Sweet Stuff
Wilson Sporting Goods, which has been designing and manufacturing golf equipment since 1914, is rolling out its most technologically advanced, easiest to hit set of clubs ever with the introduction of the Launch Pad irons and woods that have been produced with the higher handicap player in mind—and loads of features to help them play better.
The Launch Pad Collection consists of irons, driver, fairway woods and an all-new category called the FY Club that combines the best features of a hybrid and a long iron.
True to its name, the ball just launches— or explodes off the club face of these clubs with exceptional height and distance. They have a great look and feel at address, and for anyone who plays recreationally and just wants to have fun when they go out—these are the clubs that are easy to swing-- light and have good feel for the game improvement category for the higher handicapper.
The irons are especially easy to control and offer a nice sound at impact, the light, 80-gram steel KBS Tour shaft (or the USTMamiya Recoil 460 graphite shaft) also help with making these clubs one of the easier ones on the market to swing.
“The Launch Pad Irons will give gameimprovement golfers confidence over every shot,” said Jon Pergande, Manager of Golf Club Innovation at Wilson. “Keeping the everyday player in mind, our test results show the Launch Pad sole reduces fat shots by 73%, enabling players to attack the course with more confidence.”
One of the key design features at the heart of this these irons is the Launch Pad Sole featured throughout the set. This advanced technology is designed to eliminate the “chunk” shot, while simultaneously improving launch. The short irons feature traditional game-improvement sole widths while longer irons feature wider, more forgiving soles, for more consistent ballstriking and greater distance. This progression in sole width allows players to put the long irons back in their bags.
In addition, the smooth bounce angle keeps the leading edge up and decreases turf interaction by floating above the ground. The Launch Pad Irons feature a hollow-body construction, supporting an extremely thin face for improved ball speed and increased distance. The overall light weight on these irons help generate clubhead speed with minimal effort. They also come standard with a midsize grip that provides comfort and enhanced feel for greater confidence with every swing.
“The irons have a great look and for players that need some help with their game—these set up very nice,” added club fitter Jerry Molinar, the owner of Marc’s Golf in Palm Desert California. “Wilson has done a nice job of making a club with a larger sole look smaller—but it is easy to hit and has a high launch—which a lot of players need.”
The new Wilson Launch Pad driver and fairway woods are designed for players who want and can benefit from a lighter club and can use help fighting a slice. They are also easy to hit and can help players get better height and distance.
Featuring a moderate hosel offset, 13 grams of weight in the heel side of the club and an upright lie angle, many players will find this club to their liking with an overall club head weight of just 272 grams. As one of the lightest drivers on the market, when it is paired with the new Variable Face Technology, the Launch Pad Driver head delivers higher ball speeds and higher launch angles, regardless of location of contact on the clubface, noted Wilson officials.
The Launch Pad Driver is available in both men’s and women’s options and comes stock with the new UST-Mamiya Helium Series shaft--and the Wilson Staff MicroLite Lamkin grip, which maintains the traditional feel in a super lightweight construction.
Like the driver, the Launch Pad fairway woods are designed with a moderate hosel offset and heel-focused weighting to help golfers gain more control and hit straighter shots. A Carpenter Custom 455 Stainless Steel face insert provides a thin, hot face, increasing both feel and distance for the fairway woods.
The Launch Pad Fairway Woods are available in two loft options –15-degree (3wood) and 18-degree (5-wood) with the same UST-Mamiya Helium Series shaft and Wilson Staff MicroLite Lamkin grip used on the driver. Left hand and women’s models are available in several options as well.
In developing the Launch Pad FY Club—a new category--Wilson Labs testing showed a 41” shaft with a 19.5-degree face is the easiest-to-hit combination of loft and length for golfers that hold a handicap over 10, replacing the need for 3-irons, 3-hybrids and 7-woods. The new FY Club is highlighted with the Carpenter Custom 455 Stainless Steel face insert for a thin, hot face and a light feel.
“The process of creating the Launch Pad Driver, Fairway Woods and FY Club started with researching the swings of self-described slicers,” added Pergande. “Our goal is to help players stay in play more often than not and the visually subtle technologies in our Launch Pad Driver and Woods--like the offset hosel and weight in the heel--have done just that.”
The Launch Pad FY Club is available in right and left-hand options at 19.5-degree loft with the UST-Mamiya shaft and Wilson Staff Microlite grip. The FY Club will also be available for women, in a RH option with 20.5-degree loft.
The clubs are available beginning this month at retailers and on the company website.
For more information: www.wilson.com