For many of us, the most successful manufacturers in golf are companies like TaylorMade, Callaway, or Titleist.
It’s to understand why you might think this. TaylorMade has the two best players in the world at the moment, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, who have both won majors this year. Add in Nelly Korda, the best female player in the world, who also added to her major tally last year.
Callaway’s Xander Schauffele won two majors in 2024 to add to their ever-growing list of major successes. Major winners who have been Callaway staff players over the years include Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, and Annika Sorenstam.
Titleist is currently the number one driver on the PGA Tour, racking up eight victories to date, putting it ahead of TaylorMade and Callaway.
However, there is one brand that eclipses them all when it comes to success on golf’s biggest stages, and it’s a brand you might not be too familiar with: Wilson Golf.
It may not have been the name you were expecting to read. You wouldn’t be the only one.
Wilson is undergoing a resurgence at the moment and is once again producing equipment that gives top-tier manufacturers a run for their money in terms of performance and price.
So join us as we celebrate all things Wilson. We’ll guide you through:
- Wilson’s Legacy - A History Of Dominance
- Key Equipment In Wilson’s History
- How Wilson’s Past Is Shaping Its Future
Wilson’s Legacy - A History Of Dominance
Wilson Golf is the most successful brand in major championship golf. Players using Wilson golf clubs have scored 62 major championship victories spanning nearly 100 years.
Gene Sarazen became the first Wilson staff player and claimed seven of his eight major victories using Wilson clubs. Sarazen might also claim the longest association with any brand, having signed with Wilson in 1922; he stayed with the brand until he died in 1999.
Arnold Palmer claimed three major championships as a Wilson staff player in the early 1960s; his star power at the time helped put Wilson on the map as a serious golf brand.
German golfer, Bernard Langer, was one of the most consistent players in the world during the 1980s and 1990s. He used Wilson clubs to claim his two major championships, the 1985 and 1993 U.S. Masters.
More recently, Padraig Harrington claimed the 2007 and 2008 Open Championships and the 2008 PGA Championship as a Wilson staff player. Harrington remains a Wilson staff player on the Champions Tour, where he has just won his second U.S. Seniors Open after winning the title for the first time in 2022.
To date, Gary Woodland chalked up the last major victory for Wilson when he captured the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Wilson has claimed a major championship in every decade since the 1920s, with players such as Walter Hagen, Bernard Langer, Payne Stewart, and John Daly all achieving major success using Wilson golf clubs.
Wilson also broke ground in the ladies' game, with Patty Berg becoming one of the first female professionals to secure a club sponsorship deal in 1951 when she signed with Wilson.
Berg was the first female professional to have a set of women’s clubs designed with her name attached to them in the 1950s. Berg’s long association with Wilson lasted till her death in 2006.
Where Wilson differs from the high table of manufacturers is that golf is only part of its sporting empire.
While it can be argued that Wilson hasn’t been prominent in the golf world in recent years, Wilson is a major brand name in its domestic North American market, where it is involved in producing equipment for sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball.
Key Equipment In Wilson’s History
Wilson has been making golf clubs since 1914, and over the years, there have been some memorable clubs to look back on.
The backbone of Wilson Golf has been its premium forged blades, with Wilson using titles like Wilson Staff and Dynapower to represent their premium lines throughout the decades.
However, it's not just a strong back catalogue of bladed irons that Wilson can be remembered for.
The Wilson Whale driver of the late 80s and early 90s was a striking design for a driver. The Whale was made from a laminate construction instead of traditional persimmon.
The Whale featured an insert with a Whale caricature, which was replicated on the sole plate. The classic dark high-gloss finish featured a similar black binding, which complemented Wilson’s equally distinctive red and black Firestick shaft.
Payne Stewart was the highest-profile player to use the Whale in competition, winning on the PGA Tour in 1989 and capturing the PGA Championship in the same year.
The Firestick shaft not only powered clubs like the Whale, they were also found in Wilson’s performance irons of the day, the Ultra 45s, which Colin Montgomerie used to win his first DP World Tour order of merit in 1993.
John Daly claimed an unlikely victory at the 1995 Open Championship using Wilson’s Invex driver, a steel-headed driver with an unusual appearance.
The Invex was an early foray into improving aerodynamics, featuring a cut-away section at the shaft and a contoured rear section of the crown designed to enhance efficiency and clubhead speed.
Wilson also scored highly with its Ultra golf ball. The Ultra was a performance ball designed to compete with contemporary offerings from Pinnacle, Top-Flite, and Dunlop.
Different versions of the Ultra ball were launched by Wilson, including a titanium model that featured titanium elements in the core to improve performance. The Ultra name is still in use by Wilson today, with the latest version still aimed at the affordable end of the market.
How Wilson’s Past Is Shaping Its Future
Wilson clubs are made to the highest standards but come in at a lower price point than the premium lines offered by its competitors.
If budget is a significant factor for you, Wilson is worth considering.
Wilson Drivers
Wilson’s flagship driver line this year is the DYNAPWR Carbon.
The DYNAPWR Carbon is available in three models:
- DYNAPWR Carbon - standard head, which can be fitted for the widest variety of players
- DYNAPWR Max - high MOI model featuring the largest footprint behind the ball to inspire confidence
- DYNAPWR LS - low spin version for better players who need to reduce driver spin. Lower-lofted models come in a smaller 445CC head size to increase workability.
The LS model features more aggressive contouring around the rear, where the crown meets the sole, which helps improve aerodynamic efficiency and enhance clubhead speed.
Each DYNAPWR driver benefits from the extensive use of carbon composite material in the crown and sole, which helps reduce weight to improve club head speed.
Wilson’s engineers can use the saved weight to create each driver profile. The DYNAPWR Max positions its mass as far from the face and as low as possible to enhance stability. In contrast, the LS model positions the mass forward to reduce spin and increase ball speed.
Improving club head speed is achieved by what Wilson describes as open hosel construction, which moves unwanted material from around the hosel to create a stronger connection.
The benefit is that the engineers have additional saved weight that they can distribute within the head.
Wilson has also adopted the use of AI to aid performance. Wilson’s PKR-360 modelling helps improve ball speed across the face, regardless of the strike location, leading to no discernible loss in distance.
Early carbon drivers suffered from poor acoustics. We had all become accustomed to titanium drivers that the duller “whack” of carbon was a little off-putting for some.
Wilson’s answer to improving the DYNAPWR’s acoustics comes in the form of a rib structure within the head that helps create a consistent sound at impact across the face.
The standard DYNAPWR head and LS models feature interchangeable weights to dial in spin and forgiveness. In contrast, the Max model incorporates a single 19-gram weight positioned at the rear of the head to further enhance stability.
Each DYNAPWR head features an adjustable hosel, allowing fine-tuning of ball flight and shot shape to maximise the driver’s performance.
Wilson Fairway Woods
The DYNAPWR fairway woods follow a similar pattern to the drivers.
A carbon crown helps reduce weight, allowing for more leeway in the distribution of mass within the head. A 30-gram weight is placed close to the face to optimise launch and spin.
The fairway wood features high-strength 455 steel, designed to be incredibly thin, which helps promote higher ball speeds.
Forgiveness comes in the form of Wilson’s PKR-360 AI modelling to maintain high ball speeds across the face.
Acoustics are aided by the use of internal ribbing strategically placed within the head, similar to the drivers.
Flight and shot shape characteristics can be dialled in with the adjustable hosel.
DYNAPWR Hybrid
The DYNAPWR hybrid features the same 455 steel construction as the fairway wood to maximise ball speed off the face. Off-centre hits are helped through Wilson’s PKR-360 face design, adding more forgiveness.
The DYNAPWR hybrid has a smaller-profile head than some other hybrids on the market; however, its lower toe section and low centre of gravity make the head look friendly behind the ball and help launch the ball higher.
Wilson Irons
Wilson’s flagship iron is the Staff Model Blade.
The Staff Model Blade is forged from soft 8620 carbon steel to create a superior soft feel demanded by better players seeking maximum feedback along with stopping power on approach shots.
Taking inspiration from its classic Dynapower blades of the 1960s, Wilson has created a modern version, stripping unnecessary weight away from the hosel and redistributing it towards the toe area to create a better-balanced head.
To eliminate low left shots, Wilson uses precision weighting in the toe section to help keep the blade square through impact.
While aimed at better players, as most blades are, the Staff Model combines classic minimal offset with a thin top line. Still, the blade length doesn’t make the head look too intimidating behind the ball.
If you are looking for something a little more forgiving, Wilson has that covered with the DynaPWR forged iron.
The DynaPWR Forged irons retain a classic look at address but is packed full of technology.
The face is constructed using variable face technology and Wilson’s in-house PKR-Cup face to maximise ball speeds across the face and consistent launch angles.
Ball speed is further enhanced by Wilson’s Velocity Optimisation Channel (VOC) placed in the sole near the face to help maximise the face’s flexibility at impact, transferring more energy into the ball.
The DynaPWR Forged is a hollow-body construction iron that helps improve the club’s forgiveness by redistributing weight to the extremities of the face and by precisely positioning the mass in each iron head to optimise launch and spin rates.
Lastly, Wilson has utilised its open-heel construction, as seen in the Staff Model Blade, which helps push mass further out towards the toe area to help keep the club face square through impact.
Offering an alternative in the long iron department for players looking at the Staff Model Blade is the Staff Model RB utility iron.
This hollow construction iron helps create a lower centre of gravity, which helps get the ball airborne. Performance in the form of enhanced ball speed is achieved by using high-strength C300 steel in the face, which helps optimise ball speeds regardless of strike location.
Stability is further enhanced by an internal rib construction inside the head, which helps off-centre hits fly straight and far.
The option for blending with the Staff Model Blade is further enhanced by the RB’s sleek design, which was partly inspired by Wilson’s current crop of tour staff.
We’re delighted to introduce Wilson to Nine By Nine Golf.
We like the combination of technology and price point, offering golfers something serious to consider in their next set of clubs.
Wilson’s use of adjustable hosels and weights helps us to dial in the perfect flight characteristics to improve your game.
We see blending opportunities in the iron range where golfers could either opt for the RB utility or DynaPWR Forged in the longer irons before switching to the classic Staff Model blade for pinpoint, accurate short irons.
As an independent fitter, we also stock a wide variety of leading carbon composite and steel shafts, which can be fitted to the head you need, helping to add more distance, improve trajectory, and tighten up shot dispersion.
If you are looking to upgrade your clubs, we think you’ll be impressed by what Wilson has to offer.
To enhance your game and experience a true classic name in golf equipment, book a fitting session with Nine By Nine Golf.