Staff Pd5 (400cc) and Dd5 (460cc) drivers are the flagships of the new line. The Nano-Technology Crown in each driver, according to the company, is a carbon composite material with nano-sized (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter) particles to enhance overall composite structure.
The stronger, more durable Nano-Carbon Crown, according to Wilson, maintains the lightweight characteristic and allows more weight to be placed low and deep in the driver club head. Suggested retail price for each driver is $499.
The Wilson Staff Pi5 irons (SRP $999.99), according to the company, feature a soft, compact 431 stainless steel cast head with thin top lines and progressive sole widths from short to long irons. The Staff Di5 irons (SRP $849.99 in steel and $949.99 in graphite) feature an oversized stainless steel cast head. A deep cavity and heel notch, Wilson said, move the weight from the heel in the short irons to a lower position toward the toe in the long irons for higher trajectories.
The Wilson Staff Dx2 (distance) and Staff Px3 (performance) balls each feature what the company calls PhD (Pan Handle Dimple Aerodynamics, what officials call an advancement in dimple construction and design that delivers penetrating ball flight. Suggested retail price for the Dx2 is $27.99 per dozen while the Px3 will carry a SRP of $34.99 per dozen.
The Wilson Staff Tx4 (Tour), a urethane-covered four-piece ball for tour and advanced players, will complete the company's new ball line when it is introduced early next year.
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